One of the most troubling trends in modern leadership is the growing use of religion as a political instrument. The practice is not new.
Political leaders, especially where democratic institutions are weak, have learned that religion reaches people at the level of their deepest loyalties, fears and hopes. Once leaders discover that religious identity can mobilize large numbers of people, the temptation is to use faith not to encourage moral responsibility but to gain power, consolidate it and remain in office.
I have seen the consequences personally. Growing up and ministering in Pakistan and traveling through societies where religion and politics are deeply intertwined taught me the political use of religion initially can look attractive. Leaders speak the language of faith, present themselves as defenders of sacred values and imply that supporting them is part of protecting the faith itself.
Amir Shahbaz Bhatti
But when political and religious identities become inseparable, disagreement becomes dangerous. Opponents no longer are citizens with different policies; they are portrayed as enemies of the faith. Minorities become suspicious outsiders. Emotional religious language replaces thoughtful public debate. Religion, which should call people toward truth, justice, compassion and responsibility, becomes a weapon in the struggle for power.
Why I am concerned as a Christian
As a Christian pastor, some might expect me to celebrate whenever a political leader publicly promotes Christianity. I do not automatically celebrate. I approach such claims with discernment.
“Religious vocabulary alone is not evidence of Christlike leadership.”
My concern is not Christianity. It is the political exploitation of Christianity — or any religion — to acquire and preserve power. Public expressions of faith may be sincere, and we should not assume every religious statement by an official is manipulation. Yet Christians are called to examine fruit: Character, truthfulness and the treatment of vulnerable people. Religious vocabulary alone is not evidence of Christlike leadership.
In Pakistan, I have seen politicians play what is often called the religion card. When leaders discover religious emotion can mobilize voters, silence criticism and protect political power, minorities may pay a terrible price. People of another religion — and even members of the majority who think differently — may face discrimination, intimidation, false accusations or violence. A powerful leader’s rhetoric can give social permission for conduct the leader later denies intending.
That experience makes me cautious when I see similar patterns in established democracies. The symbols may differ, but the temptation is the same: Identify the majority’s sacred fears, present oneself as its indispensable protector and describe criticism as betrayal.
The danger is global
This is not a criticism of one religion, political party or country. The problem is the misuse of religion by political power. It can occur in Muslim-, Hindu- or Christian-majority societies — anywhere religious belonging becomes politically useful.
Pakistan and India show the complicated relationship among religion, nationalism, majority identity, minority rights and political power. International reporting continues to document serious pressure on religious minorities in both countries. But the underlying leadership problem is global. Whenever leaders fuse religious identity with national belonging, they risk teaching citizens that some neighbors belong more fully than others.
“Whenever leaders fuse religious identity with national belonging, they risk teaching citizens that some neighbors belong more fully than others.”
The danger begins when a leader effectively says, “Your faith is safe because I am in power.” That message can quickly become, “Anyone who opposes me threatens your faith.” At that point, faith is no longer informing political convictions; politics is manipulating faith.
Faith naturally has public implications. Christians should care about justice, human dignity, religious freedom, honest government, poverty, peace and the protection of life. The answer is not to silence believers in public life. The essential question is this: Does faith hold power accountable, or does power use faith to make itself unaccountable?
Faith or political costume?
Modern campaigns use polling, data analytics and social media to discover what people fear, love and resent. Listening is not wrong; good leaders should understand those they serve. Manipulation begins when leaders exploit people’s deepest convictions. If religion produces votes, they emphasize religion. If fear produces votes, they amplify fear. If an enemy strengthens the political base, they find an enemy.
Words then travel from the podium into churches, homes, workplaces and social media feeds. Suspicion becomes acceptable. Exaggeration becomes loyalty. Cruelty is excused as courage. A leader may ignite emotion to win an election and leave society to live with the fire.
There is a vital difference between faith shaping a leader and a leader using faith. One transforms the leader’s character; the other manipulates the people’s emotions. We should ask what faith costs the leader. Does it lead to confession of wrongdoing, surrender of privilege, an inconvenient truth or defense of an unpopular minority? Or does religion appear mainly at rallies and in slogans, when sacred symbols strengthen the leader’s image? Authentic faith places the leader under moral authority. Political religion places religious imagery under the leader’s control.
Christians should be especially alert to the compromises created by political fear. When believers are told only one leader can protect their faith, they may overlook cruelty, dishonesty or abuse of authority. The church then applies its convictions strictly to opponents and gently to allies. It may gain temporary access to power while losing the independence required to speak truth to power.
The servant-leadership test
Jesus never taught his followers to use God as a strategy for political power. When the disciples struggled over status, he said, “Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant,” and he grounded the command in his mission: The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and give his life for others (Matthew 20:27–28).
“Jesus never taught his followers to use God as a strategy for political power.”
Robert K. Greenleaf proposed the best test of servant leadership is whether those served grow as people and whether the least privileged benefit — or at least are not further deprived. Applied to religious political claims, the question is not merely what leaders say about God. It is what happens to people under their leadership, especially those without status, influence or majority protection.
The church needs the same test. Are we forming disciples who distinguish loyalty to Christ from loyalty to a political movement? Do we defend religious liberty for every neighbor or only for Christians? Do we challenge dehumanizing language when it comes from leaders we support? Does our public engagement make the character of Jesus clearer, or does it mirror the surrounding culture’s anger?
The future of leadership must be servant leadership. Manipulative leaders ask, “What emotions can I use?” Authoritarian leaders ask, “How can I protect my power?” Servant leaders ask, “What do people genuinely need?” They do not need minorities as enemies or religion as political theater. They treat authority as a trust.
The answer is not to remove faith from leaders’ lives. It is to recover the faith that transforms leaders into servants. The world does not merely need politicians who speak more about God. It needs leaders whose character demonstrates humility, justice, compassion, integrity and courage.
Jesus did not use people to build his power; he used his power to serve people. That distinction may be one of the most important tests of leadership in our time.
Amir Shahbaz Bhatti is a Pakistani Christian pastor, theologian, author and human-rights advocate with more than 20 years of Christian ministry and humanitarian service across South Asia. He is founder and president of Agape Missions International and author of Tears of the Persecuted: Life Under the Blasphemy Law. His work focuses on servant leadership, religious freedom and vulnerable communities.