Inflection Point!
Our nation was rattled over the weekend when an assassination attempt was made on former president Donald Trump. While the former president received a wound to his ear, a bystander was killed and two other men were critically wounded. The man who was killed was attending the rally with his family. When the shots rang out he shielded his wife and his two children and took the bullet. He died while his family helplessly watched.
Regardless of which side of the political spectrum we align with, the horrific event in Pennsylvania should sound an alarm. Tragically, according to polls, one in five Americans believe that violence is acceptable to achieve a particular political outcome. I strongly disagree. A democratic form of government settles disputes at the ballot box, not with an AR-15.
In recent years a barrage of verbal assaults and threats made on elected officials—judges, public school board members, politicians—has significantly increased, and laid the groundwork for what took place Saturday night in Pennsylvania. The adage that “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is simply not true. Words have power, and when words are spewed out thoughtlessly, people can get hurt, or even killed.
We are responsible, or should be responsible, for the words we speak. Inflammatory language used to incite anger, even violence, should be strongly condemned by the voting public, especially the faith community, which makes up a sizeable portion of the electorate. America was founded on the principle of debate, disagreement, and political discourse. That’s the way healthy democracies work. Sure, it’s messy, and often incredibly animated, but it’s the best form of government the world has ever known.
When engaged in conversation with others about politics, we need to remember the wise words of Solomon, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1-2). We will never convince someone of our point of view by alienating them!
Our country is at an inflection point. It seems that with every passing day our nation becomes more violent, more extreme, more intolerant of rational political discourse, and less open to healthy dialogue. We are too often ruled by our emotions and not by our powers of reason. These destructive take-no-prisoner attitudes, if not somehow checked, will decimate civil discourse and threaten the survival of almost 250 years of democratic government.
It’s time to change the way we approach politics in America and a good place to start is with the community of faith. Since the faith community comprises a large voting segment, a change in attitude and rhetoric among people of faith might very well spill over into the larger American public.
A strong and passionate political voice is part of civic responsibility, even for people of faith. But the church must also respect and listen attentively to different perspectives, both within and outside the faith community. The church, in fact, does not speak with one political voice. The Christian community is comprised of many different political views, sometimes liberal and sometimes conservative, and each voice contributes to our democracy.
Change is difficult. There are even some who believe that once a person reaches a certain age, change is impossible. I don’t think that’s true. Yes, change is incredibly challenging, maybe the most challenging of all things, but continued growth depends on change. We must learn to become better people, more understanding and more tolerant of others throughout our lives.
The Bible has a word for change—repentance. Repentance approximates a military term similar to “About, face.” “About, face” turns a soldier from one direction to another. The biblical term, repentance, implies a life-long turning and not just a temporary change of direction. In other words, repentance involves not just a momentary turning away from something but the enduring turn to something else, for we are all works in progress.
Changing a disposition is hard and requires replacing one mind-set with a completely new one. The Apostle Paul even compares the transformation to becoming a “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17). The reason so many of us fail to be transformed is because we never fully embrace the new attitude. We may mean well, wanting to cast aside a disagreeable spirit or a bad habit, but we fail to continue to replace the old ways with the new ways, and it’s not long before we slip back into our old destructive patterns. To effect change, lasting change, a person must replace an old attitude with a new way of looking at ourselves and others.
The Bible teaches that the best way to change one’s attitude is to turn toward God. A turn toward God is far more than just believing in God. When we turn toward God by faith, we signal that we are willing to follow God’s ways, to grow into his likeness, take on his attitude, his character—to be a people of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23). When people outside of faith see red-faced, hate-filled Christians shaking their fists in the face of a politician or a school board member, the world sees nothing of God, only an angry political advocate. Yet, aren’t Christians supposed to be known by their love (see 1 Jn. 5: 7-21), not their partisan politics?
Please don’t misunderstand me. To disagree about important issues is part of what it means to live in a democracy. Voicing an opposing opinion honors our heritage and is to be valued and respected, for truth is often reached through civil disagreement. But to be disagreeable is something entirely different. When we lose control of our emotions to the point where violence becomes a viable option, we have crossed the line from acceptable to unacceptable behavior, from Christian dialogue to destructive evil.
What do we gain if we win political arguments by force but create a culture of suspicion, distrust, and hatred? In Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince, he advocated that the ends justify the means. His political playbook has been followed by ruthless rulers and even a few churchmen for centuries and, unfortunately, has influenced some within the faith community today. In other words, tactics that gain political power, regardless of their lack of moral or ethical conduct, are acceptable as long as the desired results are achieved.
For those who follow God’s path, however, the means are every bit as important as the ends. In fact, maybe even more important. Remember the temptations that Jesus faced in the desert? He could have bowed before the evil one and been given all the kingdoms of the world (Matt. 4: 8-10). As simple as that, and God’s way would have been forced on everyone. If the ends justify the means, then why didn’t Jesus just follow that path?
Over a lifetime of ministry I’ve had conversations with people from a variety of political convictions. One thing they all have in common: every single person, liberal or conservative, loves America. True, they vote differently. But they all cherish America. We call that Democracy! And we express democracy at the ballot box!
