Moving Forward In a Divided Land

In the aftermath of President Obama’s re-election, we conservatives have experienced all the expected emotions that go along with losing. In the heat of those passions, things are sometimes said that may be exaggerations. The use of hyperbole is often unintentional but can end up damaging our intellectual credibility in our stand against opposing ideologies.  Phrases like “freedom was lost” or “we are now a socialist country” express our concern but can often be a bit over stated. There may be some degree of truth in these statements but they come out as fatalistic absolutes.

In most cases, reality is a bit more convoluted. As political winds evolve, change is typically slow and incremental. People tend to be on guard when major change occurs quickly but the kind of revolutionary change some have in mind takes multiple generations to enact. Our country’s evolution is no exception.

Liberal pundit Lawrence O’Donnell once urged conservatives to wake up and realize that America has been largely socialized for the better part of 80 years. His take on this was generally correct and many of our current problems stem from this. What may have begun with a late 19^th century progressive movement, later charted by President Woodrow Wilson and further entrenched by FDR and Johnson has instilled itself into the psyche of many Americans. There is no doubt that the seismic shift in our country did not occur overnight.

Just because the change has been slow does not mean we are not heading down a path to our demise. While the United States may not be the next incarnation of the Soviet Union in the next four years, adverse change appears to be the trend. Our liberties are being eroded at a microscopic level. Rarely is sweeping legislation the vehicle of change. The covert method has become executive order, policy changes and more widely, regulatory implementation. Both political parties utilize these paths that leave a complex trail enabling each to excuse their actions when challenged.

What concerns me more is not so much the change itself but rather our frequent inability to see how massive the undertow is. Our citizens now profess to be informed by a simple visit to factcheck.org or reading an article from their favorite left or right leaning op/ed source. Sadly, a great percentage of the electorate could not clearly define what they believe or more importantly why they believe what they claim. It is the byproduct of a culture that is dependent on sound bites. We as a society too frequently navigate our lives based on feeling and not cognitive analysis so it should be no surprise that we develop the sense of victimhood and entitlement that is growing at an alarming rate.

As a Christian, my standard must remain God’s Word and not adherence to an earthly political ideology. Obviously, the Bible does not dictate all political direction, but there are clear principles that can be applied to aspects of our worldview. It has become common for many however to quote scripture in the same manner as they do with their political arguments and in doing such, ignore the entirety and context of the remaining portions. Biblical illiteracy is common in the church so the world’s use of the Bible is certainly suspect and sometimes laughable.

The evangelical community has rightly proclaimed that the hope for our country is in spiritual revival and not political revolution. It is that hope alone that can reset our moral compass as we move forward. Our nation had an undeniable Judeo-Christian heritage which was a foundational precursor to many of our historic American ideals and mores. While we have largely maintained our religious freedom to date, it is clear that America has a growing trend of godlessness which is seen in the prolific rise of ridicule and apathy directed toward believers.  We are routinely labeled as uncompassionate, racists, haters of women, purveyors of hate, intolerant and rejecters of science. These charges are usually generalizations supported only by memes and inference. The good news is that this does not yet approach the level of persecution that the church has faced historically (ie. Rome, Soviet Union, China, Islamo-facist regimes) but could be another incremental shift against the church.  

It is my contention that our current political divide is due to diametrically opposed views of humanity. Based on the left’s supposition that government has the potential to ensure fairness and provide many needs and wants, then logic dictates that they must believe in the intrinsic goodness of mankind. By granting increasing power to a smaller number of people, one has to have a high degree of trust in that person’s propensity to avoid the evils and pitfalls of the power granted to them. I would argue this is why attempts to correct regulatory oversight always result in additional levels of regulation being added. Those on the left will quickly acknowledge evil in areas like corporate corruption and despots around the globe but then assign similar power to those in our government.

Those with a Christian worldview understand that the Bible paints a different picture. The old and new testaments clearly and consistently make the case that by sin nature, mankind always has and always will have a bent to self-promotion and evil. All of human history illustrates this. That is the very reason for the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ; to forgive our sin and reconcile us with God. This view therefore warrants caution as we develop and maintain government of and by the people it governs. The limited government that conservatives talk so much about is based on this premise. By providing a simple and small structure of codified laws and a prosecutorial method to punish wrongdoers (Law & Justice system), the citizenry is then free to conduct itself as it sees fit. If those choices harm or encumber another, then the system may act appropriately. Under a capitalist system, corruption can and will still occur but in addition to legal recourse against those evils that occur, the system is held in check by the commerce reaction of the people that use, trade, buy and consume those goods and services. In its purist form, this type of system will also yield more informed participants which will promote independence from a need for government intervention.

Thankfully, we have a free system where everyone is not required nor encouraged to subscribe to one religion, creed or ideology. It is however imperative to come to agreement on the reality that limiting the power of government is beneficial to people of all persuasions. This was one of the key founding principles that birthed the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. 

This weeks presidential election was very close. No mandate exists for either side, particularly since the margin actually narrowed from 2008. If there is going to be a dialogue, both sides are going to have to realize that hurling insults,  social media posts and one-liners are not going to bring forth any common ground. Rational discussion of complex issues is a long term proposition but is likely the place to begin. For Christians on the other hand, fervent and consistent prayer is the only sustainable hope to restore the spiritual greatness of the United States. Economic, social and cultural change would follow suit soon after.