I've been giving quite a bit of thought to an opinion piece that noted Chicago Tribune columnist Cal Thomas wrote last year regarding evangelical Christians' disappointment with the 2020 election results. Evangelicals were — and many still are — some of former President Donald Trump's most steadfast supporters. In his column, Thomas referenced an essay that Dr. Robert Jeffress, the pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, wrote for the Fox News website before the election results were confirmed. Jeffress, a fervent backer of Trump, called for evangelicals to continue trusting in God, stating that "Our faith and our salvation lie not in any human ruler, but in the ruler of rulers, the King of kings." Thomas further elaborated on these points by maintaining that although evangelicals are strongly at odds with the policies of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' administration, this disagreement should not prevent them from carrying out their ministry efforts to those in need in their communities.

Given where we are now during the aftermath of the election, American churches are in, to quote the book of Esther, a critical moment "for such a time as this," as the country is still reeling from extreme political discord and racial strife while battling through the coronavirus pandemic. Many evangelical congregations were heavily into politics during Trump's term and were devastated and angry when he lost to Joe Biden. They thought, as Jeffress wrote, that "the God of the evangelicals should be on the side of Republicans and conservatives." I believe that God wanted the church to acknowledge two significant issues in the wake of Trump's defeat. First, racial division needs to be addressed, and second, Christians need to refocus on the primary mission in ministry: to share the gospel and draw souls into the kingdom of God.

When it comes to political headlines regarding evangelicals, race is hardly an elephant in the room of discussion. White evangelicals have been called purveyors of white supremacy and hypocrites regarding their faith. The Pew Research Center recently issued "Fact Tank" reports that analyze evangelical approval of Trump's stance on issues such immigration and travel bans while he was in office. Many of them have the word "white" in the headlines. An NPR podcast last year titled "Multiracial Congregations May Not Bridge Racial Divide" did not offer an overly optimistic view of churches becoming more diverse. The historical racial divide in American churches is deeply rooted in the South, with racist ideology infiltrating congregations since the days of slavery. The black church, also historically known as the "Negro church," formed out of blacks' necessity to have a haven of worship as early as the 1780s. A pertinent question we must ask ourselves today is: How can the church be a true witness of the teachings of Christ when stark segregation remains? The ugliness of our politics within the past four years greatly exposed the longstanding racial rifts within the church, placing evangelicals at the forefront, and it is something that both white and black pastors can no longer ignore.

During this time when so many people are suffering and on the brink of despair, it is imperative that ministers not let ongoing political disputes take their attention away from the work of the gospel. In fact, when studying the gospels, it is evident that Jesus really did not get completely immersed in the political debates of His day. For example, Mark 12:13-17 records the devious intention of the Pharisees and Herodians to bait Jesus into speaking against paying taxes to Caesar. Instead of getting into an argument about the oppression of the Roman government, Jesus simply said to "render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's." Now, I'm by no means implying that churches should idly stand by in the face of injustice and not participate in civic discourse, but when we do take a public stand, Christ must remain in the center of our message. When we minister to those who are marginalized in our society — those sick, poor and in prison — Jesus says, we have ministered unto Him. This is the ministry the church should be focusing on in this tumultuous political moment, our Esther moment. But we cannot effectively carry it out with the current division within the body of Christ.

Dr. Jessica A. Johnson is a lecturer in the English department at Ohio State University's Lima campus. Email her at smojc.jj@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JjSmojc. To find out more about Jessica Johnson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.