A few tentative thoughts about the US election and the Church.
Choosing between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is not an authentic choice for liberation, but a choice between two Caesars of an empire that demands allegiance while cloaking its violence in the language of democracy and freedom. Like Rome, the American empire extends its influence across the world, offering benefits—trade, technology, military security—but these benefits are steeped in exploitation and conquest. Its Pax Americana, much like the Pax Romana, is sustained by the sword, by endless cycles of militarism , and by a staggering cost in human life.
This is not to say that both candidates are equally destructive or that their policies and intentions are indistinguishable. Nor is it a call to abandon the act of voting, which can indeed be an important way to influence the world toward a greater degree of justice and compassion. Rather, this is a call to remain aware that no political party or leader can fully embody the life and teachings of Jesus, our Saviour, who calls us to a radically different way of being.
The Christian response, then, is not to give our full allegiance to any Caesar but to bear prophetic witness to the kingdom of God, a kingdom that condemns oppression and calls for a radical, sacrificial love for the marginalised. To fully identify with the empire’s Caesars, even if they bring some measures of justice, is to risk becoming complicit in the wider violence and domination they perpetuate. Standing as a prophetic witness means challenging the power of empire—not through blind allegiance, but by speaking truth and calling it to account for its bloodshed and injustice.
This choice is not about passivity or silence; it’s an active call to live out a vision of peace and justice that does not rely on the sword. We must remember that no Caesar—not in Rome, not in America—can deliver true liberation. That belongs only to Christ and His kingdom, and our loyalty must ultimately be to Him.
I pledge my allegiance to the risen Jesus,
And to the kingdom for which he died.
One Church,
Under God.
Apostolic and Catholic,
With love and compassion for all.
Renouncing ideologies of hate,
I cling to the King.
Renouncing worldviews of woe,
I cling to the hope found in him.
In the presence of the King,
All flags must prostrate fall.
In the presence of the King,
The walls that divide are broken down.
I pledge my allegiance to the risen Jesus,
And to the kingdom for which he died.
- Rev’d Jon Swales
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