Posted on 03/14/2021 6:13:36 AM PDT by Kaslin
Writing for The Atlantic on March 10, Shadi Hamid opined that in America today, “As Christianity’s hold, in particular, has weakened, ideological intensity and fragmentation have risen. American faith, it turns out, is as fervent as ever; it’s just that what was once religious belief has now been channeled into political belief” (his emphasis). While this is certainly true, it is also true that religious belief has been merged with political belief. Yet, in many ways, the Christian spirit is very different than the political spirit. The two often make a very bad mix.
But before I explain what I mean, allow me to add the standard caveats.
I do believe that followers of Jesus should vote and be politically informed.
I do believe we should have a positive impact, as salt and light, on every aspect of American life, including politics.
I do believe there are godly and ethical politicians.
I do believe that some Christians are called to be heavily involved in politics or even run for office.
I do believe that the gospel intersects with politics.
I do not believe that everything political is inherently evil or bad.
At the same time, our general political system operates on very different principles than those laid out for us as New Testament believers. That’s why I said that the Christian spirit is very different than the political spirit, obviously meaning “political” in the negative sense of the word.
Thus, some of the negative definitions for “politician” include: “a person who acts in a manipulative and devious way, typically to gain advancement within an organization”; or, “a person primarily interested in political office for selfish or other narrow usually short-sighted reasons.”
Or, in the words of Ivern Ball, “A politician is a person who can make waves and then make you think he’s the only one who can save the ship.”
As for the world of politics, Machiavelli once stated that, “Politics have no relation to morals.”
For good reason we often associate the word “dirty” with “politics.” That’s the way you play the game.
After all, as a general rule, if you don’t bash and smash and demean and denigrate your opponent, you will not be elected. If you don’t alarm your constituents to the terrible danger of your opponent’s agenda, you will have a much harder time getting votes.
As expressed by H. L. Mencken, “The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”
Obviously, many of our concerns are hardly imaginary. But when it comes to the almost hysterical rhetoric from each party, Mencken was hardly exaggerating.
Thus, in 2020, both Republicans and Democrats warned that the last election was about the future of the democracy and that if the other party was elected, our democracy would be forever doomed. Only Trump (no, Biden, no, Trump, no Biden) can save us!
The political spirit – again, in the negative sense of the word – stirs up anger. And hatred. And division. And ill will. And division. How much more opposite could it be to the Christian spirit?
Yet is all too common to find this merging of a political spirit with the Christian spirit, and virtually always, to the degrading of the Christian spirit.
In other words, rather than us raising the standards of the political realm, we become polluted and politicized. Rather than us lifting politics up, politics drags us down.
If you don’t believe me, just visit Christian social media pages where political matters are discussed. We are far more political – nasty and abusive and divided – than Christian.
Think of famous Paul’s description of love in 1 Corinthians 13: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (vv. 4-7).
Then, contrast that spirit with the spirit of a typical political rally, where kind words about your opponent will likely draw boos (or, elicit no response at all) while hateful words will draw cheers of affirmation. (Correct me if I’m wrong, but a common refrain at 2016 Republican rallies was, “Lock her up!” rather than, “Pray for her!”)
The world of politics is often driven by fleshly ambition and a desire for power, mixed together with compromise and corruption. Jacob (James) labels these attitudes (among others) to be “earthly, unspiritual, demonic” (3:15). It is, he said, “the wisdom from below.”
In contrast, he wrote that “wisdom from above” was “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (3:17). Do you associate these kinds of attitudes with the spirit of politics? Hardly.
In the same way, if you write an article or preach a message on a political theme but in a political spirit – once again, in the negative sense of the word – you will demonize those you oppose, resulting in anger and hatred towards the candidates of the other party.
In contrast, if you write an article or preach a message on a political theme but in a Christian spirit, you will create a strong moral rejection of the other party’s wrong positions, coupled with prayer and love for the candidates you oppose.
And that’s where I believe many of us have gotten off track in the last few years. We have become way too politicized, as if all of us should be engaged in political issues virtually 24/7.
As a result, we have taken our focus off the greatest commandments of loving God and loving our neighbor, erecting partisan political fences and cultivating partisan political hostilities. That’s why I wrote (with irony and sadness) that we have become better known for our hate than for our love. (This is not just the opinion of the hostile media. I encounter it on the grassroots level all the time. We have become better known as backers of a particular candidate than as followers of Jesus).
But the solution is not to hide in a monastery or abdicate our role in society. The solution is to get our priorities right.
First the gospel, then politics (and no, the two are not synonymous or interchangeable), always exercising a Christian spirit in all that we do. And where politics takes us away from that Christian spirit, we take a step back from politics.
If we want to see a real harvest of righteousness, both personally and corporately, we do well to heed these words of Jacob (James): “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:18).
Toward the end of his essay:
“We have become better known as backers of a particular candidate than as followers of Jesus).”
I read his tripe looking for the point where he drops his talk of love to shove in his Trump hatred.
When he claims he has met Christians who follow Trump in place of Jesus, I say he is a freaking liar. He comes out with that meme every time he writes, evidently.
