Why 'Christless Conservatism' can't save America
Politics makes for strange bedfellows.
Within the conservative movement, there are all kinds of diverse representations. I applaud this, and I believe a wide tent is necessary to accomplish political goals that establish a rule of law that is just, morally upright and beneficial to society. I’m all for coalitions to accomplish political ends that might include the Scott Presslers, Ben Shapiros and Dave Rubins of the world.
But I reject Christless conservatism.
The power of the conservative movement is not in the policies it upholds. The power is in the core of its base: Christianity. Christians have, throughout the last 2,000 years, led the way in scientific developments, championed political policies that truly allow for individual freedom and dignity even for the most common people, and successfully stemmed the tide of disastrous political agendas (such as Communism and radical Islam) that only end in human destruction.
This leads us to the necessary question: Without Christianity, can you still have conservatism?
I would argue an emphatic “no.” Take abortion, for example: Why fight for the lives of unborn children if you do not believe that they have been created by God and given true dignity? The Bible tells us this. This does not come from any political philosophy. It comes from the Christian worldview. You take that away, and you take away all the power behind the pro-life argument.
The same goes for the LGBT movement, immigration, gun laws, government overreach and all other issues in which the conservative movement engages. Each of these issues is, at its core, a spiritual issue with an answer in the Christian worldview. In short: If you take Christianity out of conservatism, you rip the heart out of the conservative movement.
In the summer of 2025, American conservatives applauded Sydney Sweeney’s sultry, suggestive American Eagle denim advertisement campaign, seeing it as a deathblow to wokism. The campaign spiked American Eagle’s stock on Wall Street and signaled to many that the days of Biden-era asexual woke advertisements were gone.
I am all for feminine beauty, and I fight every day to see wokism die. But I do not want to merely settle for the replacement of woke androgyny with 1990s-style beer-and-bikini softcore pornography in advertising.
This is one example of the end result of Christless conservatism.
Our politics truly must be driven and governed by our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our faith in Him must come first.
The lesson: Christians must not stay silent on political issues. We must speak out and stand for the truth, both in private and in public.
This includes pastors, many of whom have become notoriously silent on issues that are not culturally palatable. In an effort to win people to Jesus through winsomeness, kindness and an air of acceptance, many pastors have inadvertently shepherded souls directly to Hell by not lovingly and courageously calling those souls to repentance.
Thankfully, there are many other pastors who are men of courage and conviction, men who will stand for the truth no matter what the cost. I praise God for these pastors who walk directly into the fire and speak directly to the issues that they know may get them canceled or worse. They stand on the Word of God at risk of losing a large platform, a book deal, high standing or even their lives.
But it must not be pastors only. Ordinary Christians like you and me have been given the opportunity by God to stand for the truth every day. Will we take it?
Let’s fight for conservative values, but let’s lean on what truly makes the conservative movement mighty: the Christian worldview. May we always seek to bring the Gospel to those who need it.
I am happy to stand with the Scott Presslers, Ben Shapiros and Dave Rubins when it comes to political fights for the good of our nation. But more than that, I pray and desire that these men, and many other political allies like them, would bow the knee willingly to King Jesus and repent of their sin before it’s too late.
Imagine the impact of a united conservative front, not one merely united over an agreement on the Second Amendment or anti-wokism, but one united under the blood of Jesus Christ.
That would be a political movement with serious power.
Seth Udinski is the producer and co-host of “Financial Issues,” a nationally syndicated talk radio and television program that teaches investors how to honor God with their finances through the discipline of Biblically Responsible Investing (BRI).
