
November 5, 2026
Not Just on Sunday
Lonetta McKee

United in a Divided America is Christian Standard’s July 2020 issue on church and politics, Christian unity, public witness, and faithful engagement in a divided culture.
United in a Divided America is the July 2020 issue of Christian Standard, a print issue devoted to the church’s witness in a politically divided culture. Framed by the tensions of public life in America, this issue asks how Christians should think, speak, vote, lead, and remain unified when politics threatens to fracture both the nation and the church.
Across its feature articles, the issue explores dual citizenship, civility, church and state, political debate, public discipleship, and the dangers of partisan hostility. Writers consider how Jesus and the early church engaged public life, when believers should submit to governing authorities, and how congregations can pursue biblical conviction without surrendering their mission. The issue also addresses practical concerns such as self-evaluation in political speech, the impact of politics on the church, and the importance of humility, love, and unity in disagreements.
Several pieces call readers to reject both political idolatry and political withdrawal. Instead, they encourage believers to keep Christ above party, to engage the public square with wisdom and courage, and to protect the unity of the church while standing for truth. The result is a thoughtful collection shaped by Scripture, pastoral experience, and concern for the church’s public witness.
For readers researching United in a Divided America, this July 2020 issue offers a clear snapshot of how Christian Standard addressed politics, public life, and Christian unity in a contentious American moment.
In Every Issue
2-3 | from the publisher
6-7 | from the Editor
Dual Citizenship
Jim Estep
8-9 | e2:EFFECTIVE ELDERS
10-11 | POLISHED
Unity Despite Politics
Megan Rawlings
12-13 | HORIZONS
A Ministry Born in Kentucky and Chile
Laura McKillip Wood
14-15 | MINISTRYLIFE
Open for Business . . . No Laughing Matter?
Alan Scott
16-18 | METRICS
A Political Self-Evaluation
Kent E. Fillinger
20 | The Impact of Politics on the Church
Bob Russell
26 | Did Jesus Engage in Political Debate?
Mark E. Moore
32 | Church & State
Rusty Russell
38 | A Plea to Fellow Christians
Bob McEwen
44 | 3 Principles That Guide Us
Dudley Rutherford
48 | The Separation of Church and Hate
Ben Cachiaras
56 | Politics in Print
Jim Nieman
62 | Sex. Religion. Politics.
Steve Carr
76-93 | The Lookout
94-95 | Interact
96 | The Final Word
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