Wisdom? Or Common Sense?

A friend of mine recently posted a photo of me on Facebook. It's actually a photo of a page in the most recent issue of our University magazine for alumni, and supporters, and friends of the institution. It was in a piece entitled, "On Civil Discourse," and I was grateful to be interviewed for this important article. (Not that my contributions were so amazing, or anything.) I encourage you to read it; you can find it online here: On Civil Discourse.

My friend shared the photo with a post, "Check out my smart friend Dave speaking wisdom." I'm grateful that she thought this was wise! Here's the photo, grabbed from her Facebook post:

American Division?

Are you familiar with the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon? You've probably experienced it, even if you don't recognize this name. It's that feeling that happens when you encounter something new, and then suddenly you start seeing it everywhere. For example, when we got my wife a new car a few years ago, I suddenly started noticing that make and model of vehicle absolutely everywhere we went. Weird, isn't it? (If you want to learn more, go a-googlin' and I'm sure you'll find out plenty about this.)

I bring it up because I had a bit of this feeling just this week. I'm still thinking about how impossibly divided the American public seems to be along political lines. Every time I check my Facebook I see some political posts either decrying our President or defending him. It's bizarre to me how divided things are.

And then, I had two very different media experiences in short succession that have me thinking about the implications, and possible causes for this division in a new light. (And a little Baader-Meinhof feeling, because I encountered these things back to back...)

Fear or Love?

Stop it with all the fear-mongering already.

Seriously.

Stop it.

Stop posting and reposting that fear-mongering schlock.

I'm about ready to put my Facebook account on hiatus, because of the ridiculous things people continue to post related to this current election. It's making me not like people who I know in real life, and I'm tired of it all.

So many of my Christian friends are posting about the horrible things that will happen if one major party candidate or the other is elected in November.

I get it. I too have preferences. I have my opinions too, and I believe all educated people should.

But the fear-mongering?

The Problem of Tribalism

A week or so ago, Scott Evans was a guest on the campus where I teach. Scott serves as a chaplain at the University of Dublin in Ireland, and is an author, speaker, thinker, and--by all evidence--a gracious encourager of an authentic faith. (Oh, and he has a pretty amazing beard too.) I was tremendously encouraged and challenged--at the same time, no mean feat--by the message he brought in chapel while was visiting.

It was great having Scott on campus again!

Scott preached on Acts 6-7, which tells the story of the growth of the early church, and the growing pains that they experienced. They didn't always get along well. There were different groups within the Body even then, and it took creative, faithful problem-solving to address the needs of the different groups. Scott challenged us to think about the contemporary church as well, and how we are functioning as a creative, faithful Body. He was far more eloquent than I am making him sound here, I'm afraid. You can watch a recording of his message, if you're interested. (I recommend it!)

Our campus chaplain mentioned that Scott and a couple of fellow Irishmen have a podcast called The Graveyard Shift, and after being so encouraged/challenged (encourochallenged?) by Scott's message, I figured I'd give it a listen.

Oh, I'm SO glad I did.

Satire is Tricky

I'm sure many of you have watched Hillary Clinton's bit on Between Two Ferns by now. If you've been under a rock, you can check it out here.

This gif helps to capture a bit of the general feeling of the bit...

What fascinates me about this is not so much Zach Galifianakis, or the fact that she actually did the show, or even anything that she said or did. I'm fascinated by the fact that as many of my die-hard-conservative friends posted this as my oh-so-left-leaning friends. Why would both poles be so apt to share this?

Presidential Politics in 2016: Can You Make a Favorable Argument?

I generally try not to get too political on this blog, unless it's related to the policy environment for education. (And even then, the emphasis on political rhetoric is pretty thin.) But I'm making an exception here, because I use this space for working out my own thinking. So here goes...

Over the past couple of days, I've seen this piece by Wayne Grudem pushed on social media. It is entitled, "Why Voting for Donald Trump Is a Morally Good Choice." I read it. I am not impressed.

I find myself--like many, I think--unimpressed with either of the major-party candidates for President this year. I feel like I've had the same conversation over and over again with people in the past couple weeks:

"Who are you going to vote for?"
"Ugh...I don't know. Both choices stink..."
"Yeah, but you have to vote for someone. ______ is the lesser of the two evils, right?"

And there is the problem: the lesser of the two evils.

Is that really how we're voting this year?

After the Politics: Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

I saw this picture a while ago and I'll confess, I laughed out loud...

"Spotten!" my grandma would say. (I think that's an old Dutch word for being irreverent or even sacrilegious...) But I needed the laugh. I still need the laugh.

Truth be told, I'm a little worried about the Church in this political season. Seems like a great many people are very, very politicized. I've heard some pretty powerful rhetoric over the past few days and weeks and months. I'm tired of it. Tired.

I'm still very torn about this election. There are things I like about both President Obama and Governor Romney's respective platforms. There are things about the stances of both men that I find reprehensible.

But I believe that God is sovereign, and His will is going to be done.

And that's true whether Obama is re-elected, or if Romney gets a shot at turning things around.

