November 2020 – Stars Above Me

A House Divided

‘Come now, and let us reason together’ – Isaiah 1:18

The recent election proves what we already knew: we live in a deeply divided country. This should trouble all of us, no matter what side of the political divide on which we find ourselves. A divided people cannot find ways to tackle their problems. When Lincoln quoted Jesus in the years before the Civil War, he was not misappropriating anything: a house divided against itself cannot stand (Mark 3:25).

Even more troubling to me, as a follower of Jesus, is the division within the Church. Jesus prayed that his followers be one, and not just for unity’s sake. He gave this reason: ‘may they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you [the Father] sent me and that you love them as much as you love me’ (John 17:23). Our unity, Jesus said, points people to God and His love. By this measure, Christians in America aren’t doing very well right now, and so, in this post, I want to name and confront the proverbial elephant (or donkey?) in the room.

I suppose I should begin by identifying my own stance (regular readers can skip this paragraph). I’m neither a Democrat nor a Republican. As I wrote in my previous post, I follow the example of Treebeard from The Lord of the Rings when it comes to the empire’s politics. We should be altogether on the side of Jesus, not the empire. Thus, I am not altogether on the side of any political party, though at times I find that my way and the way of a particular political party may follow similar paths, thereby enabling us to work together on at least some things. Conversely, I find at times that the path of a particular political party is so contrary to my own that I cannot walk with them at all. So full disclosure: I currently find myself walking more closely with those who label themselves ‘blue’ than with those who label themselves ‘red.’ Indeed, as Treebeard might say, while I am not altogether on the side of the blues, I am altogether not on the side of the reds at the moment. I don’t say this to attack those of you who are on that side. I say it in the interests of full disclosure.

Overcoming the division in the Church (to say nothing of the country) is going to be tough. In recent years, as the divide has deepened, I’ve found myself struggling with two competing truths: first, that I am, as a follower of Jesus, called to seek unity; and second, that I am equally called to pursue truth and justice. Balancing these two imperatives has been tricky. Unity is important, but unity without truth and justice isn’t unity; it’s complicity. Martin Luther King, in his Letter from Birmingham jail, condemned the preference of the ‘white moderate’ for civility over justice. Choosing a phony unity at the expense of justice only exacerbates the suffering of the marginalized and vulnerable. That isn’t the sort of ‘perfect unity’ Jesus was talking about in his high priestly prayer. There is nothing admirable or God-honoring in that, nothing that makes the world look to the church and say, ‘boy, I sure see God’s love there!’ On the contrary, the world sees such nonsense for what it is: a cold ambivalence toward the suffering of others.

And so, I have spoken out, and as I have, in blog posts and books, I have found myself at odds with those who see things differently. I’m not entirely sure how to resolve this situation. I still have an obligation to speak truth and do justice, even if it upsets people. But at the same time, knowing how disunity in the Body of Christ breaks Jesus’ heart, I would like to find a way forward.

To do so, we will need to go on a journey. By ‘we’ I mean Christians like myself who have opposed the presidency of Donald Trump, and Christians not like myself who have, for reasons I still don’t understand, chosen to support him. It will be a painful and difficult journey, sort of like Frodo’s to Mordor, fraught with perils and potentialities for disaster. But if we are to discover together what it means to be followers of Jesus in this divided world, if we are to find together the positions and values that Jesus desires us to take into the political sphere (discoveries that will require us to do far more than just ‘agree to disagree’) we will need to take it.

The first step along this journey, I believe, is this: we need to listen to one another. You need to listen to me, and I need to listen to you.

Since I’m the one writing I guess I’ll start. I will share three reasons why I have opposed and continue to oppose Trumpism. I hope you read them with an open mind. I do not offer them to start a fight. I offer them in the hope of inspiring constructive conversations that may take us beyond our current state of division.

First, I oppose Trumpism because I oppose autocracy.

