You’ve probably seen his words floating around your feed. Maybe it was a snippet about why the "Good Samaritan" didn’t check the victim’s political party before helping, or a punchy paragraph on why the church shouldn't "crawl into bed with the empire." Reverend Benjamin Cremer has become something of a digital circuit rider for people who feel like modern American Christianity has lost the plot.
He isn't your typical fire-and-brimstone preacher. In fact, he’s spent a lot of time in the "gray areas" of faith—which is exactly what he calls his popular newsletter. Based in Boise, Idaho, as a pastor at the Cathedral of the Rockies, Cremer has a way of taking the things we’re all thinking about faith and politics and stripping away the pretension. Honestly, it’s refreshing. In a world of loud-mouthed certainties, he’s leaning into nuance.
Why Rev Benjamin Cremer Quotes Keep Going Viral
People are exhausted. That’s the simplest explanation. We’re living through an era where "Christianity" is often used as a brand for a specific political identity, and for a lot of folks, that just doesn't sit right with the actual teachings of Jesus.
Rev Benjamin Cremer quotes tend to hit home because they challenge the idea that faith is a tool for control. He talks a lot about how the gospel shouldn't be a "self-protection strategy."
One of his most-shared thoughts hits on the core of his message:
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"When love for God is seen as the first command, separate from and suspended over the second, it naturally results in being used as a tool of power and control over others."
Basically, if you say you love God but use that as an excuse to ignore or judge your neighbor, you’re missing the point. He’s calling out the "gatekeepers of grace." It’s a bold move, especially in a deeply polarized landscape where being "right" is often valued more than being kind.
The Problem with "Christian Nations"
One of the topics Cremer tackles head-on is Christian Nationalism. It’s a heavy term, but he breaks it down in a way that’s actually easy to digest. He doesn't oppose the idea of a "Christian nation" because he hates Christianity. He opposes it because he knows history.
He’s pointed out that when the church gets too close to political power, the message of Jesus usually gets weaponized. He notes that there are over 200 Christian sects in the US alone. So, if we had a "Christian government," whose version of Christianity would we use? A Baptist one? A Catholic one? A Wesleyan one?
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It’s a recipe for disaster that usually ends in "swords of inquisitions" rather than "crosses of martyrs."
Compassion Isn't a "Coddling Sin"
You might have heard the argument that being too compassionate is "weak" or that it "enables" bad behavior. Cremer pushes back on this hard. He recently shared a story about a commenter who told him that "one man’s compassion is another man’s coddling sin."
His response was pretty brilliant. He argued that biblically, compassion isn't moral laxity—it's incarnational. It means entering into the suffering of others. He points out that Jesus’ harshest rebukes weren't for the "sinners" or the "immoral" people. They were for the religious leaders who tried to stop people from receiving grace.
If the fear is that being "too kind" will lead people away from the truth, Cremer reminds us of Romans 2:4: It’s God’s kindness that leads to repentance. Not shame. Not a social media roast. Just kindness.
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How to Handle People We Disagree With
It’s easy to write off the people "on the other side." We project our frustrations with big political movements onto the actual humans in our lives.
Cremer suggests a different path. He talks about "the parable of the sunglasses"—the idea that we all see the world through a specific lens. Instead of just getting angry, he asks us to be curious.
- Who is missing from your world?
- Whose voices are you not hearing?
- What if this happened to someone you loved?
These aren't easy questions. They’re uncomfortable. But he argues that if we reduce people to their "wrongness," we’re doing the exact thing we hate when others do it to us. We’re minimizing their humanity.
Actionable Steps for Navigating Faith and Politics
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the constant noise, here are a few ways to apply these insights to your daily life:
- Audit Your Information: Are you only listening to voices that confirm your existing biases? Try to find thinkers (like Cremer) who challenge you to see the "gray" instead of just black and white.
- Practice "Incarnational" Compassion: The next time you feel the urge to judge someone for their "lifestyle" or "beliefs," stop and ask what kind of suffering they might be carrying. Compassion is a muscle; you have to train it.
- Separate Faith from Partisanship: Remember that no political party holds a monopoly on the Gospel. It’s okay—and often necessary—to be a "prophetic outsider" who speaks truth to whoever is in power.
- Embrace the "Gray": You don't have to have a 10-point plan for every global crisis. Sometimes, the most "faithful" thing you can do is admit that things are complicated and stay committed to loving the person right in front of you.
The popularity of these quotes shows that people are hungry for a version of faith that looks less like a protest and more like a helping hand. Whether you're deconstructing your faith or just trying to figure out how to be a better neighbor, these perspectives offer a way to move forward without losing your soul to the culture wars.