I have largely kept silent on my views surrounding American politics and geopolitics in general. However, this week, two things happened: 1) I was inspired by a brilliant Ted talk by Ian Bremmer (watch it here), and 2) I felt that God was releasing me to share my perspective.
My perspectives are based on considering the world through the lens of community – a global community – and through the lens of an unfolding plan of God.
First, let’s get a little historical context. According to the United Nations website:
In the summer of 1945, leaders from 50 countries gathered in San Francisco to agree upon an international treaty to enshrine the equal rights of all people and maintain peace.
This resulting treaty, the UN Charter, is the founding document of the United Nations, which pledged to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. In over 70 years since its creation, the United Nations maintains international peace and security, protects human rights, delivers humanitarian aid, supports sustainable development and climate action, and upholds international law.
Four years later the North Atlantic Treaty was signed by 12 countries. According to NATO’s website:
NATO’s purpose is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means.
POLITICAL – NATO promotes democratic values and enables members to consult and cooperate on defence and security-related issues to solve problems, build trust and, in the long run, prevent conflict.
MILITARY – NATO is committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes. If diplomatic efforts fail, it has the military power to undertake crisis-management operations. These are carried out under the collective defence clause of NATO’s founding treaty – Article 5 of the Washington Treaty or under a United Nations mandate, alone or in cooperation with other countries and international organisations.
Both the UN and NATO were created against the backdrop of the devastation of World War II and a fragmented Europe. Having seen the ravages of war, the world decided to take a step away from individual interest-seeking toward global cooperation and peaceful co-existence.
Fast forward to today. Self-interest is on the rise across the globe. Without going into the details just yet, what I believe we are seeing is community dynamics. Think of the following 4 stages of community:
- No community – Individual interest is the order of the day. Those with more power (financial, political, social, physical/military) have a disproportionate influence on swaying circumstances to their advantage.
- Formation of fake community – A decision to put the good of all above the good of a few held together by enforced norms, codes, or laws. Equal rights for all group members are pursued with a focus on ensuring those without power are treated fairly.
- Destruction of fake community – Individuals with power (financial, political, social, physical/military) rebel against the enforced norms that do not suit them and steer back to individualism.
- Formation of true community – There is a possibility for true community only if individuals can find the motivation to persevere through the conflict of the previous step and come out on the other side with a deeper understanding of and genuine value for others. True community is formed when individuals voluntarily choose to love others as they love themselves without trying to make others conform to their personal preferences. This is true unity in diversity.
I believe that pre-WWII, was the era of no global community. For the last 80 years, what we have seen is a fake global community and increasingly so as international organizations and local governments have ramped up efforts to enforce harmony, cooperation, and the valuing of all members. 2025 for me, is the year when we are officially not pretending to get along or go along anymore. The trend has been going on for a while, but 2025 seems like an inflexion point. Here are some of the indicators that I have been seeing:
- Brexit
- The global rise in popularity of right-wing political parties
- The global rise in anti-immigrant sentiment
- The war in Gaza
- Russia’s attack on Ukraine
- US withdrawal from the World Health Organization
- Trump
- Pulling out of anti-bribery agreements
- Pulling out of environmental agreements
- Hard stance on immigrants
- Tarriffs on China
The Trump factor is pivotal in this global shift, and what is even more interesting for me is the widespread Christian support for Trump and his policies. So, generally, we have a shift toward self-interest supported by Christians. How did that happen? How did a group that should be the ethos of selflessness come to be associated with the exact opposite? Well, I believe there are two things at play:
- American Christians got tired of being told that they had to call men women and women men. They got fed up of being forced to accept LGBTQ+ narratives but increasingly being suppressed from advocating and pursuing lifestyles based on Christian values. The pendulum had swung so far in the direction of protecting the rights of a minority that the majority’s rights were being trampled. An untenable situation.
- There is a question that must be answered about the values of Christians in America: Are their values based on what Christ taught or on the American dream of freedom, wealth, and success? Is the church in America American-Christians or Christian-Americans?
So what is God doing in all of this? I believe that this current era of destruction of the fake global community is absolutely part of God’s plan to get to true community, starting with the church. This will be a season of testing and refining for the church. All of the dross hidden under a veneer of Christian make-up will be coming to the surface. It already has. The name-calling, vitriol, and hate that spewed from the church during the US elections revealed the hearts. It was rampant everywhere, but the church should have been a light in the darkness.
There is no hope for global community and peace until and unless the global church stands united in love that is bigger than gender, race, economic status, social status, and country. Christ loved the world and died for the world. There is no non-immigrants first or America first or rich people first in the kingdom. In fact, Christ is decidedly on the side of the weak and powerless. Let me address a few of these issues head-on from scripture.
The Immigrant & The Poor
Leviticus 19:33-34 (NIV)
33 “‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. 34 The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
1 John 3:16-18 (NIV)
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
Matthew 25:41-45 (NIV)
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
Wealth
Matthew 6:19-21, 24 (NIV)
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Power
Matthew 20:25-28 (NIV)
25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The Environment
Revelations 11:16-18 (NIV)
16 And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying:
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
the One who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
and have begun to reign.
18 The nations were angry,
and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,
and for rewarding your servants the prophets
and your people who revere your name,
both great and small—
and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”
Community
Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV)
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
Mark 12:31 (NIV)
The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
The present age calls for great courage from the church. Not the self-righteous kind of courage that looks like outrage against our persecutors. Persecution is par for the course. Rather, it is the courage to fight with prayer and sacrificial servanthood instead of laws, economic bullying, and military might. You see, the great mistake at this point would be to trade one fake community for another – a more Christian-favourable one. Community cannot be made through laws or sanctions or tariffs. Christ modeled the only pathway to peace and unity – love expressed in sacrificial servanthood. We, the Christians, must have the courage to serve and love those who hate us. This is the narrow way.
