AnderspeaK
On Politics Part 2
Politics Part 2
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. —Galatians 5: 19-21
Nothing characterizes an election year quite like distortion. Even now that we’re down to two candidates, the tendency towards caricature is like a black hole whose gravity cannot be resisted. I confess some degree of adolescent enjoyment over the banter—the “gotchas” and withering comebacks of quick-witted commentators—but that part of me is not the best part. The part of all of us that is striving to grow into the image, likeness and character of Christ is really put to the test in an election such as this one.
If it were all an event confined to the borders of TV-land, it wouldn’t be a problem; it would just be another form of entertainment like any other. The problem is that we—like rabid soap opera fans—find our own emotions drawn into the psychodrama. It’s not impossible for us to get pulled down out of our seats into the ring, where we become barking, agitated players in the cage match. I’m sure that’s not God’s will for us.
It may help if we name just two kinds of distortion that create seductive, slippery slopes down to the ring:
1. Pushing the opposition to extremes
We do not have political “enemies,” just opponents. Enemies are there to be hated or destroyed (or, if Jesus gets his way, loved); opponents are simply friends playing on the other side of the net. If we can remember some of the happy basics—such as, we’re all Americans; or, we’re all big believers in freedom and democracy; or, we all believe in caring for the poor and providing for the common defense—then it is easier to remember that our opponents are still fellow citizens, whose freedoms we would defend with our lives and vice versa.
Hence, we must exercise some caution with our caricatures:
[Hint: each to be read aloud at the top of your lungs]
“Republicans are brain-dead fools whose stupidity lines the pockets of billionaires!”
“Democrats are feather-headed fruitcakes who want to hand this country over to Isis with a cherry on top!”
“Conservatives are heartless, money-grubbing relics who want to turn the country back to the 1980s!”
“Democrats are pot-smoking libertines without a hint of common sense steering America into a ditch!”
Stop! Stop! Stop!
To exaggerate others’ flaws and while minimizing any possible virtue is the ugly work of caricature. In general, it creates a feeding frenzy of derisive laughter and collective, political hatred. Worse, it reduces the complexity of reality down to a thin, easy-to-manage stream of information. It is a kind of chosen, preferred prejudice. The political landscape is reduced to binary black-and-whites, and this is just lazy—what the Bible calls the deadly sin of sloth.
2. Rosy-eyeing your own party/candidate
This is the other side of the same coin and it amounts to mentally airbrushing your favorite candidate or party in the same way. Ignore the flaws, magnify the strengths, and get on the bandwagon with both feet—that’s the political parade of both parties.
Ignoring—rather than naming—our own flaws is a guaranteed formula for false self-awareness and, ultimately, personal ruin. It doesn’t work any better for politics. Truth doesn’t play well with distortions, but why does it seem such an impossible chore to simply go through an election year by truth-telling? Part of the reason is that both parties are themselves laying claim to truth, and they think that by distorting their message and turning up the volume they can win more votes. [And let’s be clear here: politics is far more interested in votes than in truth!]
Our witness to Jesus Christ is in fact modified by our other convictions. If people hear Christians angrily rallying for a political candidate or party which is well-known to be deeply flawed, then what happens to the credibility when they say with equal (let’s hope at least equal) vigor: Jesus is Lord! He is wonderful! He is the best!?
It’s fine and dandy to care for your party and its candidate du jour. I am definitely not saying that Christians should abstain from the political process—on the contrary, Christians should get out and vote—but that is part of our being in the world. When we come to church—when we walk up the steps and enter the doors of the sanctuary—your and my political convictions don’t count for much. Can we remember that? Can we leave them on the ground and step up to something better? Can we imagine and create a better realm? Can we enter our pews knowing that there is no net—that no aisle separates us left and right—when we are gathered one in Christ?
In Church, there is only one way to win the political game, and that is to not play.
This fall, let’s make the temptations of party-ism our personal opportunity to witness to something much better. Let’s seek to love our political opponents (never enemies) and show them the excellent, abundant life that can be provided by neither party. Let’s let God’s love make us something much better than merely political.
On Politics Part I
Jesus was not political.
Some of his followers were. They were called Zealots. One of Jesus’ apostles, Simon, was a Zealot. The Zealots emerged as a patriotic reactionary movement against Roman rule. Their roots may trace back to one Judas of Galilee who attempted a revolt in 6AD against the census put in place by Publius Suplicius Quirinius, as you remember from the Luke 2 birth narrative of Jesus.
The Zealots believed in Israel and believed that the Romans had no business ruling over them. They believed that God wanted Israel under the rule of the Jews—a real rule, unlike Herod’s puppet-kingship—totally free from Rome. Zealots were very political; they supported forces and ideas that supplied momentum to resisting Roman rule. They would have been happy to give their lives overthrowing Rome and taking back Jerusalem for good.
We are in an election year, which means between now and November we will be forced to endure the nonstop scathing polemics of Fox, CNN and MSNBC; their easily-agitated, snarky spin; and their high blood pressure acrobatics in defense of one candidate or another. They look for blood and pounce at the first whiff. They criticize mercilessly and throw all blame across the table at their opponents. It’s no surprise that we begin to feel like spectators at WWF wrestling matches.
In fact, it begins to feel too much like highly-emotional spectating. People drop snidely quips of their political foes at every chance, testing the water to see whether you and I will echo their sentiments. Do we take the bait? Do we jump into the feeding frenzy? It depends whom you favor.
It’s a lot like being a fan, which is only short for fanatic. Angels or Dodgers? Trojans or Bruins? (Some of you may be frothing already “How dare you mention the lousy Angels in the same sentence as the righteous Dodgers!?”) Like superfans, we can get so emotionally invested in our party or candidate that anyone supporting the opponent begins to look…well, stupid, wrong, unholy, unrighteous and a total threat to the American way!
Our Christianity forbids us from getting out of control over this stuff. It is just an election. There are good Christian brothers and sisters sitting in the pews near you who feel as strongly about their candidate or party as you do yours. Do you really want to deliver them your cheap shots? Of course not.
Jesus didn’t tell us to pick a party and give our whole passions to it. He never once spoke up against Rome. Not once. He was non-political, apolitical, post-political—whatever you like—and as his followers we need to embody something of that higher perspective. It’s good to care and fine to enjoy the energy of the blessed American electoral process, but let us keep our heads—our Christian perspective—which is well above party politics.
Our hearts and passions were not given to us for them to be spent on causes so cheap as party politics. Let us keep our sense of perspective, our senses of humor, and our love for one another—despite political leanings—constant and strong indeed.