Political Idolatry and Mocking.
The title is borrowed from an article from Cripplegate: Political Idolatry and Mocking Your Mission Field.
This article was originally posted in 2016. At time of this re-post it is 2020. We’ve just had our first polarizing presidential debate, which certainly elicited a number of familiar emotions from me. So in terms of struggling to be be “Christ-like” in all our dealings (including politics) this old article is still pertinent.
I’d like to add a link to another germane article. It ponders the question of why the Church needs gentle pastors. This short introduction is self-explanatory:
Polarization. Tribalism. Division. Outrage… These words are regularly used to describe our current cultural moment. Sadly, they are often accurate descriptions of our cultural climate, which has been made increasingly evident in recent months. American culture is like two boats heading in opposite directions, with the members of each boat yelling at those of the other boat. If you aren’t an angry voyager on one of the boats, you are hopelessly drowning somewhere in between…keep reading
The Original Article
It wasn’t that long ago that I had a sobering epiphany after breakfast with two non-Christians friends. I can’t remember how it happened but the discussion subject took a sordid turn in which I felt the need to recount some inappropriate stories about another non-Christian friend. I hadn’t seen this friend in years and he was living in another country. But that wasn’t the point. The epiphany occurred as I was appropriately sitting in the bathroom attending to business. It was as if it wasn’t my own thought. It came quickly and powerfully, and it rightly shamed me:
“Why did I entertain sordid gossip about someone whose salvation I was praying for? Why should I, a Christian, gossip about anyone at all?”
I’d like to say the incident cured me totally. However, I found my mocking attitude raising its withering head post US election cycle. I caught myself doing this several times and pulled back. Too late, the damage was done. This is something I personally need to strive against. While I’m somewhat comforted by Paul’s exclamation in Romans 7:16-20, I cannot continue to use it as excuse. We are to pursue holiness in our lives as a witness to those in our mission field.
The following article by Jordan Standridge is instructive and timely:
We were warned. I feel like it was over and over again. Pastor after pastor told us that if politics becomes an idol in our heart that those who don’t agree with us will slowly become the enemy. We were told that when we put our hopes and trust in the one who sits in the Oval Office and into avoiding persecution and holding on to religious freedom then when people speak out with opposing views from us we will despise them and treat them like an enemy.
And yet despite the warning, many of us in the church have raised the idol. Many in the church have worshipped at the feet of this idol and are simply overjoyed that this idol seems to have produced results. And the mocking has begun. My Facebook is filled with comments about snowflakes, hypocrites and lefties who supposedly are so evil and so despicable that they need to be ridiculed for their tears. The problem is that these snowflakes we’re mocking are my mission field…keep reading
Further reading:
Christ’s Call to Reform the Church
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