By Jacob Osborne, Lead Contributor
Well, here we are. In 3 weeks, tens of millions of people will cast their ballot for several public offices. Twenty years ago, friends and family would sit and have civil discussions about which candidates they thought would be most beneficial for themselves and their community.
Fast forward twenty years, and that seems like an impossibility. Today’s politics are a powder keg of emotion and hostility. If you vote one way, you are a “Demonrat” and “baby killer;” vote the other way and you are a “neo-Nazi” and “cultist.” How did we get here?
The Divisiveness of Modern Politics
This is a subject that will be heavily debated for decades to come, as there are many factors and events that have contributed to the degradation of the American political system. First, the population as a whole has been driven to participate in tribalism. Thanks to the increased prevalence of social media and internet “journalism,” people are continually encouraged to reduce their social circles to contain only like-minded individuals. As a result of the decreased diversity in our everyday lives, our formed “tribes” see other “tribes” as adversaries.
An alternative explanation would be the weakening of political parties. Parties are weaker than they’ve ever been because their control over campaign finances has been drastically reduced, meaning the parties themselves don’t control who their candidates are. As a result, candidates chosen by the 51% most active voters of the party, who are often the most partisan and vicious.
Furthermore, this has normalized the inaction of the elected. Public office has increasingly become a position of social status rather than advocacy. Consequently, the government is locked in a state of perpetual gridlock, allowing elected officials to posture to their followers and swing voters about how they will break the gridlock (though they have no intentions to). Not dissimilar to a sports team, their “fans” get over-passionate and hostilities grow with fans of the other “team.”
Divisive Politics In The Bible
Unfortunately, the Bible never had examples of political hostilities and violence, right? In contrast, much of the Bible revolves around the consequences of the politics of the age. Here are just a few examples of the extreme politics of the Biblical age:
- Saul attempted to kill David to maintain his political position (1 Samuel 19)
- The Pharisees, the most conservatively religious faction of the day, preyed upon the uneducated population by adding extra rules and requirements that were designed to force impoverished citizens into servitude (Matthew 9:14; 15:1–9; 23:5; 23:16, 23; Luke 11:42)
- The Sadducees were aristocrats who sought to appease Roman occupants and made themselves wealthy by exacting unfair taxes and fees from the labor of their own people, including forcing the poor to pay exorbitant prices to participate in temple sacrifice
- The Pharisees and Sadducees put aside political differences to kill Jesus after his ministry threatened the political standing of both groups (John 11:48–50; Mark 14:53; 15:1)
- Samaritans, who were descendents of Israelites who intermarried with Assyrians (Ezra 4), were segregated from the rest of Jewish society due to being seen as impure (John 4:4–26)
Perhaps even more surprising is that the issues of ancient Israel are similar to ones we are facing today. One of the key issues on the ballot in 2024 is immigration reform. Showing grace and kindness to people of all nationalities is commanded in several passages (Jeremiah 7:5-7; Ezekiel 47:22; Zechariah 7:9-10). How about social programs that help the poor and sick? Yep, that too (Proverbs 19:17; Isaiah 1:17; Luke 10:27-37).
With all that being said, it is clear that politics have been dividing society for thousands of years. Though it seems worse in recent years, it has been worse before. But funny enough, the issues are largely the same. Despite this, the Gospel has endured, unchanging through countless generations.
Be A Peacemaker
So which modern party is the more Christian party? Neither! Jesus was neither a Republican nor Democrat, or anything in between, or on the extremes. The Bible doesn’t call for us to be ambassadors of our country, but rather ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). Instead of voting to shape the country into our ideal society that makes us most comfortable, we should instead go beyond and serve those in need.
The Galileans sought to make Jesus king by force in order to overthrow Roman rule (John 6:15). Rather than seize political power and make the country as he saw fit, as many modern politicians would have accepted in a heartbeat, Jesus instead snuck away so He could continue His ministry. Likewise, we should not place our faith in the US political system. We should instead seek to spread the Gospel, give to the poor, and aid the sick, as we were commanded (Matthew 10:8).
We should feel free to vote how we see fit, as God has not ordained any political party. Conversely, when Jesus returns, He will install a one-party, one-world government. There will be no Republicans, no Democrats, no Americans, and no non-Americans, nor will we care about any of those things because we will be in the Kingdom of God (Rev 5:8-9; 21:2-5).
Until then, how should we respond to the political strife around us? There are a few ways we can:
- Abstain from inflammatory political discussions, both online and in person. Instead, encourage Christians around us to solely find their identity in Christ
- Practice discernment with things we see online. Rather than share inflammatory, and potentially false claims, we should seek to spread the Gospel to those that need to hear it
- Evaluate our own personal biases and priorities. We should pray that we root our identities in Christ, fight injustices, and help those in need instead seeking to further our own personal agendas.
Faith, Food and Pharmacy 