I know that some of you are fearful of the radical left, and believe that if a Democrat had won the election, even a relatively moderate one like Joe Biden, this would have been a step in the direction of a leftist autocracy. I respectfully disagree with your assessment there (I don’t think Biden poses such a danger), but I do share your desire to avoid autocratic rule, be it from the left or right. And that is my problem with Trumpism: I fear that it represents a clear and present danger of autocracy from the right. Donald Trump has shown a tendency toward autocratic rule from the beginnings of his candidacy. He promised the country he would show us the power inherent in the Presidency, and he did. During his administration, we have seen and continue to see a disrespect for democratic norms, the prodigious use of ‘alternative facts’ (aka lies and propaganda), attempts to suppress voting, spurious attacks against the legitimacy of the electoral process, the intimidation of a free press, the purging of government agencies, the overriding of Congress, the bullying of perceived enemies, the use of force against peaceful protestors, the weaponization of religion, threats to deploy the military against American citizens, the refusal to denounce a kidnapping plot against a sitting governor (which, it could be argued, he encouraged), and the coddling of authoritarian rulers. Over the past 100 years of American history, we have seen the rise of an ‘Imperial Presidency,’ as the Executive branch of government has grown in power at the expense of the Legislative and Judicial branches. This has been accelerating for the past twenty years under both Republican and Democratic administrations, but Trump put the pedal to the metal. I believe that if Trump had won this past election, he would have eroded our system of checks and balances even further and done profound damage to the American republic. At best, I believe America would have become an elective dictatorship wherein the President would call all the shots going forward. This, I believe, would have been tragic, as it would have created the possibility of autocratic rule from both the left and right for decades to come. Jesus said that while the leaders of the nations seek to lord authority over people, it should not be so for those who follow him (Mark 10:42-44). Simply put, as a Christian charged with ‘seeking the welfare of the city’ in which I live, I could not countenance the possibility of authoritarianism, especially one that enlists the support of Christ followers. And so, for this reason, I opposed and continue to oppose Trumpism.

Second, I oppose Trumpism because I reject the politics of fear, anger, and division.

From where I sit, Trump came to prominence by playing on people’s darkest fears, stoking the fires of hate and resentment, and portraying ‘the other side’ not as mere political opponents with whom to spar, but as dangerous enemies who need to be eradicated. It is not for nothing that Trump earned the moniker, ‘Divider in Chief.’

My reading of the Bible teaches me that fear, anger, and division are not merely poor motivators, they are evil ones. Fear causes us to cling to what we have and fight off any perceived threat, no matter how innocuous. It causes us to assume the worst about others, even to demonize them, which in turn leads to division, marginalization, and oppression. It has no place in the repertoire of Christ followers, who are to be motivated by the perfect love that casts out fear (see, 1 John 4:18). Anger, too, is a poor emotion upon which to build a political philosophy. Anger is addictive; it provides our brains with a bio-chemical boost that fuels more anger. Nursing grudges and harboring resentment can make us feel good in the short run, but longer term, it eats away our souls, causes us to view others as contemptible, even sub-human, and builds walls instead of bridges. Division is the result of both fear and anger, and as Jesus (and Lincoln) noted, a divided people will not last very long. There is a reason why tyrants employ the tactic, ‘divide and conquer;’ once we are divided, we can be picked off quite easily.

When I consider the fruits of the politics of fear, anger, and division, I feel confirmed in my opposition to it. After four years of Trumpism, both America and the Church are less kind, less unified, and less willing to work together to solve problems than ever before. We are literally afraid of each other. We are angry to the point of breaking off relationships. We are even, in some quarters, threatening violence against one another. For the first time in American history, we have a President unwilling to commit to a peaceful transfer of power, doing all he can to sabotage his successor, and fomenting dangerous and false conspiracy theories about a stolen election. I believe that if he could pull it off, he would happily destroy democracy to stay in office, and millions would cheer that as a victory. This is the fruit of Trumpism. He has narcissistically sown the wind, and the nation has reaped the whirlwind. It will take a long time to recover. Friends, this is what I feared when he first emerged on the political stage years ago, and this is another reason why I have twice opposed the election of Donald Trump.

Third, I oppose Trumpism because I oppose racism.

Trump is a racist. The evidence for this is overwhelming. He has said awful things. He has encouraged violence against people of color. He has called them thugs and worse. He has channeled the spirit of ardent segregationists of the 1950s and 60s. He has called white nationalists ‘good people’ and refused, repeatedly, to denounce white supremacy and Neo-Nazi groups (indeed, he has encouraged them). He has condemned in fiery terms those who lament the shootings of unarmed black men by police. He denies the existence of systemic racism and routinely stokes the fires of racial prejudice against black and brown people.

