The Intersection of Religion & Politics
I think there should be a four-way stop at the intersection of politics and religion.
In order to move forward, everyone in every lane needs to come to a full and complete stop, look left and right (double-check those blind spots) and proceed with caution…
Otherwise there’s bound to be a crash.
(With casualties.)
I’m not saying politics and religion shouldn’t intersect. I’m simply saying we should be cautious. I cherish the far-reaching rights our democracy has afforded us, including freedom of speech. We are a country of ideals and ideas. (And yes, a handful of idiots too. < Let’s just try to ignore them.) You have the freedom to believe what you like and speak your mind about it anytime, anywhere. So do I.
And that’s a good thing.
But we need to be careful or we’re going to lose the graces of mutual respect and collective strength in all our clamoring to be heard and heeded.
Once upon a time, common courtesy was…
Common.
*sigh*
In the heartbreaking aftermath of 9/11, we witnessed something extraordinary. The profound comfort our country found in this one (big) little gift:
Togetherness.
(Remember that?)
Somehow that solace eroded to a recurrence of ranting and reviling in the public square. Cable news became a 24/7 purveyor of angry rhetoric, relentless accusation and biased/bombastic reporting. And the surge in social media usage provided a platform for all sorts of strife.
It’s been an alarming cultural shift…
And it’s effectively eroding the “United” in our States.
There’s a rising tide of “us” versus “them,” rather than “we the people.” And it’s threatening to flood/drown/destroy America the beautiful… from sea to shining sea.
I know some folks that share my faith struggle to accept those who have rejected it. (And as much as I’d love for everyone to experience the grace and peace I’ve found in Jesus, I understand that people get to decide for themselves who he is and what they believe.) Many of those same folks can’t fathom how other people who do share their faith can disagree with their politics. Christians on both sides of the political spectrum seem stunned that their brothers and sisters could possibly oppose what they perceive is the “right” way to think and vote.
And that’s when we tend to get reckless, run a red… and T-bone a big blue Buick. Underneath all the wreckage, there’s a mangled mess of pride, prejudice and judgment.
Not saying our deeply-held convictions shouldn’t influence our political views. Not at all. I’m saying we shouldn’t be trying to manipulate our theology – or worse yet, scripture – to “fit” our political views. (Though some try, manipulating God is not an option… Thankfully, he cannot and will not be crammed or contorted into a manmade container.)
Abraham Lincoln said this during the Civil War, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”
And I daresay the only way to know what and where God’s side is… is to walk humbly, wholeheartedly with him.
“A long obedience in the same direction,” as Eugene Peterson put it.
Pray… yielded. Follow Jesus’ example. (If we really want to know WWJD, we can read His authorized biography in the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.)
In order to align with God’s side, we’ve got to abide by his instructions. We have to search scripture, ponder it, pray it and (here’s the hard part) live it. The whole of it… not just the “sliver” we select to serve our purpose, promote our cause, advance our agenda.
There’s a notable difference between religion and a relationship with Jesus. One is subject to the whims of mere mortals. The other isn’t.
“Will Christians turn once again toward an approach that imposes its will on the rest of society? By doing so we would betray our founder, who resisted a temptation to authority over “all the kingdoms of the world,” and who died a martyr at the hands of a powerful state. In the words of Miroslav Volf, “Imposition stands starkly at odds with the basic character of the Christian faith, which is at its heart about self-giving—God’s self-giving and human self-giving—and not about self-imposing.” ~ Philip Yancey, Christians and Politics: Uneasy Partners
I think there’s some pretty clear directives in scripture about who’s supposed to do what around here. And I think some people (myself included, more often than I’d like to admit) think it’s their responsibility to do God’s job for him. But the older I get, the more I understand that I can’t possibly.
(I don’t have enough foresight, strength or smarts. And besides that, I’m sorely lacking in mercy and patience.)
So I’ve decided to let God be Judge…
Jesus be Savior…
His Spirit be the One who corrects and re-directs.
(None of the above is in my job description.)
My mission is simply this:
Love God.
Love people.
(All of them.)
Whether we agree or not.
Loving well doesn’t mean never getting angry. Jesus did… particularly in the face of hypocrisy, injustice and greed. At one point, he got so furious He flipped over tables in the temple and drove out hucksters trying to turn a profit in the name of religion. (Hmm. A handful of media-savvy/mega-church preachers might want to keep this in mind.)
Absolutely, there’s a time to fight for what you believe in.
But I’m convinced some people want to fight about everything. They don’t choose their battles; they invite – or incite – conflict. (Not sure why. Attention-getting? Anger problem? Power grab?) They’re habitual pot-stirrers/troublemakers/flame-throwers… and that’s not doing anybody (including themselves) any good.
But here’s the beautiful thing…
We don’t have to take the bait.
We can simply ignore the irritation/insults/idiocy and just keep smiling and scrolling.
And if we choose to engage in meaningful, constructive conversation – and why bother with anything else? – we need to…
Listen.
Really listen.
And learn to lovingly disagree.
Or we’re going to do ourselves in.
If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ~ Jesus
Listen, we don’t have to agree to stick together. We don’t have to share political views to care about one another. We don’t have to see eye-to-eye on every issue to stay united. We don’t even have to like each other… to be respectful and kind.
May we pledge ourselves to remaining…
Indivisible.
May we celebrate our diversity and seek unity.
To those with whom I vehemently disagree, I just want to say this:
I’m happy to be stuck with you!
Wendy
P.S. “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, love.” ~ St. Augustine
