Faith, politics and Christian identity
Once again, it is my turn to write this column in this election week. While our nation rightly relies on a healthy separation of church and state, it is unhealthy for individuals to have a separation between our faith and politics. The question is what will inform the other. Will we allow our faith to shape our political choices, or will we allow our policies to shape our faith? Are we Christians who vote or are we supporters of a political party that is also Christian? I think the main difference between the two is how we treat those who think and vote differently than us.
The Bible is an extremely complex compilation of myths, poetry, practical wisdom, history (as all “history” is), social commentary, letters, and gospels (a genre that exists only in the Bible). Its directions do not perfectly match the life of our 21st century American heartland. It doesn’t tell us how to vote on each issue. The values of Jesus are not fully embodied in any political party. Jesus does not tell us how to vote. But it certainly tells us how to relate to people who vote the other way from us.
Jesus listens. Jesus engages by asking questions. Jesus has face-to-face conversations with people who disagree with him and who don’t like him. Jesus tells stories. Jesus affirms God’s blessing on peacemakers. Jesus insists that we forgive ourselves. Jesus commands us to be the one who initiates reconciliation (Matthew 5:23-24).
Yes, Jesus gets angry. Yes, Jesus speaks a harsh truth. Yes, Jesus defends the marginalized. But remember, you are not Jesus. And neither do I, certainly. We do not have the luxury of being assured that we are right, that God is on our side, in every situation and in every argument. Intelligent people who sincerely love Jesus and seek to follow Him will always disagree on truly important issues. And at that point, we must decide how to treat each other.
Social media makes it easy to judge people based on how they post about problematic topics and to “delete” people we disagree with. This poses two big problems. 1. It creates an echo chamber for us in which we only hear from people who agree with us. Echo chambers stunt our growth. No one grows spiritually or intellectually in a space where they are never challenged. 2. It neutralizes any opportunity we might have to change someone’s mind. I want to change the minds of people who disagree with me, and I know you do too. But we can’t do that if we delete them, especially if we delete them in real life. The human brain is biased toward people who are nice to us, so if you really want to change someone’s mind, you have to start by being really nice to them.
This is even more true for people who claim to follow Jesus. In John 17, he prays for his disciples that we “may all be one.” It means unity in Him, our primary identity being that we take seriously and literally His command to love one another (John 13:34). This does not mean that we will be one in our political beliefs, our lifestyles, our spiritual practices, or our doctrine. Jesus calls us to unity but not to uniformity. After all, “if the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be?” » (1 Corinthians 12:17).
His command to love oneself is not sentimental. It is deeply practical. “Love” doesn’t mean what we want it to mean. To love is to be patient and kind. To love is not to be jealous or irritated towards others when they win and not to boast arrogantly when we win. To love is to put others first. Love doesn’t rage, hold grudges, or gloat over someone else’s failure. Love is patient, trusting, and hopeful (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Loving one another, as followers of Jesus, is a daunting challenge. Love our enemies? Even harder. Yet Jesus also calls us to it (Matthew 5:44). So the true mark of our identity as followers of Jesus is not how we voted (or didn’t) on Tuesday. This is how we choose to treat our friends and enemies as we move forward. Let us choose the great challenge of the practical love of Jesus.
Rev. Beth Gedert is the pastor of Zion United Church of Christ, an LGBTQ-affirming congregation committed to doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God. You can reach her by email at (email protected).
