A recent Pew Research article states: “Partisan polarization remains the dominant, seemingly unalterable condition of American politics. Republicans and Democrats agree on very little—and when they do, it often is in the shared belief that they have little in common.”
Political disagreements within a society are nothing new, but the increased partisan divide has created a more toxic political culture, perhaps leading some to ask, “Where is the love of Christ?”
It’s one thing to have disagreements and discussions, finding common ground or staking out one’s point of view. But, in today’s society, our disagreements go beyond mere policy and often become very personal, to the point that common ground becomes seemingly impossible.
Is there common ground?
David French begins Divided We Fall stating: “It’s time for Americans to wake up to a fundamental reality: the continued unity of the United States of America cannot be guaranteed.”
He cites as some of the conditions driving us apart our lack of a common popular culture, a self-sorting of living near people who think just like us, and the increased dislike of people who differ from us politically.
French summarizes: “In plain English, this means that a person belongs to their political party not so much because they like their own party but because they hate and fear the other side. … At this point, huge majorities actively dislike their political opponents, and significant minorities see them as possessing subhuman characteristics.”
Sounding similar alarms, Ezra Klein states in Why We’re Polarized: “We are so locked into our political identities that there is virtually no candidate, no information, no condition, that can force us to change our minds. We will justify almost anything or anyone so long as it helps our side, and the result is a politics devoid of guardrails, standards, persuasion, or accountability.”
David Brooks describes it this way: “Politics is no longer about argument; it’s just jamming together a bunch of scary categories about people who are allegedly rotten to the core.”
Our Christians any different?
One might wish to assume Christians would be different. We would hope this unhealthy partisanship found in our politics today would not affect our churches. Yet, that is not the reality.
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Again, turning to Brooks: “Christians are supposed to believe in the spiritual unity of the church. While differing over politics and other secondary matters, they are in theory supposed to be unified by their shared first love—as brothers and sisters in Christ.”
However, as Brooks points out, “Over the past couple of decades evangelical pastors have found that their 20-minute Sunday sermons could not outshine the hours and hours of Fox News their parishioners were mainlining each week.”
What happens to the message of the gospel when church members allow partisanship to invade every aspect of their lives, including theology and the church?
As Peter Wehner writes: “When the Christian faith is politicized, churches become repositories not of grace but of grievances, places where tribal identities are reinforced, where fears are nurtured, and where aggression and nastiness are sacralized. The result is not only wounding the nation; it’s having a devastating impact on the Christian faith.”
Where is love?
Where is love in all of this? How can we be salt and light in the world without falling into the political partisan nastiness that so defines our society? The answer is simple but perhaps difficult to put into practice: Be like Jesus.
In his final sermon before his assassination, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness.”
King was calling on us to look beyond our comforts, to look beyond our needs, and to serve and to advocate for the needs of others.
When we place others before ourselves, when we seek the good of others, when we seek justice for others, when we seek truth, peace and reconciliation for others, we do so not from a standpoint of partisanship, but from a calling to see the image of God in each and every person: the unborn, the refugee, the immigrant, the poor, the struggling, the mentally ill, the oppressed, the forgotten.
The Christian calling
Our calling as Christians is not beholden—and must never be beholden—to a political party or candidate.
We are called to live life in the shape of the cross: loving God (vertically) and loving others (horizontally).
Charles Wade describes it this way in The Jesus Principle: “The vertical beam of the cross of Christ reaches upward with love toward God. The arms of the cross reach outward with love toward others. Jesus is the nexus, demonstrating for us how we are to love God with our heart and love our neighbor as our self.”
He goes on to write: “If we follow the example of Jesus, we should know that Christians are expected to behave differently. The kingdom of God has not been established within any political party, be it Republican, Democratic, or Independent. Neither can the kingdom of God be legislated nor coerced through the pressure of religious tyranny. … The kingdom of God exists within the hearts of individuals whose sole allegiance and soul authority belong to Jesus Christ.”
Wade warns against confusing our allegiance to God with any political allegiance here on earth.
In our society today, where we are tempted to wrap the cross of Christ in an American flag, reorienting our lives with a proper Jesus perspective can be daunting.
At the risk of sounding too simplistic, certain steps can be taken: Turn off partisan cable news, limit social media, show abundant grace, read the Bible, worship holistically, be part of a diverse community of thought and background, and serve others as living sacrifices. When we do this, we will find ourselves in a healthier place, being the people of God we are called to be.
As Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer describe in A Church Called Tov: “A Spirit-formed, Christlike culture … nurtures truth, offers healing for the wounded, seeks opportunities to show redemptive grace and love, focuses on serving others (rather than being served), and looks for ways to establish justice in the daily paths of life. A Christlike church culture always has its eyes on people because the mission of the church is all about God’s redemptive love for people.”
Jack Goodyear is the dean of the Cook School of Leadership and professor of political science at Dallas Baptist University. The views expressed are those of the author and not intended to represent any institution.
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