The political divide in America is both deep and wide. Unfortunately, this can have a negative impact on families, communities and even the church.

Now two Christian leaders from opposite sides of the political spectrum are working for a common cause.

“Look, everyone knows I’m a friend of Donald Trump. “You know I support him very much,” said Dr. Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church Dallas.

“I've been in the Democratic Party most of my life,” said Justin Giboney of the AND Campaign, an organization that aims to support and organize Christians in their civic and cultural engagement.

Both Jeffress and Giboney took very different paths into the world of politics – differences they shared during a recent appearance on CBN's Prayerlink.

“I was hardly involved in politics for the first twenty years of my service,” Jeffress explained. “But everything changed when a member brought me some library books from our public library. They were pro-gay books written to convince children of this lifestyle. And she said, 'What are you going to do about it?' ”

“We as believers have a responsibility to fight evil wherever we can,” he said.

Giboney cites the message and importance of civil rights as driving his interest.

“From an early age, my grandfather, who was a preacher himself, taught me that when it comes to people having their rights and people being treated fairly, you can't go into politics and just fight for yourself; “You want to make sure you do it.” “Fighted for others,” Giboney said.

The two also shared their thoughts on interpreting the biblical response to certain social problems, such as the crisis at the southern border.

“It doesn’t dictate what immigration policy should be,” Jeffress said. “But there are some things that the Bible is very clear about, and I base my policies or who I vote for on what the Bible says.”

“I agree that the Bible may not speak specifically about what our immigration policies should be, but I would say that it does say something about the humanity of those policies and how we treat the least of these and the strangers,” replied Giboney.

Discussions over such issues have sparked bitter debate and anger among believers, with some questioning the faith of those whose views differ from their own.

Jeffress and Giboney agree that this sentiment is damaging to the gospel message.

“I don't think that means that if you vote for a person you're not automatically a devout Christian,” Giboney said. “We need to stop pointing fingers and try to understand people. We may disagree with them, but until we understand the good they are trying to accomplish, we really don’t know.”

“I think it is a monstrous sin, above all, to demonize fellow believers,” Jeffress said. “Revelation 12 says that Satan is the accuser of the brothers. And when we slander another Christian, we are imputing to him the worst motives possible, we are doing Satan’s work for him.”

Still, both leaders believe it is important for Christians to vote and be politically active. However, they add that the key is to show humility, respect and courtesy while emphasizing their unity in Christ.

“The saying is well remembered for Christians today: 'Unity in the essentials and freedom in the non-essentials, but in all things charity,'” commented Jeffress. “I think the Church of Jesus Christ needs to be built on a common foundation. It is not a political platform, but rather faith in Jesus Christ.”

“We have a lot in common, be it the Great Commission, the Great Commandment, and so on. We need to find that common ground if we can ever expect the world to do the same,” Giboney said.

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