I have struggled to come up with the words to write about the events that occurred in the last couple of weeks. In fact, I have attempted to write about this multiple times and have deleted each effort. However, I can offer some insight about where we can go from here. I have avoided a lot of the think pieces associated with the events that took place on Capitol Hill, so if this is repetitive I apologize.
I have seen many say that the events that took place on January 6th do not represent this nation, but I disagree. This is precisely who we are. The American Church, and particularly white evangelicals, have peddled a gospel antithetical to Scripture for quite a while and the fruits of that labor are finally coming out into the daylight. The Christian symbols and terminology associated with the rising hate, lies, and political movements in this country have co-opted a faith that is so much bigger than its supposed symbiosis with a political party. My blood boils at these ideas and particularly at the images of crosses and nooses side by side. What has the Church done to perpetuate these lies? How have we been formed in this false gospel? How can we move forward?
These are the general ideas that I would like to explore in this piece. For this discussion, I believe that we must turn our eyes to the end of Paul’s letter to Galatia. Galatians 5:16-26 contrasts what a life in our flesh looks like compared to a life in the Spirit.
Verses 19-21 read, “Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” We are seeing the fruits of this way of life in the public forum, and it is coming from those bearing crosses and proclaiming a knowledge of Christ. We when look to leaders that actively advocate and participate in the behavior outlined in these verses, then we are shaped by that behavior (see 1 Kings 14:16). The sins of leaders disseminate and shape their followers. This is not to say that I am perfect in this rebuke, as I too am rebuking myself here for my anger and the like. However, recognition is only half the battle, and we must be willing to change if we are to grow and sow a new seed that fosters the characteristics of a life in the Spirit.
“By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
Did Jesus really mean what He said?
So much of our faith and our lifestyles hinge upon how we answer this question. If we, as Christians, believe that God wants what is best for us, gave us a way of living that maximizes the traits and characteristics needed for our life as humans, then we must follow that way. If we believe that God knows what is best for our lives individually and communally, since He is the Creator, then we must follow the way of Jesus as He outlines it in Scripture (see Matthew 5-7). There are not caveats for when this way of life should be followed (i.e. political strife or disagreement).
Something I am coming to believe, as someone who struggles with perfectionism and a need to be right, is that if the only impetus for our righteous anger is our belief that we are right, then our argument has failed before it has left the ground, because we have not begun to listen to those around us. This plays itself out in Scripture as well. We see that the religious did not believe Christ to be the Messianic God, so they killed Him. The religious killed God because He was not up to their standards, their expectations, or their longings.
The crowd that crucified Jesus did so because he refused to make Israel great again on their terms. They misunderstood the Kingdom of God.
— Jared Stacy (@jaredstacy) January 19, 2021
We continue to see that we are no different as we look to leaders offering power and not humility. I think it’s funny that most people would think that humility is allowing yourself to be stepped on, but in reality it is defined as a freedom from pride or arrogance. Christ comes to set us free, so we should live in that freedom.
Triumph in this life does not look like power or machismo, but it does look like loving our neighbor, even when we do not get “our way,” because “our way” is not what we are to follow. The Christian life is a life that calls us higher and deeper into the paradoxes of this world. Turning the other cheek is more than a metaphor, it is an attitude. It may even be literal. We are not known by how forcefully or how often we fight for our beliefs. We are known by the ways we love and the character that is formed in a life of love and grace.
I think there is a reason Christ said we will be known by the ways we love one another. It is because it is so hard. I have considered myself a loving person for a long time, but this year has made that burden much heavier to carry. It is not those outside of Christianity that have made this difficult, but those I consider brothers and sisters in the faith (see Psalm 55:12-14). It goes beyond disagreement for me and ventures on a blatant disregard for the Scriptures, many of which I am guilty of as well. We all pick and choose what we want to hear. It is in many ways the greatest example of the human condition. However, I believe that God has implored us to turn to Him in these last few months and all we have done is burrow deeper into the guise of our own self-righteousness.
By seeking power rather than love and by promoting our own self-interests ahead of our neighbor, the American Church, particularly white evangelicals have perpetuated a gospel that seeks pride and selfishness over one of the sacrificial love in the Scriptures. By buying into this lie, we have all whether consciously or not been formed by these beliefs in ways we may not be able to see. Our churches may be passively or actively providing roadmaps for this way of life; so, how can we move forward in our communities politically and spiritually?
Engaging the tension
“The sacralization of the political is a reality parallel to developments in our churches: we’ve blurred the line between patriotism and faithful Christian practice, we’ve allowed church services to take on nationalistic dimensions, and we’ve elevated the nation to the level of loyalty the church alone should occupy.”
Many people probably interpret my outbursts against the rise of the religious right to mean I am a Democrat. I want to clear up some things and say that I honestly do not relate with either political party. I think biblically speaking we are called to make tough choices in our engagement with the culture. Both Republicans and Democrats offer solutions to certain areas that I agree with strongly. Both parties also support policy changes that I find to be against the Christian faith. However, this is not the time for “bothsideism.” Our faith has been clearly prostituted for the gain of power in ways that Christ expressly denied in his life (see Matthew 4:1-11 and John 6:1-15). The Church that has peddled Christian Nationalism deserves to be held accountable. Healing and unity can only come when accountability occurs, and wrongs are admitted, so transformation can take place.
When political power, controlling a narrative, or the need to be right take precedent over our charge to love our neighbor, we trade away our faith for the dust of this world. It loses its meaning and the transformational power available to us through Christ’s work on the cross. I have found myself relating much more strongly to the crucified, beaten, and broken Jesus than I have to the triumphant Lord we see at the end of time. I am beginning to see that this is ok, because His work is not complete in me or in this world, just as it wasn’t as He hung on that tree. The pain we experience precedes the beauty that takes place in the end.
It is admirable to fight for your neighbor to have more than you, for their longings to take a front seat in your life, so long as they do not counter God’s law. Loving our neighbors can entail sacrificing our freedoms for the sake of others (see 1 Corinthians 8-10). In fact, it must involve these sacrifices. In our individualistic society, this is complicated, countercultural, and seems idiotic.
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?”
Whether prayer is in schools or not, we should love our neighbor, because God is at work regardless. I do not think he cares about that. He cares about whether we love those around us and fight for them. Take a look at the minor prophets, it is what they are all about (see Hosea 6:6, Psalm 37, Jeremiah 2-6). The Bible has a lot to say about the hot button issues of the day. It is unabashedly pro-life and that is womb-tomb, not just the unborn. It tackles the importance of generosity and welcoming the stranger. How can this impact our immigration? There are strong statements of the importance of social justice and fighting for the marginalized in our communities. There are considerations the church must be able to handle, and they go beyond party lines. They should impact our daily interactions.
While our predispositions toward political parties may even be found within the chemical makeup of our brains, we must still love our neighbors. It is deep within ourselves, but that does mean the call to love our neighbor takes a back seat to our political dispositions. It does means that silencing conspiracies that foster an attitude of division and hate is vital to our faith. It does mean that developing our character has to matter moving forward.
A lot of people want to sweep these last few weeks under the rug for the sake of unity. I too want unity. I believe that unity is powerful, beautiful, and right. However, unity can only occur when we face the challenges and wrongs that have occurred not just in these last four years but in the decades prior. We see the need for racial justice. We see the need for economic changes. We see the need for supporting life and character. So, we must be willing to act on these things and call out the areas where we are falling behind. It is the only way we can heal, because this does not have to be who we are in the future.
“My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor’s work, will become a cause for pride. For all must carry their own loads. Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher. Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.”