So here's my challenge, Church: take Christ's words to heart. When Jesus is asked by the religious leaders what the most important commandment is, he turns them on their ears:

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

I think we need to hear this clearly. What is our greatest commandment, from the Lord himself? Love God. And the second greatest? Love your neighbor in the same way you love yourself.

Yep. Even if you vote Republican, love up on your Democratic sister. And vice-versa: even if you take the Democratic party line, love your Republican brother as much as you love yourself.

I believe that Jesus is bigger than our political squabble. Let our love be bigger as well. After all, we are also admonished in Scripture:

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:7,8)

So, of course we may disagree. In fact, it's likely that we will. But love nonetheless.

I'm going to wrap up with a graphic my friend Nick shared a couple weeks ago on Facebook. I've shared it before, but I think it's good advice:

Blessings to you, my friends, as you vote today. 

Give thanks to God for the freedoms you have as you do so.

And then love your neighbor as yourself.

Faith, Politics, and Social Media

It's creeping ever closer to Election Day here. With the debates being televised lately and all the ensuing chatter in the Twitterverse and on Facebook (which is almost more entertaining for me than the debates themselves!) this is very much on my mind.

I wish we could have more civil conversations about politics. I'm a moderate. I don't respond well to people bellowing the party line--of either party--without also expressing a willingness to listen to viewpoints other than their own, and reason a bit about how faith impacts their view of politics.

I have a conviction that dealing with the intersection of faith and politics requires conversation. A willingness to share your thoughts, sure, but also a willingness to listen to what other people have to say. You would think that social media would be a great venue for this then wouldn't you? I think it's safe to say that social media is shifting the way political discourse happens. If you spend much time at all on social media sites you'll know what I mean. In fact, I'll probably share this post with friends and followers via Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, hoping to encourage more discussion. That said, I'm not entirely sure social media is the best way to have this kind of "conversation." Which, I recognize, makes this post a little ironic...

The trouble is, it's hard to be reasonable in the realm of social media. Most of the time, it's soundbites--you only get 140 characters on Twitter, right?--or links or images. It's pretty easy to spread things quickly and with low demand on your thinking. Which, I think, means we tend to shoot things out there that simply affirm our thinking, rather than open us up to conversation. (And I recognize that I have been guilty of this in the past too, lest you think I feel I'm above the fray--I'm not.)

Most of the political stuff I see on social media sites isn't really about having a conversation. Most of it is more aimed at either:
a) affirming what you already believe, or
b) trying to pick a fight with someone who thinks differently.

I think this is pretty insidious behavior for Christians. Most of my friends on social media sites are fellow believers, and I'm increasingly disappointed by the behavior of some--not all--who seem to be seeking division, rather than unity. I worry that disagreement about politics might drive a wedge between believers. I worry that we're judgmental of each other and harsh with each other. Too much of what I'm seeing online is divisive rather than unifying.

But there are exceptions.

Last week, my friend Jane posted this image on Facebook. I shared it:

I shared it, because on the day I saw this, I felt it was necessary. Many of my social media friends were lamenting one politician's views or another's, or filibustering about healthcare or taxes or a dozen other issues of the day--and usually in ways that alienated others, rather than bringing people together. It must have struck a chord with other people too, because 47 more people downstream from me have shared this image since then.

On the same day I shared the above image, my friend Ron posted this thought:

There is a false notion that speaking up for the unborn is a Republican issue. Or speaking up for the poor is a Democrat issue. Or marriage is a Republican issue and caring for the sick is a Democrat issue. First and foremost, they are gospel issues. And no political party has a corner on the gospel.

#thereisonlyonegovernmentthatisholy

This too rings true for me, and put into words the feeling in my heart. I think people are quick to paint their personal political beliefs with a patina of religiosity--and this isn't just a Republican issue, lest my Republican friends get huffy too quickly. I think Christians on both the right and the left need to examine their political beliefs in the light of the Gospel.

Republican ≠ Christian.

Democrat ≠ Christian.

Faithfully following Jesus = Christian.

This is why I was greatly encouraged when my friend Nick shared the following quote from John Wesley on Facebook yesterday:

This is the heart of the issue for me. 

In the past few weeks of politicking, with so many of my social-media-using friends posting images or links or rhetoric in favor of one candidate or against another, these three stood out as examples of:

1. Recognizing who is really in control,

2. Seeking middle ground and striving to be peacemakers, and 

3. Working out our faith with fear and trembling--even in the realm of politics. 

I'm a moderate, after all. I'm looking for common ground.

Politics and Faith Development

A couple years back, during the 2010 mid-term election season, my friend Dusty posted a provocative question on his Facebook page:
If Jesus were here in body like He was 2000 years ago, would He be a Republican or a Democrat? Liberal or Conservative? Would He join the Tea Party?

Wow. 

As you might imagine, this prompted a pretty interesting conversation between folks of lots of different perspectives.

