Election 2020 – Stars Above Me

The Devil’s Bargain

‘Let no man turn aside, ever so slightly, from the broad path of honor, on the plausible pretense that he is justified by the goodness of his end. All good ends can be worked out by good means. Those that cannot, are bad; and may be counted so at once, and left alone’ – Charles Dickens, in his novel, Barnaby Rudge

The past few days I have been thinking of Leland Gaunt. For those who don’t recognize the name, Mr. Gaunt is the proprietor of the shop ‘Needful Things’ in the Stephen King novel of the same name. The shop offers a curious inventory of items, and for each individual customer who comes through the door, there is a particular item that inevitably overwhelms their discretion and self-restraint. It is an item they simply must possess, no matter the cost. Mr. Gaunt, eager to please, offers each enthralled customer the item of their desire for two prices, both of which they must agree to pay.

The first price is always a bargain, leaving each customer with the distinct impression that Mr. Gaunt desires to give his stock away. The second price isn’t specified up front. Mr. Gaunt simply advises that he will come to collect later. If this makes you suspicious you are right to be, but the shoppers at Needful Things, seeing the item of their heart’s desire before their eyes, never take time to be so themselves. All they can contemplate is that they need the item, and so they pay the initial price without consideration of the second. They simply can’t resist, for, as Leland Gaunt himself says, ‘Everybody loves something for nothing…even if it costs them everything.’

And that, of course, is the catch. It will cost them everything. For, as it turns out, Leland Gaunt is no ordinary shopkeeper. He is the devil himself come to Castle Rock, Maine to wreak havoc. He lets his customers enjoy their items for a time, and then, when he has them where he wants them, comes to collect the second price, which, wouldn’t you know it, is destructively, even lethally, high. In the end, each item fails to deliver on its original promise, and ends up costing the buyer, as Mr. Gaunt himself had intimated, everything.

This past week, as most of you know (unless you’ve been living under a rock), a draft opinion by the United States Supreme Court leaked to the press. The opinion, if adopted, would overrule Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that made abortion legal throughout the United States. The whole country has been in an uproar ever since. The draft decision is being seen as vindication for the many Christians who, despite reservations, voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and/or 2020. Sure, he was an odious character, a womanizer, a racist, a bully, and possessed more than a few authoritarian tendencies, but heck, he promised to appoint conservative, originalist Justices who would overrule Roe, and that was something for which those same Christians had been praying for decades. The protection of unborn life was the worthiest of causes, and the bargain Mr. Trump proposed was simply too enticing to pass up. And so, they held their noses, pulled the proverbial lever, and waited for the promised victory.

Now, that victory seems imminent. And so, in the minds of many, the Faustian bargain struck with Mr. Trump seems to have been worth it.

But was it?

You see, just as was the case in Mr. Gaunt’s shop, a devil’s bargain always comes with a second price, and the promise given always fails. Now, I understand that we are talking about the lives of unborn children. I am myself pro-life. I believe all life to be sacred, from womb to tomb. But one must ask whether this bargain is even going to hold; whether the promised gain will be fully realized. Whether, for starters, the draft opinion will even become law. Whether, in a society where the majority simply doesn’t see things as I and other pro-life persons do, such a decision will be allowed to stand for long, or even have the desired effect (one of the ironies of overruling Roe may well be that in the states where the vast majority of abortions are performed, abortion access, and hence the number of abortions, including late-term abortions, will likely increase, rather than decrease). One must ask whether, in fact, there may have been other means, other ways, to save the lives of unborn children, say, by providing financial, emotional, and other support to birthmothers, birthfathers, and families facing unplanned or crisis pregnancies, as many Christians and agencies have been, and still are, doing. Or by ensuring that health care and other benefits remain available to those same mothers and families. Or by coming alongside families and helping them raise their children by providing childcare and other support services. Or, in situations where birth families are not able to care for their children, by adopting their children and raising them to cherish their birthmothers and fathers and their choice for life. Or by simply engaging in the patient industry of gentle persuasion and the modeling of a better way. There are many ways to be pro-life with respect to abortion, with or without the reversal of Roe.

