In today’s age, the existentialist ideology of no moral absolutes struggles against what we know to be true. Friends, no matter what the world tries to tell you, there is such a thing as the moral conscience. There is such a thing as right and wrong. But how do we keep these boundaries and still remain friends with those who disagree?
In a political season like this, we are all used to the squabbles across the aisle, the quips and stabs at people on the opposite end of the ideological spectrum. However, no one ever wants to disagree with a friend. That is becoming more and more frequent as November creeps closer and body temperatures get higher.
July 21, 2016 saw the official Republican nomination for Donald Trump. The so-called “Never Trumpers” even made a motion to unbind the delegates on the opening night, which would allow the delegates in attendance to vote for whomever they wanted. That motion failed. A Wednesday, July 20 speech by Ted Cruz left everyone in anticipation of a possible endorsement, but yet again, that motion failed.
July 25, 2016, only the next week, was the beginning of the Democratic National Convention. Just days earlier, a new Wikileaks scandal revealed emails between DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz and Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton. These emails personally attacked Bernie Sanders, a former Democratic nomination hopeful, leaving his supporters scathing about a “rigged system.” This only heightened after Schultz took a job offer from the Clinton campaign.
Aside from the disagreements across ideological divides, parties are fighting within themselves. Friends against friends. Allies against allies. This creates a much deeper problem: disunity cannot stand against the true enemy. How do we further democratic discussion in the face of these disagreements, but still speak with grace?
In 1 Corinthians 13, the famous “Love Chapter,” Paul tells the local church at Corinth that all gifts must be exercised in love or “charity.” While this passage is often read at modern weddings, this love was meant to describe the relationship of believers to others. As believers in Jesus Christ, we have the Truth of the Gospel within our hearts, which guides all choices in our lives, including the way we vote and the way we talk to people.
This truth should not be sacrificed, compromised or ever apologized for. Never back down from Truth. Right and wrong are not negotiable, nor will any human discussion ever change what God has established. As political thinking Jesus-followers, we must be aware of the double standard: the “you can believe what you want to, just do it quietly.” But friends, that’s just not how we roll. Our faith is a very public one, one meant to be shared with all we meet.
But our goal in speaking the truth should not be to prove that we are right. Our ultimate goal in discussion should be that the other sees the truth. The only way to accomplish this is to have our conversation rooted in love. I don’t mean the sappy, peace movement, teenager love. I mean agape– Godly love. Our conversation should be rooted in eternal thinking, praying that those who disagree will find the truth.
Proverbs 15:1 says, “A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger.” This is something that my quick temper has always struggled with: the urge to get loud and adamant when I know that I’m right, but no one will accomplish anything with harsh words. That just makes the opposition refuse to listen. Speech in the love and grace of Jesus is the only way to get anything done.
By Julie Williams, copy editor
