Seven ways to be an untoxic Christian during a toxic presidential campaign

1. Ground yourself in prayer and contemplation

My mentor Brian Zahnd constantly reiterates the importance of being contemplative instead of reactive in every aspect of our lives. This doesn’t mean avoiding conflict or being timid instead of bold. It means that instead of allowing ourselves to get riled up, we take our stances from a place of spiritual groundedness. We cannot be spiritually grounded without engaging in spiritual prayer practices that allow us to hand ourselves over to God. If we’re actually going to be untoxic Christians in our political climate, we should spend at least as much time listening to God as we spend articulating our views. A contemplative foundation creates the organic circumstances for Christlike behavior. When we act ugly towards others, it’s usually an expression of our unaddressed anxiety and spiritual baggage that needs to be dealt with through prayer.