When Your Hate Turns On You

Being a pastor for more years than I care to think about, I have witnessed churches embrace hate. I do not mean to imply that they have not also embraced love and goodness too. The concentration on hatred derived from a desire to uphold the good life and love of one’s own nation. This is where things went haywire.

Embracing Hate

The Christians who embraced hate did not see themselves doing it. They listened to people who claimed to defend the things they loved. Church members enjoyed Dr. Phil, Rush Limbaugh, and Dr. Laura telling people off. These media figures represented their own fear of losing ground in morality, hegemony, and authority. Who was causing these terrible things to happen? Liberals, secularists, radicals, feminists, evolutionists, and the media were the usual suspects. THEY were not US. And I was usually mistaken for being one of US. But a problem presented itself. I asked, “If your preacher spoke to you in the same manner as your afternoon heroes, would you accept the correction?”

Haters Hating

The answer to that question was simple. “No!” Why? Because we are not like those people. It would be unfair, abusive, and hurtful. The latest film in the “Knives Out” series studies this problem with a priest who finally turned his hate on the inner circle. He became the murder victim. We see the same dynamic with Congresswoman Greene and President Trump. It is okay to join in spewing hate until you are the victim. At that point it is time to hire personal security because the people who have not been turned on see you as the traitor. It’s what you once did too. Haters hate without discrimination.

Projecting Hate

Recently, I was accused of hating the President. I do not hate him. I just did not agree with the other person’s assessment of his character. Of course, it is not the character of the President that matters most to me. It is the character of the people around me with which I am concerned. I continue to see the problem for what it is. If someone turned the hatred you give on you, what happens?

Jesus Warned Us (all of us)

The Sermon(s) on the Mount found in Matthew chapters 5,6, and 7 contains a warning. We may not be murders, but we may be guilty of murder in our hearts (Matthew 5:21-26). It is good to ponder these verses when we think about our loves and hates. Name-calling, constant seething anger and resentment, and an attitude of glee at another’s misfortune brings warning of judgment against those who hold it, not to the people we think deserve it. We should be careful about our perspective being mistaken for the reality that only God can see. We pray for enemies to keep ourselves from becoming the very monsters we imagine them to be.