Finally, Some Post-Election Thoughts

What I am increasingly hearing from unbelievers is that they simply do not believe Christians actually care about morals or character unless it suits their own pursuit of power. They do not believe Christians actually care about the broken and suffering. They do not believe Christians, period. And we can rant and rave about that, but until we take personal responsibility for our part in that view of us, I really don’t see anything having any hope of changing. Are our words loving? Are we being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry? Are we reflecting the love of Jesus for the broken? Are we doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with our God? Or are we being loud, arrogant and rude, and convinced only we and our own story matters? What comes first? The Republican party or the Gospel?

Many unbelievers are now less willing to take the Gospel seriously … and to be honest, they were already having a hard time doing so. Until we repent—individually and communally—I don’t see that changing.

Consequences for relationships with fellow Christians.

For too long, white Christians have been unwilling to listen to the stories, experiences, and history of their African-American and other minority brothers and sisters in Christ. This election has certainly made more clear that white and black Christians operate in parallel universes—but this was a reality long before the election. Over the past couple of years, God has been breaking my heart by revealing to me how little I knew of the history of my black brothers and sisters. My own white supremacy—not the KKK kind, but the kind that holds my people to a different standard and above my black brothers and sisters—has been something God has been revealing to me. Like a loose thread that pulls and eventually causes a whole garment to disintegrate, God has been pulling apart this white supremacy and suddenly I am seeing it everywhere. It is a subtle kind, often unreflected upon and unintentional, but deeply damaging to my brothers and sister. I expect this rending to continue—and it needs to. Until white Christians are willing to listen and not dismiss the concerns of their black brothers and sisters, the Church and our country will not be able to heal.

Consequences for the most vulnerable.

While many people may have voted for Trump believing the Constitution would hold him in check, that is by no means a foregone conclusion. His abuses of power in the past do not bode well for the future, nor does his demeaning way of talking about people. He seems to not understand the Constitution and has challenged numerous parts of it. I hope he will prove to be more bombast than action but that has not entirely been the case in the past. I am worried very much about families being broken up (illegal immigrants, the forced dissolution of same-sex marriages—though I disagree with this practice, I respect the right of people to choose their family members without government interference), about how Muslims may be treated (given the rhetoric, this is one of the most worrisome to me), about racist groups being emboldened (whether you agree that they are understanding Trump correctly or not, it’s hard to argue with the fact that they believe he is their champion and so are getting more and more bold in their racist actions and words). I am worried about nuclear war and innocent civilian lives being treated as chess pieces. I am worried about the poor and whether there will be enough pay, food, housing, and health care for them. I am worried about the foolishness that will abound when wisdom and truth are not of concern.

Whether or not a person voted for Trump, if these indeed become issues, I hope all Christians can unite around the shared values of protecting human life, especially the most vulnerable. I hope we can remember God’s concern for the most vulnerable; he is a champion for the “widow and orphan” and we must be too. We can do that in a variety of ways, but those values and concerns need to be central to our call as Christians in society.

Much love to you all as we walk forward into a new year.