I was thinking about Hebrews 12:4-11 a while ago:
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
I’ve ruminated and/or ranted more than once, and will continue to do so, about what I believe to be a fundamental weakness permeating the conservative blogosphere: the wholehearted promulgation of Christ-haters such as Christopher Hitchens, Allahpundit and Charles Johnson while simultaneously promoting itself as the oracle of God or reasonable facsimile thereof. If we are Christians, or if one is not a believer at least respectful of the faith and those who hold it as truth, why follow those who at their core belittle and despise us for believing the name of Jesus is something other than a swear word?
Take this a step further. Is there the slightest justification for rejecting the fellowship of fellow believers who hold different political views? One can argue what method is best to fix the economy, the proper role of government in the public and/or private lives of its citizens, America’s place in the world, and so on as much as one wishes. Preferably your arguments are rooted in faith along with logic, reason and experience. But within this, again it must be said: is there the slightest justification for rejecting the fellowship of fellow believers who hold different political views? Can any case be made for demonizing others who think along lines dissimilar to ours? No.
Why are we not mindful of Paul’s words when he wrote, “And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you?” Why do we simultaneously proclaim God’s glory and actively deny His power? Bono put it most succinctly: “Stop helping God across the road like a little old lady.” For example, we hate our political opponents. Why? While we ought not promote those who hate us, we also must be cognizant that the saving grace and life refreshing, thought transforming power of Jesus does not stop working at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or the halls of Congress. Do we believe our God is so feeble He can’t change the heart and mind of any political leader? Are we so consumed by our self-proclaimed righteousness as to what we believe politically we are unable to see what genuinely matters first is the value of each person? Taking this a step further, what is more important — politics or Christ?
I believe the Lord is disciplining us and will continue to do so until we drop the hate and reject the haters. Don’t talk to me about how the other side doesn’t play nice so why should we. We do not have the option of behaving that way. We are called to demonstrate strength and resolution are never mutually exclusive to kindness. Period.
We are commanded to say to those on the other side of the aisle, “I disagree with you, and this is why. But you’re just as valuable and loved in God’s sight as I am, so I’m going to treat you the same way I want to be treated.” Think about it. How will they know about Jesus if we don’t tell them in both word and deed? And how can we do that if we create a no man’s land between ‘us’ and ‘them’ based on ideology? We must never compromise our political beliefs. That said, it is even more urgent we do not compromise our spiritual beliefs by refusing to be a witness because of the fallacious notion that devotion to our political beliefs demands crossed swords over kneeling at the foot of the Cross.
We are commanded to say to fellow believers of a different political persuasion, “I disagree with you on this, and here are my reasons why. But we are brothers and sisters in the Lord, and there are no party affiliations in heaven. Let’s love and care for each other, and share Christ’s love with the world, together. Always.”
Finally, we ought to say to those among us, “Jesus is more important than politics. Believe or don’t believe however you wish; the God you do or don’t believe in gave you a free will to do just that. But don’t spit hatred and contempt toward the God I serve and me for serving Him while expecting me to sing your praises because you articulate the conservative position… provided there’s a paycheck in it for you.”
We’ve earned a good thrashing. Let’s learn from it.