This, if nothing else were wrong with Trumpism, would be a deal breaker for me. And since I am trying to honest here, the fact that it is not for so many who support Trump, hurts me deeply (as does the name calling that often ensues when I admit that; racism is real, and being hurt by racism hardly makes a person a ‘snowflake’). After four years worth of evidence of Trump’s racism (and willingness to act on it), I find it hard to fathom that 73 million people either agree with him, or, at the very least say, ‘Yeah, I know he’s a racist. But so what? It’s not a deal breaker for me. Go Trump!’ Maybe that’s not what every Trump supporter is saying, but it sure seems that way. I have rarely, if ever, heard a Trump supporter, Christian or not, condemn Trump’s racist rhetoric and policies. Indeed, I have more often heard them defend him. Either way, by silence or affirmation, my fellow Christians who support Trump have told me they don’t care. They have, it appears, dismissed the experience of black and brown people, many of whom are their brothers and sisters in Christ who endure the bitter sting of racism every day. How can this be? This is not just a theoretical issue for me either. I have an African American son who will have to grow up in the America Trump and his followers are creating. Trumpism is a threat to every American who doesn’t have the ‘privilege’ of being white. It is a threat to my son’s very life, and to the lives of many other sons and daughters. This too, is a reason why I have strongly opposed, and will continue to strongly oppose Trumpism.

So there they are, three reasons why I have not supported and will not support Trumpism. Three reasons why I cannot understand why anyone does. There are other reasons too, but this is a start.

Now comes the really hard part: the invitation.

Christians like myself need to know where those on the other side of the divide are coming from. We need to have you talk to us about our concerns, and why they aren’t enough for you to sever your allegiance to Donald Trump. Equally important, we need to listen to your concerns, and why they lead you to continue to support him. And we need to have such conversations in a calm, rational, and deliberative way.

I don’t know if doing so will achieve anything. Perhaps not. Perhaps the Church in America has become so lost that there is no way for us to find our way back to Jesus together. Perhaps we have to accept that we have been torn asunder and go our separate ways, with some doubling down on Trumpism (or whatever name it will go by in the years ahead) and others standing against it. Perhaps the ‘perfect unity’ of which Christ spoke, a unity that encompasses both justice and truth, is, for Christians in America, merely a fool’s hope.

But perhaps, if we listen and talk together, we may find a way forward. We may find a way beyond the divisiveness of Trumpism, beyond collaboration with either Red or Blue versions of empire, and into the good and perfect way of Jesus.

Maybe, somehow, the Church can still find a way to be one, so that when others see us together, they will see the love of God.

Under Christ’s Mercy,

Brent

Rejoicing Christians – Beware a Constantinian Moment

‘Soldiers do not get tied up in civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them’ – 2 Timothy 2:4 (NLT)

Those of us who bemoaned the rancorous leadership style of Donald Trump the past four years have reason to celebrate these days. After a contentious election, the American people have collectively chosen Joe Biden to be the President of the United States. Although Trump refuses to concede, and is already (and predictably) plotting mischief, it nonetheless appears that the long night has come to an end and a new day has dawned. We have every reason to believe that, come January 20^th, 2021, there will be a new occupant in the White House.

As I listened to Joe Biden’s victory speech on Saturday, November 7^th, I could not help but rejoice. To hear the President-elect speak of decency and healing, after four years of trash talk and division, was refreshing to say the least. My family and I expressed our thankfulness that this man, and not the other, had been granted the privilege of leading this country for the next four years. We felt as if he were the right man for the right time, a grandfatherly figure who could help heal the nation’s wounds. Where before we had little hope of progress on issues of deep concern to our family, we sensed hope rising once again.

But even as I felt hope rising, I felt the check in my heart: ‘don’t get carried away with this.’ Why? Well, maybe the best way to explain that is to go back 1700 years in history.

It was early in the 4^th Century, and Christians had emerged from the Diocletian Persecution, one of the worst periods of persecution against the Church in its history. While it was severe, it wasn’t anything new. For three centuries the Church had been in Rome’s sights. Christians were hunted, burned, thrown to the lions, and slain by gladiators. Denied the right to freely practice their faith, they lived in fear of exposure and death. Then, in 313 AD a Roman named Constantine won a major battle at the Milvian Bridge. He claimed to have had a vision of the Cross and painted it on the shields of his warriors. After he won, he credited the victory to the God of the Christians, and announced he was now one himself. In the ensuing years, he consolidated power and became Emperor. He legalized Christianity and made himself an ally of the church (though perhaps it would be more accurate to say he enlisted the church as an ally to bolster his empire). In the years that followed, under Constantine’s predecessors, there was a bit of an ebb and flow to this alliance, but in the end, Christianity emerged as the official religion of the empire. The cementation of politics and religion had been made complete.

