The Political Spirit

I have lived longer than most of the people who might be reading this blog.  I am a Baby Boomer who remembers the cold war and daily threats of nuclear annihilation.  I remember the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of JFK, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and all the wars that have followed.  I remember the Black panthers, skin heads, civil rights marches, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and a number of other traumatic events for this nation.  I remember all that and the controversy each one stirred, but I have never seen a more divided America than now.

I think there are a number of reasons for our current division.  Social media and 150 television stations in every market make it possible for a person to never see any point of view that differs from their own except as presented by those who want to vilify and demonize all those who hold an opposing view.

The idea that there is an objective truth out there that needs to be presented so that people can consider the facts, has long been tossed out the window.  “Truth” is now a subjective opinion based on who can make the loudest and most impassioned accusations against their opponents.  Civil debates in search of truth are no longer possible because we believe we must hate and destroy anyone who holds a different view.  And now, regardless of your affiliation, who will believe that any election was honestly won and not stolen?  Certainly, Satan is alive and well on planet earth.

This is the political spirit that works to divide people, nations, and even churches. I had an article cross my desk recently that wanted to make the case that, for many, the church has recently become a mere extension of their political party and that Jesus is now cast as either a Democrat or a Republican.  The article suggested that the politics of hate is now infiltrating the church so that any who do not agree with a person’s politics is judged as un-Christian and as a person who should be shunned, disciplined, and distrusted.  

I have to agree that we are trending that way in many churches.  It is the spirit of politics and division and it is a winning strategy for the enemy. One interesting point made in the article was that the church typically has only an hour or so a week to disciple it’s members, while media has hundreds of hours each week to disciple those who listen to their “doctrines.”

The question is how the church should respond to this creeping reality.  For brevity’s sake, let me just bullet point some truths that I think we need to consider as followers of Jesus.

• Our primary citizenship is in heaven and our primary source of values and action must be the Word of God.  Jesus is neither Democrat nor Republican nor even an American. He is the king of the kingdom that must always be the source of our identity and values.  If my membership in either party carries more weight with me than my identity in heaven, something needs to be adjusted.  

• God hates division among his people, so we must make every effort to be unified.  There are times to draw lines in the sand, but biblically, those lines are drawn around the doctrines that define who Jesus is and what he has done or about immoral living. They are not drawn around political perspectives.

• We do not have to be in agreement with each other about everything in order to love one another and live in unity.  The idea that if we disagree about political or even religious perspectives, we are enemies is absurd.  None of us totally agree with any person in our life about everything.  Besides that, even if someone were our enemy, we must still love then or fail as followers of Jesus.

• We should be involved in the political process since we are salt and light in the world and must be an influence for righteousness whenever we can.  One temptation in this discussion might be to simply withdraw from politics and neither serve nor vote.  But to do so simply hands America over to Satan without a fight.  We are to disciple nations which means that we are to redeem both culture and government by our involvement and influence.  We must be an influence or a leaven for righteousness in every way possible.  In America, voting and serving in political offices are ways to be salt and light.

• We must vote based on biblical values of righteousness, not party lines. The question for believers should not be which party do I subscribe to but which values line up with God and which values will I vote for? It’s not always an easy decision because I may feel that some parts of a political platform may line up with biblical values while others don’t. So, prayer and the Holy Spirit may need to direct our votes or involvement.

• We must equip our people to operate in this charged political environment as followers of Jesus rather than as followers of political parties or personalities. The church needs to talk about abortion, same sex marriage, gay rights, racism, and even economics and teach our people biblical perspectives on each.  We need to do the hard work of thoughtfulness. We need to teach our people how to disagree and still treat others with love and respect.  We need to teach our people who they truly are in Christ and remind them of their mission.

As believers in America. We need to be aware that this political spirit is operating and will split and divide churches if allowed to operate there.  We must make sure that we don’t become contributors to division and choose to love those who disagree with us.  We should also encourage our leaders to proactively equip us as disciples of Jesus to navigate the rapids of social media, political divisions, and even persecution because the next four years of politics in America promise to be white water… the likes of which we have never seen.