Jesus is my savior, Trump is my President.
Toward the end of his essay: “We have become better known as backers of a particular candidate than as followers of Jesus).” I read his tripe looking for the point where he drops his talk of love to shove in his Trump hatred.
He voted for Trump twice. And that statement that you object to says nothing at all about Trump.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but a common refrain at 2016 Republican rallies was, “Lock her up!” rather than, “Pray for her!”
Ummm...that was a concern for JUSTICE, which falls in the political realm. Most Christians would be THRILLED if Hillary repented, confessed her sins and committed her life to Christ. But she did many corrupt and evil things, and it is GOOD to want to see evil doers punished by the law:
“But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a servant of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.”
“coupled with prayer and love for the candidates you oppose.”
Same error. If Joe Biden repented of his sins and publicly asked for forgiveness and promised to live a changed life, I’d cry tears of joy. THAT is REAL LOVE - to call those who do evil to repent and submit to God BEFORE Judgment Day!
We have no obligation to pray for good health for Joe, or long life, or success. I’ll gladly pray for his salvation.
What on earth is wrong with wanting to yell “lock her up” as an expression of God’s balanced scales of Justice HE says HE LOVES about a woman who has been the epitome of the Jezebel spirit in our time?
Again, Mr. (er, excuse me) Dr. Full-of-Myself, the reason EVIL and CORRUPTION has grown and flourished and prevailed is because we (The Church) did NOT call it for what it is. I wonder if Jesus thought 2000 years ago (hmm, I better not call these political church leaders a brood of vipers and whitewashed sepulchres because that might be a bad witness). Or, if David should throw out half of the Psalms asking God to bring His vengeance against evildoers.
You do not get to make up your own meaning for words Mr Brown.
For example I could say the Christian spirit is very different than the Townhall writer spirit, obviously meaning “Townhall writer” in the negative sense of the word.
It would be as deep as this article. In other words as shallow as a puddle after a five minute rain.
“He voted for Trump twice. And that statement that you object to says nothing at all about Trump.”
Just who do you think the media has in mind when he says, about his claim:
“This is not just the opinion of the hostile media.”
And yes, I have read where he says that about Trump and his supporters directly.
He wasn't talking about Pres. Trump there either. The column is not about Trump.
And yes, I have read where he says that about Trump and his supporters directly.
You have read where he says what, exactly, about Trump and his supporters directly>
“The column is not about Trump.”
I never said the column was about Trump. I was referring to the dig he spliced in, on his essay about love, knocking Trump and some of his supporters. Which president has the media talked about that forced Brown to say, “This is not just the opinion of the hostile media.” Which president has the press been hostile to and claims his supporters are mindless cult followers? And the reference to “this” in “This is not just the opinion of the hostile media.” is his claim that some people elevate a candidate over Jesus Christ.
Yep, I suppose he thought he was being clever.
The last essay he wrote, that I read, he was explaining God’s thinking on the spiritual condition of Trump. Talk about a joke.
Saying he agreed with the media on something therefore he hates Trump is a non sequitur.
“Saying he agreed with the media on something therefore he hates Trump is a non sequitur.”
You must be a dense person. I am saying he smears Trump whenever he can, independently, and it doesn’t depend on what the media thinks. He just happens to agree with the media.
You haven’t given me an example of where he smears Trump. If you actually give me one I’ll agree with you. I have the impression that you aren’t going to give me one. Saying he agreed with the media on something, that isn’t even about Trump, is not an example.
This is last damn time I write on this.
From the essay:
“That’s why I wrote (with irony and sadness) that we have become better known for our hate than for our love. (This is not just the opinion of the hostile media. I encounter it on the grassroots level all the time. We have become better known as backers of a particular candidate than as followers of Jesus).”
“That’s why I wrote...”
Now, this is referring to a previous writing, probably the one I read.
“We have become better known for our hate...”
He doesn’t say that the hate, itself, is a false accusation, he says that “we” are, in actual fact, haters, and anyone who labels us as such is being accurate — we are known by our hate. “It is not just the opinion of the hostile media,” he writes, it is his personal observation he has encountered on the grassroots level.
He just slandered all Christians. Does he know all Christians? No, he does not know all Christians. What percentage of Christians does he know personally? An infinitesimal percentage. So why would he claim to have complete knowledge of what Christians think, as a whole? Well, he got it from the MSM. He agrees that is is the opinion of a hostile media and he says he agrees with that assessment, because he encounters it on a grassroots level. He is a liar. He is stupid enough, probably, to think that Christians being irate over a godless political party trying to destroy them and the nation is “hate”.
Now, who is it that is labeled a Hitler, a hater by the media. Well, it is Donald Trump. And, since Trump is a Hitler and a hater, then his followers are haters. That is why he writes that we have become known as backers of a particular candidate than followers of Jesus. There is no other candidate that is deemed a hater by the media that has a national following that the media slanders as haters. Hillary said backers of Trump were irredeemable and deplorable. This idiot agrees with her.
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