The big news this week has been the continued split within the MAGA movement, and not just over the senseless Iranian war. The war continues to divide MAGA, particularly over the $11 billion cost in the first week alone. Conservative podcaster Joe Rogan continues to criticize the Trump administration over the Iran war and its purpose.
More and more conservatives are starting to speak out against President Trump. One of the biggest shocks this week was the hesitation of the Republican-controlled Senate, led by John Thune, to call a vote on the floor for the Save Act voter bill.
John Thune knows that even with control of the Senate, they still need a majority of them to approve pushing the act through. The Senate leader received lots of pushback and criticism from other conservatives, including the president, for not holding the vote. In the end, Thune caved into the internal pressure from his own party.
He disregarded his concerns and the concerns of other conservatives about the act’s rigorous qualifications for every American to vote:
- Birth certificate/passport/birth abroad certificates
- ID-verified photo license
- Voter roll purges every 30 days
Despite what many conservatives in Congress are saying, resistance to the Save Act isn’t to allow illegal immigrants to vote; that is a lie from the pits of hell (Proverbs 19:19, John 8:44). Satan has always been a liar and a deceiver.
The concern is that a majority of Americans lack access to paper documents like birth certificates or certificates of a broad. If you are a military family member born at a military installation outside of the United States, like I am, you are given a certificate to verify your birth in another country as a US citizen.
These documents, like passports, require an additional cost and time to acquire. For those people who aren’t fortunate enough to already have a copy of theirs, like I am, they may not be allowed to vote this year just because they don’t have this documentation.
This requirement may disqualify millions of legal American citizens whose families served this country from voting. The Save Act will only divide American citizens and impede the voting process for many. In this case, division is not a good (Proverbs 6:16-19, Romans 16:17-18).
What Is Division
Division is something most of us learn in school math classes; it is a process of breaking numbers or things down into smaller components. But it also applies to other areas of life when we are divided.
Division is a process of dividing things. Divide is defined as “To separate into two or more parts: distribute or part.” Dividing may increase in smaller parts, but it decreases the overall strength of the whole.
Mankind is divided by many factors: geography, religion, wealth, and education. As we have seen in recent years, politics and personal values can also divide us as a nation. Almost 200 years ago, the Civil War nearly destroyed America from within by dividing us against ourselves over beliefs about slavery and human rights.
We see that divides often arise from our own selfish desires and wants (James 3:16; 4:1-3). That is why the Bible has a lot to say about division, especially among His people (Psalm 133:1, Romans 16:17).
The early church rejected those who spread lies and division among God’s people (1 Corinthians 1:10-13, Galatians 1:8-9, Ephesians 4:25, 1 Timothy 6:3-5, 2 Thessalonians 3:6, Titus 3:10-11). The apostle Paul remembered his Jewish education about being divided.
Pālaḡ
Originally, the Torah tells us how God separated the light from the darkness and called everything good (Genesis 1:3-4). But what God called good wasn’t meant to be divided, until mankind wanted more and sin entered creation (Genesis 3:1-24).
It is our desire for more than God’s goodness that divided us from God’s eternal goodness. The Hebrew word in the Old Testament for divide is pālaḡ, and it can also mean “Split, cleave, or divided,” depending on the context it is used in.
God set His people apart from this fallen kingdom to be one holy people to accomplish His divine will of restoration (Leviticus 19:2, Deuteronomy 7:6). That is why Judaism warns against division amongst God’s people:
- Unity over division
- Constructive versus destructive
- Family connection
- Addressing conflict
- Historical context
The Jewish Messiah is prophesied to reunite the kingdom of Israel (Ezekiel 37:15-28). Jesus emphasized unity among His followers and the church (John 13:34-35). He specifically prayed that they would be one, just as He and the Father are One (John 17:20-23).
Our Lord wept over the division and disobedience among God’s people (Matthew 23:37, Luke 19: 41-44). Our Rabbi emphasized that His followers should be servants for the good of the whole (Mark 10:43-45).
He taught them that the least was the greatest and His Kingdom (Matthew 23:11-12). God’s people must not follow the divisive ways the world uses and abuses to achieve greatness.
James Talarico
This week, there has been a lot of controversy and pushback over comments made by Texas Democrat representative James Talarico about people of different faiths being more Christ-like than many conservatives in Congress.
His comments emphasized that God’s people should do what Jesus said, instead of just talking about it or posting it on social media. He never stated that other faiths were a way to heaven, just that other faiths tend to practice what they preach more than many Christians in America today.
Still, Talarico won his race, although the faith community condemned him. Sadly, many conservatives have pushed back against Talarico’s comments with their own self-righteous judgments:
- False teacher
- Undisciplined
- Progressive Christianity
To be honest, I understand the concerns of both parties; I also understand that the divisive politics and religious bickering do nothing to further the Kingdom of God. Regardless of how happy it makes either political party, this temporary kingdom is not our permanent home.
God’s people need to be unified in sharing God’s message with all people, regardless of their ethnic, political, or ideological background, because that is the command of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20).
Our Lord rebuked the religious leaders of His day for the same divisive disputes and looking down on the religion and beliefs of others (Luke 18:9-14). He also shared a parable to teach His followers how even those whom the Jews reject could do what God requires of us (Luke 10:25-37).
Many conservatives forget we will all give an account for our words and actions when we stand before God (Ecclesiastes 12:14, Matthew 12:36-37). We must correct each other and love, but love doesn’t pālaḡ (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)!
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