Here in Canada we just came off a federal election year, not to mention a myriad of provincial and municipal elections over the last couple years. I don't know about you, but it seems that the older I get the closer these elections all get to each other. This may be a natural part of getting older. However, it has become clear over the last decade or so that politics, and the surrounding personal conversations, have become more and more toxic.
Part of me resents the rise of social media for this. Is it possible that the nature of online comments, which allow people to post unthoughtful things without fear of repruccusion, has seeped into our everyday interactions? I know that I have had experiences speaking with someone face to face where their words and tone seemed more appropriate to the online sphere. And not in a good way.
Furthermore, I find it hard to believe that this kind of discourse is compatible with following Christ. It is true that he often had harsh, and very harsh sounding, criticism of specific people and groups. But lets not forget that this is what it was, very sppecifically chosen words spoken against very specifically chosen people. Add on the fact that I'm not Jesus, and I wonder just how much of w hat I say could be comparible to those classic examples of Christ's criticism. And on top of all that, those classic barbs such as "white washed tombs," were directed at the religious leaders who, honestly, agreed most closely with Christ.
The Roman authorities took no harsh barbs from Jesus. The gentiles living in Jerusalem didn't take the barbs like the Pharisees did. The Samaritans, traditional enemies of Jesus people, were almost exemplified in Christ's teaching and never shot down in those harsh ways. In fact, the further out of Christ's circle that you were, the more love and grace was recieved.
In our world today, especially around political conversations, those who agree with us on basic issues are given all the grace we can muster. Those who stand on the other side of the spectrum, however, are vilified and dehumanized. We insult their integritty, their intelligence, their capacity and even their peronality for the sake of defending our positions. This is the world today. And we wonder why they won't join our side!
So over the next year it is my hope that we can bring a little bit of the Kingdom of God into the political discourse that is bound to happen. 2020 is an elevtion year, even though it's not an election year in Canada. I'm sure we will all find ourselves pulled into political discussions at work, with family, or just out in the world that we might rather avoid. How do we do this things differently?
Well I've got a few suggestions. But the big idea is the idea that how we talk about these issues is almost more important than what we think about them. We have to stop thinking that we are going to convince people with our wonderful sounding arguments, our unstoppable intellect, and our resounding rhetoric. Only by God moving in the hearts of people to transform us into lovng creatures can this word really change towards good.
Suggestion 1: Our priority is to love our enemy.
Christ taught us to love our enemies. He said and exemplified this in radical ways. You love the people who hate you, who harm you, who kill you by blessing them, praying for them and giving to them. This is one of the greatest foundational aspects of Christ's teaching.
What is ironic to me is the propensity in the Christian world to then deny having any enemies. If our enemies are the ones that we need to love the most, then not having any enemies actually, strangely, makes us less loving poeple. I think that we need to get over it and recognize that an enemy can mean many different things. And the way the world is, those on the other side of the political spectrum are enemies.
So they're our enemy. So what do we do? Well, it's pretty amazing how quickly people forget Jesus' whole "love your enemy" thing as soon as we start to get practical. And so simply put if there are people in your life that disagree with you on these political issues, find a way to love them rather than engaging divisively. We show that our opinions and positions are never as important as the person themselves. The issue may be more important than any indavidual. But in this conversation the person is what's important.
This doesn't mean that we don't engage, give our ideas, or discuss. This should be an important fart of any loving relationship. Which gets into the second point.
Suggestion 2: Learn to listen.
I don't know about you, but I can tell when I've been talking to someone and all they're doing is coming up with their own counter-argument. Sometimes it's in their eyes, and you can see thime thinking through something else as you speak. Sometimes it's what they say in response, which is only loosely connected to the things you say. I think that we have all experienced this kind of thing before, and there's two things that we should realize about this.
The first thing is that we do this too. You have been in a situation where someone is talking and all you can think about is what you're going to say back. And if you can imagine what it's like from your own experience, then you understand why the conversation is done and no one feels as if they have made any progress. The second thing is that every single time we do this we are showing others, and they are showing us, that we are not worth listening to each other.
Listening creates understanding. If we all understood each other, woudn't that be a great world to live in? But when we all constantly show that our ideas and opinions trump the value of people on the other side, what does that show about us? And what kind of world are we helping to create?
This doesn't mean that we never share our thoughts and ideas. But there is a great difference between counteracting someone, and engaging with what they are saying. There is a difference between debating and discussing.
We need to show that we have listened. Ask questions about their ideas and positions. Work through it and really understand what they are saying. Then insert your own ideas into the conversation. This does not need to be hostile, or argumentative. If that's all your getting from the other party, if they're not ready to hear what you have to say, then you don't have to. It won't help. The only thing you can do is to tell them that the don't seem ready to hear other ideas yet, and walk away.
Suggestion 3: Pray for our political leaders.
You may or may not believe in the power of prayer. That's OK. If you don't then I hope you can see the benefit of hoping for, and urging the success of leaders in the world. If you do believe in the power of prayer then I would hope that praying for the leaders of the world is something you do on a regular basis.
Personally, I don't pray for the leaders of the world because I believe that they are the hope of the world. Quite the opposite. I pray for world leaders because they are not the hope of the world. As I said above, the hope of the world is God moving in the hearts of people to turn them towards a loving lifestyle.
When I pray for political leaders I don't often pray for their success in all they do. In fact, most of the time, I pray for them to not succeed in their endevors, since their endevors are often evil. Most often I pray that the leaders of the world will be moved to comassion and justice, and make decissions that will be for the best of all people in the world, especially the poor and the marginalized.
Beyond the power of prayer itelf, I think that this attitude of praying for political leaders helps to draw us into a place of seeing politics for what it is. Politics. Politics has a role and a place. Politics are important, and they do make a difference in the lives of people. But the act of prayer should draw us to a place where we see politics for what it is, and the divine for what it is. We should see the power in Jesus that trancends the powers around us.
I think that if we take these ideas, and others I'm sure, into practice we can bring just a little bit of the Kingdom of God into our conversations in the coming year. Perhaps in a significan, or small, way we can start to see Christ moving in people rather that further divisiveness over these issues.
For discussion:
1) Who are the political enemies in your life? How can you choose to bless rather than debate?
2) What is your experience like not being listened to? What are some pre-decided follow-up questions you can use when someone says something you vicerally disagree with?
3) Do you pray for political leaders? What do you pray for? Perhaps you should practice this together right now?
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