In our increasingly polarized political landscape, meaning divided with little hope of consensus, is it obvious to you that one end of the political spectrum does not espouse Christian viewpoints?
Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #254 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.
In January 1993, when I was privileged to serve as Cornerstone University’s president and with the encouragement of the WCSG radio Vice President for Broadcasting, my good friend the late Lee Geysbeek, I launched a 2-minute radio commentary. We called it “Making a Difference.” That program ran weekly, sometimes daily, through June 2008.
The idea was to comment on all manner of subjects, applying, the best I could, a biblically Christian worldview. Early on, I thought long and hard whether I wanted to be openly partisan and decided that while I’d speak from my Christian and conservative values, I’d not position myself as Republican, let alone any other party. I did this because I believed the political parties should be critiqued, that no party or “Ism” for that matter, including “conservativism,” should escape the review of a biblically Christian worldview. I wanted to integrate my faith with life and culture.
Now this means that if I wanted to represent myself as a person basing analysis of issues and events upon a Christian faith perspective, I needed to know whereof I spoke. I am not a theologian, but I thought I could develop, like the Men of Issachar referenced in the Old Testament, an “understanding of the times, to know what Israel (or in my case the U.S.) ought to do,” (1 Chron. 12:32). So that is what I did in more than 550 “Making a Difference” pieces, and that is what I’m still trying to do in what to-date is more than 250 “Discerning What Is Best” podcasts.
I’ve shared this history because I want to shift gears, at least in this podcast, and talk about political parties, political philosophy, or what I called an “Ism.” I’m sure there are listeners who will remember a time, not that long ago, when people could say, and I was one of them, that Christians could affiliate with either political party, Republican or Democrat. But even back when, I always thought what mattered more was whether people positioned themselves as conservative or liberal, for this was where their real values emerged.
I have friends and family members who affiliate with the Democrat party, and many more who affiliate with the Republican party. I want to respect them all, even as I may disagree with positions a given party takes. But here again, I must be careful, for both parties from time to time assume political positions that do not deserve support. Neither party is always consistent, much less holy.
This is why I still fall back on my view that what matters more than party affiliation is ideology, the “Ism.” Do you feel most comfortable with conservativism, liberalism, or in this new century, leftism?
When I was in high school and college in the 1960s–1970s, political developments like the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam War protests, feminism and student activism pushed radical critiques of capitalism, war, and American institutions.
This is the genesis of the modern American Left, influencing culture, academia, and activism—though not yet fully controlling government.
In the 1980s–2000s, conservatives enjoyed a resurgence under Ronald Reagan. However, leftist ideas persisted in universities, media, and advocacy groups.
Now, from the 2010s to the present, the Left is surging. After the 2008 financial crisis, dissatisfaction with inequality grew. Politicians like Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and now NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani brought explicitly leftist ideas, including Democratic Socialism, into mainstream debate.
Movements like Occupy Wall Street increased pressure on traditional liberals. This period marks the strongest mainstream political influence of the Left in modern U.S. history, especially within the Democratic Party.
Though there is overlap and media use the terms interchangeably, the Left is not the same as Liberals. The Left is far more pernicious.
Liberals want to reform and improve the existing system (capitalism + democracy). The Left often wants to transform or replace major parts of the system (especially capitalism).
Liberals support capitalism with regulation. They believe markets work but need safeguards (e.g., minimum wage, antitrust laws). The Left is much more critical of capitalism and support alternatives like socialism.
Liberals believe government should fix problems (healthcare, education, inequality) and they prefer incremental policy changes. The Left believes government should play a much larger role in sweeping changes (e.g., universal systems, wealth redistribution).
Liberals focus on reducing inequality (tax credits, social programs) and accept some level of wealth disparity, while the Left focuses on something they call “equity,” meaning fairness in their terms.
Where the divide is even more pronounced today is on cultural issues. It’s not conservatives, but most liberals and all the Left affirm these views:
- “Trans for everyone, including kids who are too young to spell ID.
- Pornographic material in your kid’s school library.
- Trillions in ‘reparations’ for people who were never slaves from people who never owned slaves.
- An open border for all to enter the U.S. and receive benefits that you paid for…
- More DEI in the military, college, and the workplace.”
Faith in general seems to be something the Left is more at war with than nearly any other entity…the single biggest difference between modern progressive leftism and common-sense centrism (i.e., the old Liberals) and center right folks is the acknowledgement of God. That he has a purpose for humanity and that our lives are best lived when we acknowledge him and his plan. The Left believes that God does not exist, or that if he does, he is relatively unburdened by our plight and is unbothered to intervene.
This difference is how we arrive today wherein one political party believes it’s fine for boys to be in your daughter’s locker room, and the rest of the nation believes it’s dangerous.
What else do conservatives believe? That killing an unborn child is murder. That taking all of one’s earnings through taxes is theft. That our morality is not created in a vacuum.
Who consistently supports Hamas and now Iran? The Left.
Who proclaims some version of LGBTQ+ and then says they support Islam where their version of sexuality is violently condemned? The Left.
Who claims to be pro-women all the while nonsensically supporting radical Islam? The Left.
Antisemitism is showing its ugly face on the Left, but sadly, also periodically among the liberals and even so-called conservatives.
“Believing in Darwin, leftists do not believe in human equality; they believe that some humans have ‘evolved’ to a superior, higher status than others. Hence, their racism…Socialism, with its government economic control, is the Left’s economic system. Capitalism, with its freedom and uncontrollable markets, is rejected. Since the Left has no absolute morality except what will lead them to power, anything goes—lying, stealing, murder—it’s all in their history. Thus…nothing is forbidden if it leads to dominance.”
“The Left has been waging the most successful war against free speech in American history. As a result, almost half of America's young people say they believe in free speech but not in ‘hate speech,’ which, of course, means they do not believe in free speech.”
“The Left has essentially destroyed mainstream journalism. Mainstream media no longer hold truth as an ideal…They continue to promote the lie that having to present an ID when voting is ‘racist.’"
America-bashing has become the favorite pastime of the Left. So-called Progressives excoriate America as a nation founded by white men for white men.
They even reject the Declaration of Independence, labeling it a racist document.
This only scratches the surface of how radically different, morally relativistic, given to disorder and revolution, anti-God, anti-family, and anti-American the Left now is. As they like to call themselves, these “Progressives” are in near control of the Democrat party and sometimes influence establishment Republicans. Their worldview is anti-Christian.
I still don’t want to position my commentary as partisan, but it’s harder to near impossible now not to lean right instead of left.
Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best.
If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. For more Christian commentary, see my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com, or check my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers.
And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.
© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2026
*This podcast blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact me or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com/ or my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers, or connect with me at www.linkedin.com/in/rexmrogers.