We wrestle not against flesh and blood, St. Paul tells us, but rather against principalities and powers. These principalities have an embodiment and manifestation in the worldly power structures that surround us, and it is therefore a central responsibility of ours to assemble in worship of the triune God. This is because worship of Almighty God is not rightly understood unless and until it is understood as a prophetic challenge to all such political power structures.
To this point, the American empire is the most powerful empire the world has ever known—whether economic, military, or cultural. We the Church are the kingdom of Christ in the midst of all this and, while we may be grateful for aspects of it, we must not be seduced by it.
If the men who run this state of affairs will not submit themselves to the word of the only true God, they will certainly not be restrained by anything so ephemeral as the “will of the people,” or “common decency,” or “shared values.” It is either Christ or increasing wickedness. That wickedness might be bright and shiny, but idolatrous paganism is always bright and shiny.
By the worship of God in Christ, we are proclaiming to the world that they must come to Him for salvation. They may not come to Him to use Him just to attract “values voters” in the upcoming election. They must kiss the Son, lest He be angry. This is quite distinct from saying “my faith is very important to me on a personal level.”
All such dichotomies that most North American Christians accept (and even help promote) are accommodations with political idolatry. But idolatry is always costly. If the men who rule us will not submit to Christ, they will certainly not submit to anything and anyone else. And we will not be able to feign astonishment when the fruits of their wickedness are finally made manifest.