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

3. Remember that Satan is the accuser

The word Satan in Hebrew literally means “the accuser.” Revelation 12:10 refers to him as “the accuser of the brethren.” A world filled with accusation and cynicism is a world that has been conquered by Satan. Whenever we accuse, we are participating in the work of Satan. This doesn’t mean that we’re supposed to pretend like nothing’s wrong in our world and ignore the ugly truths that surround us. But I think it’s possible to name the truth without personally attacking specific people. I can talk about the reality of white supremacy as a cultural phenomenon without telling individual people they’re racist and that I have the clairvoyance to deconstruct everything they’re saying and see into their souls. Christianity makes the scandalous, counter-cultural claim that grace works better than scorn to help people heal from their sin. This doesn’t mean that people who are actively causing harm with their words shouldn’t be called out. But Satan rules over any environment where people have been seduced into the sick pleasure of hurling accusations back and forth.