Christians were generally ecstatic over this change, and it isn’t difficult to understand why. Where they were once hunted and killed, they were now coddled and exalted. But alas, this switch came at great cost. Seduced by the power and security of empire, the Church changed dramatically. Where once it had been nonviolent, even pacifistic, it now took up arms in service to the empire. Where once it worked at the margins of power, with the weak and vulnerable, it now stood at the center of power, with the strong and powerful. Where once it worked from the bottom up, transforming society from below, it now worked from the top down, controlling society from above. Where it had once stood at the crossroads of culture, showing the world another way, that is, Jesus’ way, it now stood in the halls of power, copying the way of the world. The Church became a servant to the empire, rather than a counter-cultural witness to it. It became so entangled in the empire’s affairs, that it soon lost sight of what the Master was calling it to do and be.

We have been paying the price ever since. For 1700 years, the Church of the west has been off course, most often following the way of the dragon instead of the way of the Lamb.

Now, to be clear, this isn’t a precise parallel to our current situation. Christians haven’t exactly been thrown to the lions these past four years (though I hasten to add that many have been separated from their families and thrown in cages), and Biden didn’t gain power after a battle wherein he claimed to have seen a vision of Christ. But the lesson nonetheless applies. Christians should never align themselves with empire. They should never entangle themselves so deeply with political power that they become unfaithful to their mission. This principle applies across the board, to both Republican and Democratic versions of empire (or any other for that matter). And yes, both are versions of empire. We may prefer one over the other, but make no mistake, both seek to control from above, both employ violence to achieve their ends, and neither follows (at least not completely) in the footsteps of Jesus. Democratic and Republican regimes are regimes of empire, and neither has a better claim to our allegiance. Our allegiance belongs to Jesus Christ alone.

This doesn’t mean that we can never work with government leaders, just that we need to be careful. I recently read (for the umpteenth time) The Lord of the Rings. (I confess to a certain thrill when I read of the fall of the Tower of Barad Dur as the election results came in). One of my favorite characters is Treebeard, the wise old Ent who shepherds the trees of Fangorn forest. This time around, I was struck by something Treebeard said to Merry and Pippin when asked which side of the battle he was on:

‘We might do some things together. I don’t know about sides. I go my own way; but your way may go along with mine for a while…I am not altogether on anybody’s side, because no one is altogether on my side, if you understand me…there are some things, of course, whose side I am altogether not on; I am against them altogether.’

I love those words. They remind me that as a follower of Jesus, I should not be altogether on anyone’s side, other than His. Still, there are some things I may be able to do with others, for our ways may travel together for a time, and there are some things, of course, on whose side I can never be. In the real world, and particularly in this moment, this means that Christians can work with Biden and his administration on all sorts of things, the sorts of things on which our ways travel together, such as: fighting racism, helping the poor, caring for creation, restoring decency, and building bridges of understanding between people who do not agree. These are all consistent with the way of Jesus, and to the extent we can advance them together, wonderful! It also means that Christians may need to stand against other ‘sides’ when they, say: promote racism, neglect the poor, despoil creation, act indecently, or divide people with the politics of fear and hate. In this season, we can look for ways to work with the ‘sides’ that promote causes consistent with the heart of God, even as we stand against the ‘sides’ that fight against those same causes.

But we dare not make the mistake of believing that we are on the side of any political party. We are not. The Empire, however benevolent it may seem at a given moment, is not the Kingdom of Jesus. Biden and the Democrats are not marching in lockstep with Kingdom values. As the Church, Christians have a different mission and different means than those of empire. Yes, we may do some things together, but let us not pretend we are ‘altogether on the same side.’

Shortly before the election, I posted two Christian ‘to do lists’ in the event that Trump or Biden won. The point of the article was that no matter who won, our work would be the same. Here is my list of things to do in the event Biden won (which, again is the same as if Trump won):

Hope
Pray
Stand against racism and bigotry
Speak up for immigrants and refugees
Care for Creation
Advocate for and serve the poor and vulnerable
Speak truth
Do justice
Love God
Love my family
Love my neighbors
Love my enemies
Seek the Kingdom
Anticipate the return of Jesus
Point people to Jesus

I might now add to the list, ‘do not succumb to the temptation to join the empire.’

This list is important folks. Because even when Trump is gone and Biden is President, our job is not done. Trumpism isn’t going anywhere, nor should we think it is a cultural aberration. It is the latest iteration of the age old fallen imperial tendencies to exert control via the means of fear and rage, to divide populations in order to conquer them, to marginalize certain people groups, to steal from the poor, and to achieve absolute power. These tendencies are as ancient as Old Scratch himself, and sadly will remain with us until the day of Christ’s return. Until that day, disciples of Jesus must be on guard against them, even as we stand on guard against the excesses and abuses of other political philosophies as well.

