November 1, 2020
In a few days the 2020 election will be history. But its impact will not. Yet I’m not talking about who gets voted in as President, I’m talking about Christian culture.
In C.S. Lewis’ famous book, Mere Christianity, he shared wise words.
“The devil always sends errors into the world in pairs–pairs of opposites. And he always encourages us to spend a lot of time thinking which is the worse. You see why, of course? He relies on your extra dislike of the one error to draw you gradually into the opposite one. But do not let us be fooled. We have to keep our eyes on the goal and go straight through between both errors.”
This feels like the most hotly contested election of my lifetime. Deeply held views and passionate emotions influence opinions and choices. My heart breaks, though, when I see Christians deceived into doing Satan’s dirty work when they think they are being God’s messengers.
Let me start by saying if you are a pro-abortion supporter, this article is probably not targeted toward you. I want to talk to my peers who agree with me that God establishes personhood in the womb. (Isaiah 44:24; Psalm 139:13-16; Luke 1:41, 44; Luke 2:6-7)
What are the primary reasons a woman chooses abortion? Even though we spend extensive time talking about the legitimate concerns with edge cases (rape pregnancies, severe birth defects, etc.), these are rarely the reasons abortion is chosen. Look at the research, look at the abortion clinic sites, look at the crisis pregnancy sites, or talk to a woman who finds herself with an unwanted pregnancy. Most times the choice to abort is driven by fear. She is afraid this child will interfere with her plans in life. She’s right, it will. She may be afraid she won’t be able to do a good enough job caring for the child due to financial constraints, mental health issues, relational challenges, or addiction issues. She might have gladly wanted to raise a normal child, but fears the challenges of raising a child that is expected to have permanent disabilities. A church girl may choose this option because she fears the judgement she’ll receive if she’s known for being a sexually active single mom.
As a conservative Christian, I want to convince her that there is something much more important than fear. Love. Perfect love drives out fear. Loving her baby will enable her to overcome these fears and give the child a chance to live. A loving God will supply strength and wisdom to do the impossible task of parenting or putting the child up for adoption. The root problem isn’t the availability of abortion as a solution, it’s the soul that Satan has deceived with fear.
Many of my peers feel as strongly about this as I do. But we may diverge over the next few paragraphs. Please consider the following question carefully:
What are the primary motivating factors driving conservative Christians responses during this election season?
You’ll hear people say constitutional rights, abortion legislation, and other key issues. Unfortunately, I believe it is fear. I watch when their pupils dilate and when their voice gets more intense. Their pulse starts racing when they imagine the riots in Portland happening in their neighborhood. It’s when they consider someone coming to harm their family and them not having a gun for protection. It’s when they see themselves in jail or losing their job because they can’t morally obey a government mandate. It’s when they see the economy taking a nose dive and them being afraid their retirement funds won’t last long enough. I get it. These things might happen. But even if they did, should fear be the motivating factor driving Christian discourse? It should not.
What should drive us? Love for God. Love for others.
Jesus gave the following warning in one of His sermons.
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Matthew 5:22 NKJV)
Raca is an Aramaic term of contempt that connotes empty or worthless.
How much clearer could Jesus make it? We are not to demean fellow believers even though we believe them to be in error. Are we to ignore and accept erroneous thinking? No, 2 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV) says All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. But we are not fighting believers to win an argument, we are wooing them to come back into alignment with God’s Living Word. God calls us to help point them toward repentance and reconciliation in a way that acknowledges their worth to God, not in a way that demeans them.
We should certainly state our opinions and try to sway public opinion toward Biblical principles. But never at the cost of breaking Biblical principles in the process. God would call it murder if a protester blew up an abortion clinic full of clients and staff. But aren’t we sometimes guilty of that type of hypocritical thinking? We want to pass a law against murdering children in the womb so we murder another person’s reputation to get the law passed.
Let me share a fictional but realistic scenario. I hear a man accuse a politician of being a prideful, adulterous bully whose modus operandi is deceiving the American people and slandering those who do not support him. He quotes the following Scripture:
And he [Jesus] said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (Mark 7:20-23 ESV)
I then hear another Christian friend respond, “Fool! I am selecting my candidate based on issues, not frivolous personality characteristics.” What is she saying to our children and to society? She is saying that demeaning people is just a character flaw and easily overlooked. She is saying that character is less important than effectiveness. I know this woman, and these statements do not match her principles. So what is going on?
I believe she is responding to a clear and present threat at an emotional level. Her culture and economic status are being threatened, and she is making a stand to protect them. So far, so good. The problem comes when we compromise Biblical principles along the way. We all sin, and no politician or pastor or priest can be perfect in order to be a leader. But we should never justify sin or tell others that it isn’t important.
What are the lies that are being permeated through my beloved Christian community? That it is ok to demean people if they threaten us or disagree with us. That it is acceptable to exaggerate the truth if it gets the point across. That getting results is more important than being righteous. That our heroes and saviors are those who give us the land we want.
We speak of the value of every human from the womb to the grave, but then we applaud a politician or a meme that throws a rude zinger toward people who threaten our status quo.
This ought not be.
John Piper posted a controversial piece recently discussing these topics. He stated: “Christians communicate a falsehood to unbelievers (who are also baffled!) when we act as if policies and laws that protect life and freedom are more precious than being a certain kind of person.”
Jesus effectively ministered under Roman occupation, where He had no civic control over the laws or leaders, without ever compromising His character. The Bible teaches we are citizens of heaven and that we are held to higher laws. When we engage in discussions on sensitive political topics, I beg you to keep in mind those higher laws as you seek to change or maintain the laws of this land.
Photo by Wylly Suhendra on Unsplash
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