Election Time

 

Good morning, and welcome to another edition of Thursday Thought.

 It’s mid-term election time in the nation.  All of the House of Representatives, a third of the Senate, and many state and local elections are being held this November.  In many ways, this election is more important than the election for President because many of those on the ballot this go-around are people who most affect the average citizen’s daily life.  County commissioners, school board members, state representatives, district court judges, and so on are many of those who are on the ballot this time.  I would hope that all who are eligible will take this opportunity to make their voice heard.

 There is a somewhat darker side, however, to this season.  Misinformation, attack ads on TV, and outright falsehoods seem to have a sort of life of their own.  This is really nothing new.  Political races in this nation have always been a sort of knock-down…drag-out affair.  From the founding of the nation, political opponents have stretched the truth, fabricated lies, and impugned the integrity of their opponents in a bid to be elected to office.  It’s just part of the process.

 Television and social media, however, have amplified political rancor in the modern day.  Something said 2,000 miles away in a local political race is sometimes picked up and goes viral…and millions of people know what was said and form some sort of opinion.  Many of them then keep things stirred up by expressing their opinions on a matter on which they have only snippets of information.

 OK, you say.  Where are you going with all of this?  Well, as you might guess if you’re a regular viewer of Thursday thought, I’m going to the spiritual side of things with this.

 Wait, you say.  There’s a spiritual side to political issues?  Yes, of course there is.  And one of the big parts of the spiritual side of things is how Christians are to behave in times like these.  With the political divisions becoming more pronounced in society, and with all of the misinformation and attacks on opponents, to say nothing of the conspiracy theories and all that goes with them, what, exactly should be the response of the Christian?

 Let’s do a little review.  What did Jesus say was the first and greatest commandment?  Of course, it is to Love the Lord your God with all your soul, heart, mind, and strength.  And then what did Jesus say was one just like the first?  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  And it’s the second, which Jesus says is just like the first, that I want to key in on in this discussion.

 When we as Christians allow political issues to cause us to attack others, think less of others, wish ill-will on others, denigrate and speak ill of others, we bump up against the command of Jesus Himself to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

 Additionally, when we as Christians make members of another political party out to be pariahs, having nothing to do with them, considering them to be ignorant, unpatriotic, or even evil, we immediately eliminate up to half of the population from our effort to evangelize and tell of the love, grace, and mercy of God.

 And we become so politically motivated that we place our political views and our political party above all else.  We make politics our god and make our neighbors those who agree with us politically.

 Andy Stanley says it like this:  "If I’m not willing to break rank with my political party when my political party gets it wrong on an issue which the New Testament and the Scripture is clear, then I have elevated my party over my faith. As a Christian, I have just said not ‘One nation under God;’ I have said, ‘My God under my nation.’”

 You may say that you would never do such a thing.  Well, good for you.  But I caution you to back up a step or two, take a good, long look in the mirror, and give some serious thought to how you have treated those who disagree with you politically…what you think of them…how you relate to them…and what your relationship is with them.  Do you truly love them…desire the best for them…demonstrate God’s love toward them?

 Christians need to be actively engaged in the society in which they live.  That includes casting votes and yes, even running for office or pursuing a cause, if that’s your thing.  However, for the Christian, Jesus is clear.  Loving one’s neighbor takes precedence over any political ideology or dogma.  Loving one’s neighbor involves service, sacrifice, and giving up self for the benefit of another.

Andy Stanley says it better than I can.  Quote:  “The liberating Gospel of Jesus has huge, huge cultural implications. But they (cultural implications) don’t get voted in. They get raised up and lived out by the people who are following Jesus, and eventually people discover following Jesus makes you better at life; it makes life better. And it makes the world a better place.”

 Blessings.