And then there is the matter of the second cost. In backing Trump, Christians partnered with a man who has threatened democracy, damaged race relations, denigrated public decency, and caused countless other social harms. The consequent injury to the Church’s witness has been incalculable. In the minds of many both within and without the Church, Christianity has become associated with Trumpism. Christians (even those of us who didn’t make the bargain) are now widely thought of as the people who support racism and white supremacy, who separate children from their families, who approve of the use of violence against peaceful protestors, who look the other way as women are demeaned and abused, who, well, we could go on for a while here. It seems no exaggeration to say that both the message and messengers of Christianity have been tarnished severely by this association with Mr. Trump, and that this tarnishing, on top of the aforementioned damage to society, may well result in millions, even tens of millions, turning away from Jesus forever.

Talk about a high second price.

So it is with the devil’s bargains. They seem to offer an effective means to a certain end. But in the end, the promise is never fulfilled, and the price proves to be too high. Which is why, for example, when Jesus was offered a similar bargain by Satan in the wilderness, in that case control of all the kingdoms of the world, he refused (see, Luke 4:5-8). Sure, he might have gained control over the world’s kingdoms (and been able to pack their courts!), he may even have been able to do much good, but he would have done so by rejecting the way of the Cross, the one thing necessary for the salvation of the world and the establishment of the one Kingdom that truly matters. He would have missed the proverbial forest for the proverbial trees. For Jesus, the means by which he saved the world was as important as the end, for only by following the right means could the proper end be truly achieved.

It may seem like a bargain to give power to a despot in order to win one’s favorite cause, especially a cause as important as the preservation of human life. I can understand the temptation. But folks, it is always a mistake to accept the devil’s bargain. It is always better to follow the path of Jesus, the path of service and sacrifice, as long, hard, and frustrating as it may be, than it is to accept the cheap and easy way out offered by, if not Satan himself, those who seek to wield his power.

Esau McCauley has said, ‘the way you get something is just as important as the fact that you get it…so as a Christian, I am never allowed to put aside means to get to an end.’[1] He’s right. As Dickens noted, good ends can always be worked out by good means, those that cannot are bad, and should be counted so at once, and left alone.

And so I say to those who voted for Trump because of their pro-life convictions, this week may seem like vindication, but beware. The second, hidden cost of your bargain is already playing out before our eyes. In the end, it may very well cost everything.

Far better, I believe, to reject the devil’s bargain in all its guises, and, like Jesus, pursue another way.

Under Christ’s Mercy,

Brent

[1] See, interview with Esau McCauley in Holy Post Number 425.

Stop Saying ‘Both Sides’

‘The truth shall set you free’ – Jesus

I don’t like binary choices. I don’t see the world that way. I’m neither a Republican nor a Democrat. I try to remain dedicated to the principles of Jesus, and see problems with both political parties. Neither represents the values of Jesus’ Kingdom. Nor could they. They are part of the American empire, not the Kingdom of God. Their approach to changing the world is ‘power over’ not ‘power under.’ They are followers of the way of the dragon, not the way of the Lamb.

All that, as I’ve said before, is to say that although I find myself these days more in tune with those who lean blue I’m not altogether on the side of any political party. I am however altogether on the side of truth. And truth compels me to respond to those who are blaming the January 6th insurrection on both political parties. I’ve heard it expressed in various ways and from various people, from shameless defenders of the President to modern day Neville Chamberlains who think they can somehow appease the deranged inciters and purveyors of violence (and those who sympathize with them) by assigning blame everywhere. ‘Really, both sides are guilty here.’ ‘There are bad actors on both sides.’

Let’s get some things straight.

