Religion is not supposed to be political.
And yet, right now, that’s exactly what it’s being made out to be. Christianity is being promoted as aligned with—and exclusive to—the Right.
Before I go any further, I want to be clear: this is not another article bashing one side of the political spectrum just to praise the other. This is non-partisan. I am addressing one set of people, not a political ideology. Religious belief is above political opinion.
Turning Point USA (TPUSA), an organization founded by the late Charlie Kirk, held an alternative halftime show for last week’s Super Bowl. Opposing Bad Bunny, Kid Rock was highlighted as the headlining act.
I see no issue with the Conservative movement—or any other group, for that matter—creating their own halftime show. If it makes them happy, so be it.
However, don’t misadvertise it as synonymous with Christianity.
On Monday morning, I came across an Instagram post from an account titled “The Young Right.” The account has 430K followers, and its content promotes Conservatism for younger generations. Its latest post, about the Super Bowl, features an image of Kid Rock, overlaid with the text, “Give your life to Jesus.” The caption begins by sharing how “Over 6 million Americans rejected woke Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show and tuned into a message about Jesus instead.”
This is fatal misinformation.
At the show, Kid Rock performed “‘Til You Can’t” by country artist Cody Johnson. In the middle of the piece, Kid Rock provided his own interlude. God had come to him and told him that a verse was missing from the song, he shared. He then reminded audiences to dust off their Bibles and proceeded to sing his own verse, in which he emphasized that listeners can give their lives to Jesus, and that in return, He will give them a second chance.
Kid Rock shared his faith, something respectable and rare in today’s generally secular entertainment.
However, I would like to clarify: one interlude is not equal to a faith-based show. In fact, the event consisted of largely non-religious performances; it included Gabby Barrett’s cheating country anthem, “I Hope,” and Brantley Gilbert’s country-rock “Real American.”
Interestingly, the show also highlighted Kid Rock and his song “Bawitdaba.”
I had planned to insert the song’s lyrics here. Unfortunately, I cannot—they are unpublishable under the standards used by The Central Trend. Instead, I encourage you to Google them and reflect on whether these embody a “faith-based and family” show.
I’m a bit befuddled. The Young Right appears to be promoting Kid Rock as a figurehead for the Christian faith. Is this the same Kid Rock? The one with the accumulated scandals of his physical assault, intoxication, verbal abuse, and sexual comments about underage girls?
According to The Young Right, “Americans chose Christ” by streaming this performance. Did they?
This was put on by a political organization with a political motive. Being produced by a Conservative group does not mean something is Christian. Let me restate that.
Political Conservatism is not Christianity. They are not one and the same.
More importantly, Christianity is not exclusive to those who identify as Conservative. The Right is often portrayed as a territorial defender of Christianity. In turn, it’s implied that those on the Left, and the many who aren’t tied to either end of the political spectrum, are godless crusaders.
Christianity is being used as a political tool. Yet it’s used in tandem with villainization of political opponents, backhanded comments, and malice.
The post from The Young Right USA notes this: “We are done with a woke culture and out of touch celebrities that preach ‘ICE is bad’ and claim ‘no one is illegal on stolen land’ at the Grammys, but ignore God.”
This is legitimate political propaganda, and a lie. Bad Bunny famously promoted the slogan “The only thing more powerful than hate is love” during the Super Bowl. What’s more, he thanked God at the Grammy Awards, despite what The Young Right might want us to believe. Like Kid Rock, Bad Bunny’s halftime performance included explicit material. But, like Kid Rock, that doesn’t mean that it can be labeled definitively as either religious or godless.
Groups like The Young Right are trying to deceive. Christianity is not meant to be advertised for political influence.
God is not a political figure. He is not partisan. He is not specific to one extreme of the political spectrum. Sharing Christianity is not a means to reach a political end. While TPUSA’s performance might’ve promoted one political viewpoint, it was a long way from making our country “Godly again.”
