How to Understand Political Tribalism

In a world increasingly defined by political tribalism, it can be easy for core principles to get lost in the noise. For many who follow Christian values, the words of Jesus on issues like poverty and human suffering often feel co-opted and politicized. The call to "clothe the naked" is not a call to national charity but a command to respond to a human being's need, individually and personally. The instruction to "welcome the stranger," though a term now politically charged, speaks to the universal human condition of displacement and the search for refuge. These are not left or right ideologies; they are biblical truths that transcend borders and political allegiance. It’s only when a person experiences displacement, poverty, rejection, and similar hardships that they will understand how shallow political affiliations and ideologies can be.

When we hear these words and can only see them through a partisan lens, it is not the words themselves that are political, but the lens through which we choose to view them. A person using the words "immigrant," "poor," or "marginalized" is not automatically making a political statement. These are foundational biblical concepts that invite us to a higher standard of humanity, not merely to a better form of citizenship in one nation.

Consider the accusations leveled against Jesus himself. He was accused of being a "glutton" for eating with tax collectors and the rich. He was accused of "breaking the law" for healing the sick on the Sabbath. He was even accused of "desecrating the temple" for confronting the corrupt practices of those in power. In each case, Jesus was accused of doing the wrong thing, but was he speaking politics or simply meeting human needs and journeying alongside the marginalized and rejected? It's easy to look back now and see his actions as righteous, but we often fail to recognize that the same accusations arise today when we seek to do the same.

The American spiritual leader and activist Martin Luther King Jr. once noted, "The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: 'If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?' But the Good Samaritan reversed the question: 'If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?'" This shift in perspective is the very essence of an apolitical humanism rooted in faith. It moves the focus from our own comfort and national identity to the simple, profound dignity of another person.

For what truly matters in the end?

• Do not ask from which place they came, or what flag marks their worldly claim. Ask only if their heart is weak, and if there is a hand to seek.

When we prioritize being better human beings—empathetic, compassionate, and loving—we inevitably become better citizens of our nations. The change begins with a singular act of seeing a person for who they are: a fellow human, in need of dignity and respect, unburdened by the political labels that divide us.