It’s been a week without writing mainly because I’ve been absorbing the political shooting from last week and then seeing how it might play out in the Republican National Convention. Along with that was preparation for this coming week’s book study group on Jesus and the Powers. It’s been a week of absorbing and reflecting.

Wright and Bird tackle the tough subject of the Church in tension with powers of the world. We have to constantly wrestle with being “in favor” with powers that be, “taking over” powers that be, withdrawing from the powers that be, to actively resisting those powers… and what does that look like?

In the midst of that study came Esau McCaulley’s piece in Christianity Today online this week. It fit well with where the book discussion would be going. McCaulley draws directly from the assassination attempt and walks us through the reality of our culture, even as Christians.

The column starts with Jesus in the Garden and Peter cutting off the ear of the soldier. McCaulley then writes:

Violence, Jesus taught, only begets more violence, creating a spiral that can consume individuals, movements, and sometimes even republics.

But Jesus did more than issue a policy statement. He healed the soldier who had come to do him harm (Luke 22:51).

It is one thing to make a policy statement and never have to face the consequences of that policy statement. It’s another to be active in that statement. The Civil Rights Movement was active. It was a statement of nonviolence. It was a willingness to suffer the consequences of their actions by going to jail and face public attacks and beatings.

Our culturalized American Christianity sometimes talked a good game in the past, but push came to shove in politics, and conservative (white) Christians made the conscious decision to push and shove.

We need a different path:

Jesus did not heal because he believed the actions against him were just. The healing was a recognition of his enemy’s humanity, for there are moments to set aside politics and to see our opponents as fellow bearers of the image of God.

Daniel did not serve Nebuchadnezzar because Babylon was right. But he also didn’t serve for sheer survival. He served out of the goodness and abundance of God and came to a place (in Daniel 4, I believe) where he saw Nebuchadnezzar as worth saving.

We have to be honest about the state of our nation. I will be first in line. While I try to have Trump enthusiasts admit that Joe Biden is at least a good man (and I have found trying to get radical progressives to say that is increasingly difficult as well), I am guilty. Is Trump a “good man?” I believe him to be one who, as a human, bears the image of God. That means I need to approach my criticisms differently.

We also have to be realistic about our country. We need to stop saying, “This is not who we are” when it comes to tragedies. It is indeed who we are. We are violent in our DNA.

It is disingenuous for us to pretend that this was unimaginable. We have seen too much death in this country to act as if anything is beyond comprehension: We have endured gunmen shooting at school children and at worshippers in churches and synagogues; at people in night clubs, grocery stores, and college campuses; and at young Black boys out for a jog. We have lost the right to pretend that it is unthinkable that someone would aim at a politician. There is a dangerous rage that has been bubbling over in every corner of this country, and, in Pennsylvania, it overflowed on the campaign trail, with tragic results.

We have talk of civil war. We had an insurrection attempt. We have a re-writing of that attempt just as we had a re-write of the Civil War by Southern historians in the 1870s. We don’t mind talking about violent responses.

We need a better response as believers. This is the hard part for me. I readily admit it! Not every opinion rises to the level of getting angry about that opinion!

But not every divergent opinion rises to that level. Our friends and neighbors who disagree with us are more than a collection of all the worst ideas from the other side. Yet we’ve become strangers to one another, and in our separation, discord has flourished.

Someone who sees no other choice but to vote for Trump is not an insurrectionist. Someone who sees no other choice but to vote for Biden is not a socialist. Or a Marxist. Or wants to see babies slaughtered. Yet… we let our anger take us there.

Is there a path out of this deadly spiral? Yes. We must renounce the violence that endangers the entire social fabric. Jesus was correct in Gethsemane when he described hatred and murder as a social contagion that spreads from person to person. It is foolish to think that a disease that infects the rest of our lives together will not make its way to our elections. A nation that cannot protect its school-age children cannot protect its presidential candidates. A nation that cannot control its virtual rage will not control its rage in the flesh.

One thing we, as believers, should be leading the way on is demanding better of our political system. We don’t, and we end up with two candidates that are the worst pictures of what we could possibly put forward to “lead the world.” It’s embarrassing.

We have not taken up our responsibility as even citizens of this country where the Constitution begins with “WE THE PEOPLE.” We, the people, have punted on OUR responsibility. We don’t JUST vote… but we SHOULD vote. We let the ridiculous primary system bring out the fringe ideas while we sit home and wait for the general election. Then, we get mad that this is all we have to work with and we stay home again.

Then, we say, “Well, that’s all we can do. One of these two.”

No… it’s not. It’s my vote… you have to earn it. These two may not have earned my vote. I can write in another. I am not kidding. It doesn’t get my write-in elected. I get that. But I also won’t be wasting my chance to exercise my right and I can cheerfully refuse to bow to the corrupt systems that have given me these two awful choices. I will have to then deal with how to live with which of the two is elected, but I then find a way to move through that mess… and I don’t withdraw.

We should demand better of the process. It is supposed to be WE THE PEOPLE. We have been afforded this, and we have punted on it for decades. I love McCaulley’s idea on this:

Trump, president Joe Biden, and any other third-party candidates should hold another debate in the coming weeks to give the United States the chance to see them present their vision for America. They should outline their actual plans for the country and make a case for why they deserve our votes. No more debates about who’s better at golf. The future of the republic is at stake.

Every American who cares about the future of democracy should vote, whether for one of these two or for a third-party candidate. A record turnout would reaffirm our commitment to the principles we hold dear. Even at this late stage, it would be a pledge to find a better way.

My idea is even more fun. Back in 2008 I discovered there had been a long standing tradition in election years that each presidential candidate attend the Alfred Smith Foundation dinner in October. For one night, they each took a break and then each candidate gets the opportunity to “roast” the other candidate. The dinner in 2008 featured John McCain and Barack Obama and is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. Of course, 2016 ruined the ideas for me because Trump and Hillary Clinton were the speakers and it was a dumpster fire. (Go HERE for the full video of 2008. McCain starts at about 7:00 and Obama starts around 23:15.)

But here is my idea: Go back to the spirit we saw in 2008 and make each candidate have a 5 minute opportunity to do some stand up comedy. Most laughs wins.

In all of this, we need more Kingdom of God, less kingdoms of this world. More action in non-violent ways and less rhetoric and action that keeps spilling over into violence. And it needs to be the people of God leading the way in all of this.

PART ONE
PART TWO
PART THREE
PART FOUR
PART FIVE