"The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, these things ought not be so." - James 3:6-10
I am not one to comment openly on politics or my political opinions, and I am not going to start here. These past few weeks have only served to reinforce my conviction that engaging in political discussions, especially on social media, is mainly a detriment to the Christian goal of declaring the Good News of Jesus Christ. Openly touting a political agenda instantly alienates at least half your potential audience and, more importantly, it distracts people from what truly matters.
So no, I will not be commenting on Donald Trump, Brett Kavanaugh, or any other political matter on this blog or social media. I have strong opinions on pretty much every issue imaginable, but talking about them serves no constructive purpose. That is my opinion.
However, many do not share this sentiment. That is totally fine. We are, after all, blessed to live in a country that allows us to have political debates and conversations. As frustrating as it can be to disagree with people, we are supremely blessed to live in a place where we are allowed to disagree without punishment.
There is no issue with wanting to discuss politics. While I personally do not jump into these conversations, I do not believe for a second that politics don't matter and that it is wrong for everybody to abstain from talking about them. In Scripture we see that Daniel dedicated his entire life to public service and politics, and he is a righteous hero of faith. So the act of political discourse in itself I have no problem with.
What I do find disturbing is the way many Christians talk about politics. It does not matter if they are conservative, moderate, or liberal. Far too many people who claim to be followers of Christ are truly hateful when they bring up political matters, no matter what their political beliefs are. This is not a liberal Christian problem or a conservative Christian problem, this is just a Christian problem.
I quoted James 3 earlier because I believe that passage is just as relevant now as it has ever been. What we say, be it in person or the relative "safety" of Facebook, is dangerous. Our words have the power of destruction and the ability to cause great harm. It's easy to see who suffers when we are directly mean to an individual, but it's often not when it comes to political discussion.
The person who suffers the most when we engage in hostile, hateful, and generally rude political discussion typically isn't the person you talk to. That person most likely has their own opinions and won't be that affected by heated debate. It isn't the people who are reading the comment threads on their Facebook wall. It especially isn't the politicians or candidates we talk about, since they most likely will never see your post. The person who suffers the most is Jesus Christ.
We are made in the image of God. Christians especially, having been washed in the blood of Christ and filled with the Spirit, are constantly being renewed and transformed as image bearers. The very name Christian, whether we realize it or not, announces to the world that we stand for Christ and are his representatives. It is our job to faithfully represent the attitude, character, and mission of our King.
So when we, self-proclaimed representatives of Christ, spew hateful comments and venomous diatribes concerning politics, whose reputation suffers the most? Whose credibility is tarnished? Who is now seen as a hateful, close-minded partisan? It is not us, as if our reputation matters that much, but Christ who suffers. People who come into contact with Christians who behave this way are turned away from the grace of Christ by the very people commanded to draw them in. The tongue is destructive, set on fire by hell itself as James says.
The third of the ten commandments is "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain." Normally we associate this with swearing or cussing. While this is true, this commandment runs much deeper than we think. Another way to translate this verse is "You shall not make the name of the LORD your God desolate."
To be desolate is to be barren or empty. Nothing can grow in a desolate land. It is lifeless and often toxic to any life that tries to thrive. Any attempt to live in a desolate place is in vain.
We cannot make the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, desolate. It should be an unthinkable atrocity to any Christian to bring harm or shame to the name above all names. Yet this is exactly what we have done. There are many in our communities who, because of the actions of Christians and because of their words, recoil at the name of Jesus. We have, inadvertently, taken the name that gives life and salvation and weaponized it.
These past few weeks have been sickening to watch. Christians of all political stripes waged a war of words. Nothing was probably accomplished, and I'd imagine very few minds were changed by the barrage of insults, caricatures, and hate. Nobody won, but all Christians lost. The name of Jesus was invoked on both sides and used as a bludgeon to beat the other with. In the end, all that happened was that the name of our Lord was made desolate.
Fortunately this is not permanent. The power of Jesus' name cannot be contained by our sin and our failure to uphold it. The Spirit is still at work in this world in spite of our flaws. In the end, Christ is still enthroned and no power of hell nor scheme of man can change that fact.
Still, we must take James' teaching seriously. The tongue is dangerous, and right now our political discussions are proof. The hatred and vitriol must stop. We all, as Christians, need to strive towards being imitators of Christ. We must be constantly vigilant, aware that our identity as Christians comes with a great responsibility to represent Christ. We must not make the holy name of Jesus desolate.
