The Tragic Christian Jump

 

Often Christians will make a terrible, tragic jump. They will take their own religious motivations for supporting a specific political policy and thereby conclude that it is the "Christian" (I'd add a little trademark sign, but I don't know how to, and I don't need to learn how to) approach. And when they see Christians, particularly Christians that they agree with on the "other side" there is much consternation and anger. How can these Christians even think about supporting that?

I wish to give a slightly different approach. In High School, I did a lot of Lincoln-Douglas Debates - this is a debate style where each side picks a value and uses that value to either support or oppose a proposition. And... you'd have to either support or propose randomly. And the point was there are solid values, good reasons for being on either side of most policy issues.

Too often we want to make our side the "Christian" side... or for my non-Christian friends the "right side" - the right side of history side. And that's understandable, if we are supporting something we want to be correct.

But especially for my Christian friends who are finding themselves disagreeing - perhaps vehemently even - with people they know and love and respect, might I make a suggestion.

Maybe you, as a Christian, aren't on a specific side of an issue to be "right" - but to help show restraint. Both sides of most issues have legit points to make - that is the basic premise of the US and having a legislature that is supposed to debate laws. There are valid points to be made all around.

Of course, there is stupidity and folly all around, as well. There are selfish and unjust motivations all around. Duplicity abounds.

So, perhaps, O Christian - when you find yourself on one side of the aisle, you are put there not to trash and villify those across from you, but to nuture and foster charity, restraint, and kindness even on your own side.

And maybe, just maybe, this is the Divine Foxiness of God, in putting Christians on both sides of the aisle. We are to be the salt of the world, after all, and both sides ought to have good taste.

... of course, then I have to abandon the holy veneer that I like to slather upon my own self-righteousness, and I don't get to claim biblical mandates for (looks at my own list of libertarian positions) um, "taxation is theft... even though Jesus tells us to pay our taxes anyway as a sign for those in charge... grumble grumble grumble."

But we really like our crusades, and to pretend that they are holy, don't we?