The first thing I wrote was partisan and bit self-righteous, so I’m trying again. I believe it’s important to work to mend the divide that has become apparent in this election. To me, it seems that Christians have been the most divided by this election than any other in my memory. In my Facebook news-feed alone, there were radical supporters of both candidates, sharing both rational debates and illogical fake news.
One late night show host, Stephen Colbert, said this about the divide:
By every metric, we are more divided than ever as a nation…. How did our politics get so poisonous? I think it’s because we overdosed, especially this year. We drank too much of the poison. You take a little bit of it so you can hate the other side and it tastes kind of good and you like how it feels and there’s a gentle high to the condemnation.
I know I overdosed. It helped me feel good about myself. It still helps me feel good, until I realize the hypocrisy and self-righteousness in my own heart. One of the main problems with the poison is that it isolates me from people who think differently than myself. I call myself a tolerant person, but I become intolerant when people tell me their reasoning for acting/voting differently than I think they should. But I want to be able to love. How do I?
On Thursday night, I had the words of Handel’s Messiah running through my head “and He shall reign forever and forever.” So I started listening to the complete Handel’s Messiah and I now recommend it as an antidote for believers who are experiencing fear of the future. If you take my advice, don’t miss the solos, which often are in minor keys but end on a major chord. “Unto Us A Child is Born” especially struck a chord with me, with the lyrics “and He shall be called wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace.”
As Christians, we have more that brings us together than divides us. We have a King who is known as wonderful counselor and the prince of peace.
We believe these things about Jesus, that He:
- Became a man, entered our dark world, and suffered with us.
- Was rejected by the majority, unjustly accused, and sentenced to death.
- Arose from the dead, defeating the final enemy–death.
- Hears the prayers of the downtrodden.
- Calls us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.
- And much, much more…
Since this is a post-election follow-up to Luke’s post, I would like to quote him: “Very concerning things are happening, but because of that, God will make all things well.” I am concerned, but when I am, I think about our King Jesus, who is a wonderful counselor and Prince of peace, and try to live like it.
Thanks, Cami. In one way of looking at it, the fact that the Church is coming down so hard on both sides of the election is exactly what opens up the opportunity for the Church to be the catalyst of reconciliation. If we can just reconcile with each other – our Christian brothers and sisters who voted differently – just by that action alone, large numbers of people in America who are divided will become reconciled. Wouldn’t solve everything but it would be a big step!