The Democrats did not spend months before the 2020 Presidential election lying to their voters by telling them that the other side was massively cheating and that they could only lose if the election was stolen. Donald Trump and his Republicans allies did that.

The Democrats did not spend the two months following the election tweeting and rallying and promoting false conspiracy theories about how the election was stolen. Donald Trump and his Republican allies did that.

The Democrats did not dog whistle support for Q Anon conspiracy theories and predictions of a ‘storm’ that would take over the US government and lead to the execution of political enemies. Donald Trump and his Republican allies did that.

The Democrats did not empower and encourage white supremacists, call them good people, and encourage violence against people of color over the past four years. Donald Trump and his Republican allies did that.

The Democrats did not pressure state legislators and election officials to ‘find votes’ or refuse to certify state election results in an attempt to thwart the will of the people in those states. Donald Trump and his Republican allies did that.

The Democrats did not hold phony ‘hearings’ led by extremist members of their party to offer fake ‘evidence’ of election fraud. Donald Trump and his Republican allies did that.

The Democrats did not invite thousands of Q anon conspiracy theorists and white supremacists to Washington DC on the day the Electoral College vote was to be certified. Nor did they tell them to ‘be wild’ as they assembled. Donald Trump and his Republican allies did that.

The Democrats did not deliberately enflame said denizens of humanity by appearing before them and encouraging them to March on the Capitol building, nor did they call for ‘trial by combat’ or encourage them to ‘bring the storm’ on January 6, 2021. Donald Trump and his Republican allies did that.

The Democrats did not, once the Mob was cleared, press on in an attempt to steal the election by refusing to recognize state electors. Nor did they make the preposterous claim that the riots had been led by ‘Antifa.’ Donald Trump and his Republican allies did that.

The Democrats did not encourage the use of confederate symbols, such as the flag waved inside the Capitol building, at any point during the past four years. Donald Trump and his Republican allies did that.

The Democrats did not have 197 members of their party vote against impeaching an insurrectionist President. Donald Trump’s Republican allies did that.

In short, the Democrats did not do a single solitary thing to encourage or support a coup or insurrection. Donald Trump and his Republican allies did that.

To be sure, the Democrats are not perfect. And as they take power in the days ahead they may very well act inconsistently with the teachings of Jesus, constitutional principle, and basic human decency. Like I said, they are part of the empire and follow imperial ways, so it really won’t surprise me. When they do such things, we can call them out for it.

But make no mistake: what happened on January 6th was not the fault of ‘both sides.’

That is the truth. May it set you free.

Under Christ’s Mercy,

Brent

Calling Out Quislings

‘A vile race of quislings – to use a new word which will carry the scorn of mankind down the centuries – is hired to fawn upon the conqueror, to collaborate in his designs, and to enforce his rule upon their fellow countrymen, while groveling low themselves’ – Winston Churchill, June 12, 1941

Let me be clear at the outset of this post that I believe in forgiveness and enemy love. God commands these things, and believe it or not, they are powerful forces that can and do change the world. But I also believe in justice and accountability. God talks about them a lot too.

This past week’s attack on the Capitol Building in Washington cries out for accountability and justice. Make no mistake: this was a coordinated insurrection orchestrated by the President of the United States, who even as it unfolded, called Senators to convince them to heed the will of the mob and overturn a free and fair election. That the President and perpetrators of the assault need to be held accountable should go without saying (though sadly, it needs to be these days).

But accountability needs to go much further than the President and his Brownshirts (or should I say Redhats?). Just as there were many fingers on the trigger that killed Jimmie Lee Jackson, there were many collaborators in the assault on the Capitol that killed five people, including a law enforcement officer. What happened at the Capitol was the inevitable result of four years of fomented outrage, wholesale engagement with the politics of fear, hate, and division, and a collective refusal on the part of those who know better to simply stand and say, ‘enough.’ (It is actually in a deeper sense the inevitable result of hundreds of years of American History, but that’s a longer story for another time).

