The Danger of ‘No Enemies To The Right’

I “came of age” professionally during some of the most contentious debates around such topics as abortion, sexuality, marriage, and gender.

It was easy to judge which positions were faithful to Scripture. Progressivism generally rejects transcendent truth, denies the unborn equal dignity, opposes religious liberty, and endorses people’s chosen sexual practices and identities — all of which made it a clear threat to biblical Christianity. Progressives also openly targeted evangelicals, often calling our views bigoted or “on the wrong side of history.”

The Left is no less hostile than before.

The challenge that has emerged over the last decade is that the once predictable safe haven of the “Right” can no longer be casually assumed to be “safe” or “reconcilable” with biblical faith.

In fact, within many (not all) precincts on the political Right, one can easily see a resurgence of racial realism, ethnic bigotry, and antisemitism. This comes from within the Right and even among some who claim the mantle of Christianity.

Given the full range of political options on offer, maintaining one’s alliance with the “Right” is still easier. But it now requires far more discernment, because the Right entertains positions that are just as opposed to Scripture, often while appealing to Scripture. The challenge is subtle: if we assume those to our Right are always our allies, we can easily excuse or justify odious personalities and positions, believing that shared enemies matter more. Consider, for example, the discourse around “No Enemies to the Right.”

The challenge for Christians is not to get swept up in toxic right-wing ideologies simply because the Left’s sins are more obvious or because the Right dresses up its arguments in biblical veneers.

To their Left, Christians can easily see where progressivism undermines Christianity: Denying core biblical doctrines (the exclusivity of Christ, biblical inspiration, etc.) and ethics (sexuality, abortion, etc.)

To their Right, it is not as easy for Christians to see where right-wing ideology undermines Christianity: The attacks are more imperceptible and subtle, for there is not often an outright denial of biblical Christianity and biblical ethics, but a distortion of both. So, Christians must be much more on guard.

Radicals in Right-wing Christianity take what they believe honors “nature” and draw illicit conclusions from it. Biblical concepts such as the nation and ethnicity — the current focus of the right wing — are sacralized and absolutized when their mere existence (is) is given explanatory force for navigating political life today (ought), often wrongly or incompletely, and without reference to the biblical storyline.

It seems unable to separate fallen nature from original nature and thus commits the same type of error Aristotle made when affirming slavery: arguing from what is to what ought to be. In effect, it operates almost according to a neo-Darwinian worldview (which, if you read voices on the radical Right, they openly endorse).

On top of that, where leftist Christianity formulates hippy Jesus, making him a beret-wearing peacenik and guru, Right-wing Christianity downplays the ethics of Jesus and trades him for a red-pilled version resonant with today’s manosphere. We trade pacifist Jesus for a Jungian Jesus. This creates a bifurcation where one can honor doctrine (“Jesus is King”) while doing so from an unethical motive (antisemitism).

I am no fan of “third-wayism” and have written critically of it, but in this instance, Christians would do well to notice the ugly ditches on both sides of the political aisle. Overt attacks come more from the Left, but covert attacks are now routine on the Right. If “third-wayism” is merely a rhetorical device used to keep one in the good social graces of progressives or if it is used to bypass entry into the “culture wars,” then third-way approaches are flawed. If, on the other hand, biblical discernment requires us to see how any system outside of the Bible can be flawed, then we should understand the Bible critiques us all. I’m reminded of Luther’s quote to avoid falling into ditches on either side: “The world is like a drunken peasant. If you lift him into the saddle on one side, he will fall off on the other side.” Or we could note that it is a biblical metaphor for walking the way of the Lord, not swerving right or left (Proverbs 4:27; Joshua 1:7). I’m not so much calling for a “third way” as I am for those on the Right to be open to self-critique.

There remains asymmetrical warfare in the Left’s continued aggression toward conservatives. Biblical fidelity also requires impartial judgment — even when it goes against “our side.” Brothers and sisters on the Right need to hear that. When conservatives like us punch right, we’re engaged in a different kind of action than when we punch left. Punching right is self-critique: asking our own house to get into order. Punching left is other-directed critique: asking someone else’s house to get into order. These are very different kinds of things. Therefore, when I hear other conservatives criticize some Christians for only punching right (which is often the case), all I hear them saying is, “We’re above self-critique.”

Some Christians complain that fellow conservatives only punch right, even as they only punch left. All of us, though, would be wise to heed Augustine’s advice for finding truth: “The first part is humility; the second, humility; the third, humility: and this I would continue to repeat as often as you might ask direction.”

As it is Reformation week, we should understand that an unwillingness to hear critique runs counter to the spirit of Semper Reformanda — the need to constantly evaluate ourselves against Scripture.

A Right that refuses to hear critique because it has set its eyes on “rebuilding Christendom,” all the while it excuses error, is as intellectually weak as it is biblically unfaithful.

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Andrew T. Walker, Ph.D., is Dean of the School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Professor of Christian Ethics and Public Theology. He is a Fellow with The Ethics and Public Policy Center and the Managing Editor of WORLD Opinions. You can follow him on X: @AndrewTWalker.

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