The gospel always calls us to do more than just choose sides.
There are so many issues dividing our country right now—abortion, gay marriage, capital punishment, gun control, universal health insurance, taxes—and in Washington, our legislators are pretty much divided right down the middle on everything according to party lines. But this is exactly what the problem is with politics: there are only two sides to everything. Any thinking person knows this can’t be accurate. There are nuances, subtleties and compromises everywhere, and yet the choice still comes down to one side or the other. Too much is at stake to cross party lines. And with little kindness and civility in the middle, the hope for gentle debate and reaching a more complicated, but equitable consensus is unlikely.
Where do Christians, or more importantly, where does the church fit into all this? Well, unfortunately the church has taken sides along with everyone else and lost its authority to speak into the deeper levels of these issues. The gospel, which values every human being and every human being’s right to freedom, justice and equality has lost its middle ground. While the truth should be speaking into both sides, it is being heard only in one.
But this doesn’t mean you and I can’t be wiser as individuals and act more responsibly with the truth. We need to always go deeper than just choosing sides. This will allow us to reach across the middle and value those who would otherwise be our enemies. We must remember these are real people we are talking about — people who like us, need Jesus. Making an enemy of someone for whom Christ died is not consistent with the message of the gospel.
This may not be able to be accomplished on a large scale but we can make a difference on a smaller personal scale where we live and work. We can reach across and value those on all sides of an issue. We can represent the love of Jesus to everyone. And we can listen and learn even from those with whom we might disagree.
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:32-36)
John Fischer The Catch 
Pastor John, I LOVE the verse today’s Catch was ended with and it is what i refer to as the cause of my need of to learn the Bible people skills… 🙂
Thank you, John. I don’t think I’ve ever been more disturbed by the politics of the last few years. I agree that it’s hard to reach across when it’s a black and white world, rather than the grey one that most of us find! When you hear things like, “you can’t be a Democrat and be a Christian” – where in the world do you from there! Anyway, thanks for reminding me that I need to look at where I’m being stubbornly “one-sided” and any unwillingness to reach across. Jesus reached “across” all the time and said – love is most important.
John, I have shared today’s “Catch” with my Facebook friends and asked them to consider your words, no matter their political or religious beliefs. “We need to always go deeper than just choosing sides. This will allow us to reach across the middle and value those who would otherwise be our enemies.”
Thank you for writing and sharing in order to build bridges and make peace!
John, I recently watched to movie epic, The Longest Day. In it, two Ally officers are talking about the impending D-Day launch, and how the weather was not cooperating. One of them made a comment to the effect, “You’d almost think God wasn’t on our side.” Later in the movie, when some German officers realize the extent of the Ally invasion, and how futile the German response seems to be, one of them states, “You’d almost think God wasn’t on our side.” It’s great irony.
I do think that God has something to say about EVERYTHING that is going on today, and I do believe we need to take a stand and hold the line on what He says. “Getting along” is NOT God’s highest priority, nor is not making enemies, as you should know, John. Jesus made many enemies. If His highest priority was getting along and compromise, He never would have been crucified.
There is a reason why there were more people martyred for Christ in the 20th century than in all previous centuries combined: because someone took a stand for Truth and someone else didn’t like it. That is always going to be the case. The problem with politics is not that the parties see things as black-and-white and they’re really gray. No, things really are black-and-white from God’s perspective. The problem is, the parties are not standing for Truth, they’re standing for power. It’s always been that way with governments; which is why we in this country believe in limited government.
If and when politicians take their personal relationship with Christ into their jobs, then we see politicians standing for Truth. A great example of a pastor who did this was Peter Marshall. Peter Marshall successfully bridged the gap between his personal faith and his public responsibility of speaking into the lives of Washington politicians. I think Reagan did that as well. It is possible; but it takes someone being more interested in what God wants than in their own career; which goes back to what you’ve been talking about for the past few weeks – dying to self.
Thought I just might comment on this “Catch”, but, Mr. Smith, you did it right well already. God’s word is very “black and white” and only OUR changed hearts can successfully show this to a world that wants desperately to ignore or change the only way that they can live in a right relationship with God or find their ultimate redemption.