The insurrection was led by Republican members of Congress who, for four years, stood by in silence as children were put in cages. As families were torn asunder. As racism roared from the mouth of a white supremacist president. As daily assaults against the institutions of democracy flowed from his twitter account. As the President invited foreign interference in what was then the upcoming election, and as he spun false conspiracy theories about election fraud once he lost while simultaneously attempting election fraud himself. As these and a parade of a thousand other horribles swept across the land, these members of Congress, almost to a man and woman, stood by and did nothing. In fact, they defended it all. And when given the opportunity to remove a would-be dictator from office before he could do further damage, failed to do so. My goodness, even in the wake of the assault, 147 of these Congressman continued to press false conspiracy theories in an attempt to steal the election! As for the rest, well, we can be thankful they finally decided to step back from the brink to some degree. But even they have failed to own up to their part in this insurrection. Shame on them. Shame on them all.

It was also led by members of the President’s own administration, who stood by and defended the President at every tweet, every provocative word, every assault on the fabric of society. They stroked his ego, fueled his narcissism, and carried out his cruel and destructive orders. They peddled lies about the election themselves and kindled the fires of rage. In the wake of the attack, some have resigned. Some have been silent. None have stood up. None have owned up. Shame to them as well.

It was led by the heroes of right-wing media. Outlets like FOX News, Newsmax, and One America have knowingly reported lies as facts, all in the name of ratings and the dollars they bring. And when the coup failed, their spin machines went into action. ‘It’s the fault of the liberals.’ ‘It was really Antifa.’ Have they no shame? Whether they do or not, shame on them all.

And it was led by leaders of the white American Church. White Evangelical leaders such as Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell Jr., and Eric Metaxas, Christian Nationalists all, may as well have broken the barriers at the capitol themselves. Such supposed followers of the Prince of Peace put down their crosses and took up their swords in defense of a man whose every utterance threatened lives and defied the teachings and way of Jesus. And not just white Christian leaders. White Christians in general are, tragically, among the most likely to believe the President’s lies. The most likely to repeat them. Heck, there were even some among the insurrectionists waving Jesus flags and crosses alongside Confederate banners. Even now, many still stand beside the man who inspired an attack on Congress. Shame, the deepest shame, be on them all. It’s long past time we stopped calling these folks Christians.

The above quote from Winston Churchill is a reference to the government of Vidkun Quisling, a Norwegian politician who betrayed his country in an attempt to gain power through a collaborative alliance with the Nazis in the 1930s. He brought shame to his family name and nation and earned the legacy of a coward and a collaborator with evil. Sadly, he was not the last of his kind by a long shot.

Republican Senator Mitt Romney, a standout of virtue amidst the crisis of the Trump Presidency, spoke like Churchill the other day. In the wake of the insurrection, he spoke in defense of democracy:

‘We gather today due to a selfish man’s injured pride and the outrage of his supporters whom he has deliberately misinformed for the past two months and stirred to action this very morning. What happened here today was an insurrection, incited by the President of the United States. Those who choose to continue to support this dangerous gambit by objecting to the results of a legitimate, democratic election will forever be seen complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy. They will be remembered for their role in this shameful episode in American history. That will be their legacy.’

Like I said at the outset, I am a big believer in forgiveness and enemy love. But I’m also for justice and accountability. We cannot sweep the actions of these scoundrels under the carpet. We must call them to account. We must pray and call for their repentance. For there can be no moving forward, no peace, no reconciliation, no justice, and no hope for a better tomorrow otherwise.

And so, until there is repentance, until there is accountability, let us remember who and what the collaborators are: a vile band of quislings complicit in an unprecedented and violent attempt to inaugurate an era of authoritarianism in America.

For their sake, for the sake of the Church, and for the sake of our society, I pray for their transformation, and if it happens, I will gladly stand in line to embrace them. But let us not pretend that things are fine before then.

The quislings must be held accountable.

Under Christ’s Mercy

Brent

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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