As a follower of Jesus, I was asked recently by a Republican friend how a disciple of Jesus could navigate through the election issues of 2024. I would first say it's the same regardless of election or year, some of your favored candidates won, some lost and on it goes for all, even those who abstained from voting due to any number of reasons including indifference perhaps.
Of course nobody is going to be indifferent to policies and political clout that actually affects their life, lives of loved ones and friends, and in fact re. the U.S., the entire world, even life and death, survival itself.
Two bits before I give a direct answer: I've been an independent voter for decades and secondly, a quote from an earlier blog I wrote some time ago: "When 'control' and 'the win' are more important than loving our neighbor we’ve already broken fully half of the actual commands of Jesus Christ."
If you don't know, I have blogged for years on politics and moved my principal blog sites several times, the last before here at Wix via Wordpress. If you were to go to glennkaiser.com you'd find my main Wordpress site of many years and can easily type in the terms "politics" and/or "political" and find a load of my thoughts.
Now: God being perfect and flawless and all humans including politicians being flawed, indeed sinners needing grace and a deep revelation of how to sow grace to all not only their immediate supporters - as well as the fact all parties are flawed and shall be, we will NEVER nor have we EVER agreed with the winners or the losers in any election with regard to all their policies. Please read that again.
The question is which of their policies agree with or in the practical, refute the commands, ethics and "policies" of Jesus Christ.
In those, Jesus regularly defied leaders of both governmental and religious rule right through the four Gospel accounts. He also did a miracle so that both Peter and His temple tax got paid, note, to rip-off religious leaders primarily as a witness to them. He instructed people to carry Roman occupier's gear twice as far as they might be commanded to... imagine all that if you will!
So you see Jesus's take on all this is quite different than ours.
Any and all political parties can make an argument about taking legit care of their constituents and we know in the U.S. and many if not all countries, provinces/states, counties, districts and localities there are needs to be met, often through pain and sacrifice while often not fully or at times merely by the individuals in question.
When did Jesus ever teach His followers to exact revenge upon their enemies?
To me the issue has never been winning or losing, that's just surface thinking. Further, mean rhetoric, stepping hard and harshly on those losing has zero connection to being a lover of Jesus and one's neighbor. It is in fact a negative witness if we care at all about being reflections of His love and grace which is by the way, His key character.
At this point I'm hearing someone reading all this thinking "Yeah so what about God's JUSTICE buddy?" -and by that term they likely mean punishment of the sinner. My response is if God were only just we'd not be writing and you reading this but in hell this very moment. Some lean so hard on God's (note, not merely human) judgment that mercy and compassion is left out of their thinking, words and actions when considering the political issues. True? I think you know it is if you have any genuine knowledge of scripture.
So how do your politics and those of ANY winning candidate and/or party side with Jesus's words, commands, call to love one another and indeed even to love our enemies? How does your win or loss deal with treatment of Jesus's "least of these" statements of judgement coming in Matthew chapter 25? Coming judgment? Oh yes! Food, water, clothing, housing, health care, incarceration are the exact and direct, practical issues Jesus says will size each of us up before God's throne - not whether you won or lost regarding political contests while on earth.
I think we must choose mercy and grace and learn to share it above all else or we're the most hardcore losers any could ever be.
All the fruits of the Holy Spirit Paul lists in Galatians chapter 5 (nine of them) are needed to navigate elections and life in this fallen, sinful world and often church on earth. Yes. ALL. And yet it seems to me love and self-control leap out as the greatest immediate essentials regarding elections as well as relationships to others with whom we may deeply disagree.
Storms will come in this world and our journey through it. Only in Jesus do we hear "Peace, be still" and they stop. It's the storm inside we'd best take to Him.
Of course as Paul said we ultimately "do not fight against flesh and blood" but demonic forces, but to think none of them are at work and at home in ANY winning pol or administration is like saying there is no toxic water in the oceans.
None of us has to drink and spew such in our daily work, activism, advocacy regarding gracious justice and provision for those in need in our immediate area, nation and world.
That's my thinking on navigating the political and relational climate in mid-November 2024 and beyond.
As always, thanks for stopping by. -Glenn
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