I like your distinction between truth and power. It is the desire for power that has made Christians compromise the truth.
Right on John. God made each person in his image and likeness and we need to love our fellow man regardless of whether they are African American, Caucasion, Asian, Gay, Christian, bigot, etc or not. Jesus asks us to have a listening heart for his message and to forgive those we may disagree with or have conflict with. If we truly ask Him to guide our thoughts and give us his understanding we will know how to choose the right way. Maybe if we listened more and argued less we would hear HIS message more clearly.
Hi John,
Both your topic and a couple of news items I ran across this week help me to see how finite and unimaginative my own ‘worldviews’ are – and possibly the same direction the church (mainstream and otherwise) has been steered toward, or is being led to, or has arrived at.
Last week on “CBS Sunday Morning”, they ran this story on Louis Zamperini (now 95 years old) who was brutalized as a POW during WWII and, yet, after accepting God’s forgiveness himself chose to forgive his captors in a very tangible manner. Here is the link to that broadcast: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7409886n&tag=showDoorFlexGridRight%3BflexGridModule
(By the way, if you haven’t yet read his biography “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand, I HIGHLY recommend it. It is raw. It is true. And it speaks volumes about ‘HONEST Christianity’ more than much of the spiritual palaver published these days – no punches pulled, no dogmatic agenda’s, no attempted manipulation; His autobiography “Devil On My Heels” is equally compelling to read.)
The second item had to do with a photograph from the ’70’s that I’m sure you remember as well as I do. The Pulitzer-prize winning picture (taken 40-years ago this Friday, June 8th) was of a naked Vietnamese girl running in burning agony from her napalmed village toward the camera, screaming in both pain and fear.
The article (below) tells how this girl – who was given virtually no hope of survival – survived!
And not only that, became a Christian in a communist country, and now resides in Canada.
Here’s that article: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-napalm-girl-photo-vietnam-war-turns-40-210339788.html
My point – and forgive me because I realize I’m not articulating this very well – is that we as a Church, as Christians, as Americans, have become so narrow-minded and localized on the perceived specks of dust in every one else’s eyes that we either cannot (or do not want to) see the much grander view of what Christ has presented before us and, therefore, are distracted from – or blatantly disobedient to – His command to love, forgive, rescue, comfort, etc. WITHOUT hesitancy, WITHOUT suspicion, WITHOUT condemnation, WITHOUT ulterior motive.
Again, forgive me, the above is not intended as a blanket statement toward the entire church or believers ,or Americans, because I do realize there are ‘7,000 others’ (1 Kings 19:18) out there doing God’s work humbly, quietly, willingly, and obediently – and probably MOST effectively. But, with the current political and religious climate spiraling deeper into the septic tank, it just gets so frustrating and aggravating!
However, it is people like Louis Zamperini, Kim Phuc, John Fischer, and several others who help me to get over myself, my petty problems, and the divisive issues of the day, AND enable me – with the Holy Spirits help – to see a much larger world out there that Jesus not only died for, but then asks me (us), in one way or another, to do likewise.
Thank you, John, for being a voice of reason, especially during a hostile season!
This is so good a much appreciated boost. I’m so glad there are people like you out there who are eager to see God’s presence in the world and follow Him at any cost.
Before the 2008 election, I preached a (long!) sermon on politics. I attempted to speak what God’s word would speak into the political PROCESS, itself, and then moved on to a half dozen or so specific issues. I chose issues that need, above all, nuance – issues where the two sides basically scream at each other, not even seeking the common ground, and for which we therefore get nowhere. I urged my listeners to be better than that, more Jesus-like than that. If I did my job, anyone in that room who did not already know where I stood on the election, probably could not have guessed. I’m still not sure if I accomplished all I intended, but I believe my effort was at least informed by the same spirit you speak of, John. Thanks for the reminder – it’s quite easy to forget, and lapse into the same “harsh-speak” that is the political currency of the day.