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By Dr. Darlingston Varr | February 2026 | 8 min read

By any honest reckoning, Christianity in the public square is in crisis—not because the gospel has lost its power, but because it is so often conscripted into battles it was never meant to fight. On one side, far-right movements cloak agendas of hate, racism, antisemitism, and misogyny in Christian language, symbols, and selective proof texts. On the other hand, progressive or liberal movements appeal to Scripture’s themes of love, justice, and inclusion while using them to bless behaviors and moral frameworks that historic Christianity has consistently called disordered or ungodly. In both cases, Scripture is not being obeyed so much as exploited.

The result is a church squeezed between two distortions, each claiming the moral high ground, and each tempting believers to confuse political allegiance with faithfulness to Christ.

The misuse of Christianity by far-right ideologies is perhaps the most visibly corrosive. White nationalism, ethnocentrism, and conspiratorial antisemitism have all, at various times, wrapped themselves in Christian imagery. Crosses appear at rallies that proclaim racial superiority. Scripture is cherry-picked to defend patriarchal domination or to frame violence as divine judgment. In these moments, Christianity is not merely misrepresented—it is weaponized.

This is not a new phenomenon. Jesus himself warned of those who would invoke God’s name while pursuing power: “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord,’ did we not prophesy in your name?’” (Matt. 7:22). Yet the fruit of these movements—fear, exclusion, cruelty, and pride—stands in stark contrast to the way of Christ, who broke down ethnic barriers, welcomed the outsider, and rebuked those who loved status more than mercy.

Racism and antisemitism are not peripheral sins that can be excused as political disagreements. They strike at the heart of Christian theology. All people are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). The church is grafted into Israel’s story, not set against it (Rom. 11). To tolerate hatred under the banner of Christianity is to bear false witness about the God Christians claim to worship.

When the church remains silent—or worse, accommodating—toward these distortions, it signals to the watching world that the gospel can be bent to justify oppression. That silence is itself a form of complicity.

Yet the danger does not come from one direction alone. Progressive or left-leaning movements often appeal to Scripture’s calls for love, justice, compassion, and liberation. These are not marginal themes; they are central to the biblical story. Jesus commands love of neighbor, care for the poor, and protection for the vulnerable. The prophets thunder against injustice. The early church embodied radical generosity.

The problem arises when these biblical virtues are severed from the full moral vision of Scripture and repurposed to affirm whatever a given culture deems acceptable. Love becomes affirmation without repentance. Justice becomes the eradication of moral boundaries. Freedom becomes self-definition without submission to God.

In these cases, Scripture is not rejected outright but selectively employed—its sharper edges dulled, its calls to holiness reframed as outdated or harmful. Passages that confront sexual immorality, the sanctity of life, or God’s design for human flourishing are dismissed as cultural artifacts, while other texts are elevated as proof that Christianity must evolve to match contemporary moral sensibilities.

This, too, is a distortion. Jesus, who embodied perfect compassion, also called people to “go and sin no more” (John 8:11). The same Scriptures that command love of neighbor also call believers to be transformed, not conformed, to the patterns of the world (Rom. 12:2). A gospel that never confronts sin may sound kind, but it ultimately offers no redemption.

Though these extremes appear opposed, they share a common flaw: both subordinate Scripture to ideology. The far right baptizes power and exclusion; the progressive left sanctifies autonomy and self-expression. In each case, the authority of God’s Word is filtered through political commitments rather than allowed to challenge them.

The church’s task is not to find a “middle ground” between these poles, but to stand on different ground altogether—the lordship of Christ. Faithfulness will sometimes place Christians at odds with conservative movements that prize order over mercy, and at other times with progressive movements that prize inclusion over truth. This tension is unavoidable if the church is to remain the church.

Christian witness in a polarized age requires courage and clarity. It requires rejecting hatred and injustice without surrendering moral conviction. It requires proclaiming grace without redefining sin, and truth without abandoning love.

This will mean calling out racism and antisemitism wherever they appear, especially when they masquerade as “Christian values.” It will also mean resisting the pressure to conform Christian teaching to cultural trends that conflict with Scripture, even when those trends are framed in the language of compassion.

Above all, it will mean remembering that Christianity is not a tool for advancing political agendas, but a way of life shaped by the cross. The church’s credibility does not rest on winning culture wars, but on faithfully bearing witness to a kingdom “not of this world” (John 18:36).

The church is called to be the "pillar and ground of the truth". The imagery used here is architectural terms to show the church's vital role in making truth stable and visible in the world. Thus, if Christians fail to draw these distinctions, others will continue to define the faith for us—using the name of Christ to justify whatever they already believe. The cost of that failure is not merely reputational. It is spiritual.

Dr. Darlingston Varr is a dedicated minister, educator, and community leader with a passion for service and a heart for people. As the Minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he is committed to building bridges between the church and the wider community, sharing a message of hope, and creating impactful programs that address spiritual and practical needs.

Dr. Varr’s path to ministry is as diverse as it is inspiring. He brings a wealth of leadership experience from a distinguished career spanning over two decades in Federal service and seven years as a proud United States Marine. This background has instilled in him a profound sense of discipline, integrity, and a deep-seated desire to serve others—values that he seamlessly integrates into his ministerial work.

Dr. Varr is a respected adjunct professor at Virginia Christian College, where he shares his knowledge and passion for biblical studies and leadership with the next generation of Christian leaders. He is known for his engaging and approachable teaching style, fostering an environment where students can explore complex questions of faith with honesty and intellectual rigor.

Born in Monrovia, Liberia, Dr. Varr’s personal journey of faith began at an early age. His life experiences have given him a unique perspective on the power of faith and perseverance. He holds a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership from Regent University, a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Virginia Christian College, a Master of Business Administration in Technology Management, and a Bachelor of Science in Database Technology.