I am not one to comment openly on politics or my political opinions, and I am not going to start here. These past few weeks have only served to reinforce my conviction that engaging in political discussions, especially on social media, is mainly a detriment to the Christian goal of declaring the Good News of Jesus Christ. Openly touting a political agenda instantly alienates at least half your potential audience and, more importantly, it distracts people from what truly matters.
So no, I will not be commenting on Donald Trump, Brett Kavanaugh, or any other political matter on this blog or social media. I have strong opinions on pretty much every issue imaginable, but talking about them serves no constructive purpose. That is my opinion.
However, many do not share this sentiment. That is totally fine. We are, after all, blessed to live in a country that allows us to have political debates and conversations. As frustrating as it can be to disagree with people, we are supremely blessed to live in a place where we are allowed to disagree without punishment.
There is no issue with wanting to discuss politics. While I personally do not jump into these conversations, I do not believe for a second that politics don't matter and that it is wrong for everybody to abstain from talking about them. In Scripture we see that Daniel dedicated his entire life to public service and politics, and he is a righteous hero of faith. So the act of political discourse in itself I have no problem with.
What I do find disturbing is the way many Christians talk about politics. It does not matter if they are conservative, moderate, or liberal. Far too many people who claim to be followers of Christ are truly hateful when they bring up political matters, no matter what their political beliefs are. This is not a liberal Christian problem or a conservative Christian problem, this is just a Christian problem.
I quoted James 3 earlier because I believe that passage is just as relevant now as it has ever been. What we say, be it in person or the relative "safety" of Facebook, is dangerous. Our words have the power of destruction and the ability to cause great harm. It's easy to see who suffers when we are directly mean to an individual, but it's often not when it comes to political discussion.
The person who suffers the most when we engage in hostile, hateful, and generally rude political discussion typically isn't the person you talk to. That person most likely has their own opinions and won't be that affected by heated debate. It isn't the people who are reading the comment threads on their Facebook wall. It especially isn't the politicians or candidates we talk about, since they most likely will never see your post. The person who suffers the most is Jesus Christ.
We are made in the image of God. Christians especially, having been washed in the blood of Christ and filled with the Spirit, are constantly being renewed and transformed as image bearers. The very name Christian, whether we realize it or not, announces to the world that we stand for Christ and are his representatives. It is our job to faithfully represent the attitude, character, and mission of our King.
So when we, self-proclaimed representatives of Christ, spew hateful comments and venomous diatribes concerning politics, whose reputation suffers the most? Whose credibility is tarnished? Who is now seen as a hateful, close-minded partisan? It is not us, as if our reputation matters that much, but Christ who suffers. People who come into contact with Christians who behave this way are turned away from the grace of Christ by the very people commanded to draw them in. The tongue is destructive, set on fire by hell itself as James says.
The third of the ten commandments is "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain." Normally we associate this with swearing or cussing. While this is true, this commandment runs much deeper than we think. Another way to translate this verse is "You shall not make the name of the LORD your God desolate."
To be desolate is to be barren or empty. Nothing can grow in a desolate land. It is lifeless and often toxic to any life that tries to thrive. Any attempt to live in a desolate place is in vain.
We cannot make the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, desolate. It should be an unthinkable atrocity to any Christian to bring harm or shame to the name above all names. Yet this is exactly what we have done. There are many in our communities who, because of the actions of Christians and because of their words, recoil at the name of Jesus. We have, inadvertently, taken the name that gives life and salvation and weaponized it.
These past few weeks have been sickening to watch. Christians of all political stripes waged a war of words. Nothing was probably accomplished, and I'd imagine very few minds were changed by the barrage of insults, caricatures, and hate. Nobody won, but all Christians lost. The name of Jesus was invoked on both sides and used as a bludgeon to beat the other with. In the end, all that happened was that the name of our Lord was made desolate.
Fortunately this is not permanent. The power of Jesus' name cannot be contained by our sin and our failure to uphold it. The Spirit is still at work in this world in spite of our flaws. In the end, Christ is still enthroned and no power of hell nor scheme of man can change that fact.
Still, we must take James' teaching seriously. The tongue is dangerous, and right now our political discussions are proof. The hatred and vitriol must stop. We all, as Christians, need to strive towards being imitators of Christ. We must be constantly vigilant, aware that our identity as Christians comes with a great responsibility to represent Christ. We must not make the holy name of Jesus desolate.
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