Here was one of my contributions early in the discussion:

I actually had a conversation about this topic during the 2008 Presidential Campaign with my 7th grade Bible class. At the outset of our discussion, most of the kids assumed Jesus would be a Republican, but mostly because they identify Christians with Republicans. (I'm thinking they were parroting their parents--Sioux County *is* one of the most staunchly Republican counties in the whole nation.) One outspoken 7th grade girl (whose parents happen to lean left) was bold enough to speak up that she thought there is no way Jesus could be a Republican, because he cares to much about the poor, the sick, the beaten-down, etc. (Ouch.) THAT prompted a lot of conversation!  

I changed the subject a bit so we could talk about the different "political parties" in Palestine in Jesus' day: the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Zealots. The Pharisees were definitely conservative--focused on the Law and personal piety. The Sadducees were also conservative--interested in the status quo as the wealthy aristocracy. The Zealots were liberal with a slight anarchist bent--they'd do what it takes to get rid of the Roman occupiers.  

In our conversation, we noted that Jesus didn't really fit in with any of those groups, and spoke against all of them (either through actions or by words). Of course, there's no direct correlation between these "parties" and our contemporary American parties, but the key theme we noted was that Jesus was much more concerned with people than politics. (He seemed to get *everyone* rankled about something!) :-) 

Maybe that's the point? Jesus wasn't/isn't a politician; He seems much more concerned about loving people than who has political power.

Our Facebook conversation went on for some time, and another friend, Michael, suggested that Dusty's original question is perhaps the wrong question to be asking. Michael suggested that Jesus would be probably be more concerned with us as individuals (rather than political affiliations), and how we are each working to advance the kingdom. That really got me thinking, and here is another of my contributions in response:

I agree with Michael, but what does this look like in community? In his first post, Michael brings up the importance of personal commitment to advancing the Kingdom (which I TOTALLY agree with). My concern is (not for your post, but for our "Christian" culture) that we're TOO concerned with people's individual responses to Christ's call--i.e., having a "personal relationship with Jesus." I don't want to sound like I'm minimizing the importance of this relationship; Jesus *is* my personal Lord and Savior and I'm continually awed and humbled by His love for me.   

It's just that...well...the history of God's people is the history of God's PEOPLE--not as individuals, but as a group, right? So...I agree with you that we have to "pick sides"...but what if the way for Jesus' followers is in fact a "third way"--not "liberal" or "conservative," not "Republican" or "Democrat"...maybe it's more that we need to try to be active in politics while recognizing the brokenness of it all too! Jesus isn't a Republican, Democrat, Pharisee, Sadducee, Zealot, Marxist, Capitalist, Socialist, Fascist, Green, <insert-your-flavor-here> any more than He's Reformed, Baptist, Anglican, Catholic, Orthodox, Evangelical, or <insert-your-flavor-here>.   

I sometimes think we worry far too much about trying to fit Jesus into our box--our way of thinking--that we miss out on his real message: to build the Kingdom of God. What does that mean? While I agree with Michael about being personally invested in the political "scene," I'm still struggling for how to answer that question for the greater Body of Christ. How do we *communally* respond to the political fracas?

Jesus never shied away from the culture around him. Think about the rag-tag group of disciples Jesus picked for himself, including:

• Matthew, the tax collector (hired by the Romans, hated by the Jews), 
• Simon the Zealot (dedicated to overthrowing the Romans), 
• James and John, the "Sons of Thunder" (they sound like big talkers to me), 
• Thomas (the skeptic who demanded proof of the Resurrection), and
• Peter (the hot-headed, act-first-and-think-second, roughneck fisherman.)

Others, while not part of the Twelve, clearly represented the ruling elite: Nicodemus was a Pharisee, and Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy man and probably part of the ruling council, the Sanhedrin. 

People of all stripes were drawn to Jesus, learned to follow Jesus. After Jesus' death and resurrection and ascension, they formed a new community, the Body. And while they were of course living in the culture that surrounded them, they were also counter-cultural, in much the same way that Christ himself was.

Lately, I'm thinking more about Jesus and politics and how we should communally respond in our cultural setting as the Body in the 21st Century--perhaps ever more since I'm seeing more and more ads on TV of one politician (or party) lambasting another candidate for President. Everyone is so quick to sling mud and rake muck that it's hard to have a reasonable conversation about political stuff, let alone a faith-informed one. And I really am concerned that many Christians (at least around here) automatically reduce a Christian response to politics to simply voting the Republican ticket. (For the record, I am a registered Republican, but I'd definitely call myself a moderate. If there was a viable third party--someplace in the middle--that's probably where my views would most neatly line up.)

Where does this land us in terms of teaching Christianly? Well...I'm thinking a lot lately about how faith development happens in schools. Scary to bring up a topic like politics, even in a Christian school, because there is clearly a range of perspectives within the umbrella of Christendom. In some ways, it might be harder to talk about politics in a Christian school, which is a sad comment, really.

That said, I think distinctively Christian teachers must address potentially controversial topics like this one. We don't learn discipleship by blindly nodding along to what teachers, church leaders, or other authority figures pontificate. Discipleship, in my mind at least, is a process of actively engaging culture through the lens of Scripture, within the support of the Body.

Learning to be a disciple means we have to engage the world around us! If we, as distinctively Christian teachers, really want to help develop our students' faith lives, we must be willing to have open conversations, even about challenging topics like this.