Folks, we still have work to do. We need to show the world, including Biden and his administration no less than any other, the Jesus Way of doing things. As we do, we can follow Treebeard’s advice and do some things together. But let us remember, our allegiance is to another King.

Under Christ’s Mercy,

Brent

Sesame Street Dispatches ‘The Count’ to Save America

Phoenix, AZ – Anxious Americans breathed a sigh of relief today as it was announced that Count von Count, aka ‘The Count,’ had been dispatched by the Children’s Television Workshop to assist struggling Arizona vote processors in Maricopa County.

Upon his arrival, The Count immediately took his place beside two nice older ladies who were already hard at work in the trenches of American Democracy. Grabbing a bundle of ballots, The Count began opening envelopes and creating piles of ballots for processing. ‘One, one ballot! Two, two ballots! Three, three ballots! Mwah ha ha ha! I can do this all night!’

The Trump campaign was quick to smell a left-wing conspiracy. ‘For crying out loud, he’s from public television!’ cried Rudy Giuliani, ‘PBS! What’s next, the ghost of Mr. Rogers giving lectures on kindness and decency? This kind of election interference is the last thing America needs. We were doing fine until all this ‘counting’ stuff started happening. What is this, a democracy?’

After finishing his work in Maricopa, The Count plans to move on to Nevada, Pennsylvania, or wherever else he is needed. When asked why he was so amenable to such work, he smiled broadly, shooed away the bats flying over his head, and replied in a thick Transylvanian accent, ‘I love to count!’

Experts believe his final task will be to count the number of lawsuits the Trump campaign files to challenge the election results, but it is widely believed that even The Count won’t be able to count that high.

A Christian ‘To Do’ List in the Event Trump/Biden Wins

God is our refuge and strength…therefore we will not fear, though the mountains should fall into the heart of the sea – Psalm 46:1

Well, it’s Election Day, and like many of you, I enter this day with a certain level of anxiety. Many have said this is the most important election since 1860, and although I think that is something of an exaggeration (1876 was pretty big too!) there is no doubt that a lot rides on the outcome. Regular readers of this blog know that I certainly have my choice in this contest, along with a host of fears concerning what might happen should that choice not prevail. What will I do if it doesn’t? What will life be like if the country descends into the pit of despair I imagine will happen if the other side (Trump and Trumpism) wins? What will happen to the country? To my family? To the vulnerable among us? To the witness of the Church?

Such thoughts stand a good chance of keeping me up most of the night, even though I would prefer to go to bed early and skip the whole election night drama. Heck, it may be days or even weeks before we know anyway. Wait, what? Days! Weeks! Aye carumba! How can I get by day to day during such a prolonged holding period! I need to know! I need to know so I can figure out what to do on the other side of this election! In the words of Charlie Brown, ‘AAGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGH!’

Oh foolish me. Truth is I already know what I will do. In fact, I know so well I made a list, well, two lists. One to remind me of the things I, as a follower of Jesus, will need to do in the event Trump wins the election. Another to remind me of the things I, as a follower of Jesus, will need to do in the event Biden wins the election. I think these lists may help some of you as much as they are helping me. And so, here they are:

List One – Things to do if Trump wins the election

Hope
Pray
Stand against racism and bigotry
Speak up for immigrants and refugees
Care for Creation
Advocate for and serve the poor and vulnerable
Speak truth
Do justice
Love God
Love my family
Love my neighbors
Love my enemies
Seek the Kingdom
Anticipate the return of Jesus
Point people to Jesus

Yes, should Trump win, it will be important, as in life and death important, to do all these things. On to list two:

List Two – Things to do if Biden wins the election

Hope
Pray
Stand against racism and bigotry
Speak up for immigrants and refugees
Care for Creation
Advocate for and serve the poor and vulnerable
Speak truth
Do justice
Love God
Love my family
Love my neighbors
Love my enemies
Seek the Kingdom
Anticipate the return of Jesus
Point people to Jesus

Get the picture?

The truth is, no matter who wins this election, the mission of those who follow Jesus will not change. We will still live in a world that is broken and in need of a Savior. We will still need to live as the advance echoes of the world that is to come. We will still need to stand at the crossroads of culture and show the world the peculiar way of God’s people. True enough, some of the things on the list will perhaps be more or less challenging depending on who wins. But the mission will not change at all.

And that gives me hope today. No matter what happens tonight, even should the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, God remains our refuge and strength. Jesus remains our Lord and Savior. The Kingdom remains the place of our citizenship. And the mission is the same.

I still may stay up awhile to see what happens, but knowing this, I can face tomorrow, no matter what it brings.

I hope you can too.

Under Christ’s Mercy,

Brent

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