The Angry Nation

This is one of those rare occasions when my podcast and my blog are on the same topic. Those of you familiar with the program are already somewhat familiar with my view on the current state of political discourse. I believe that it bears repeating and some further elaboration.

Never in my life have I seen the general public angrier than they are right now. Both sides of the political spectrum have fallen into a pattern of discourse that is anything but civil. Once confined to the fringe ideologues on both sides of the aisle, this anger and hatred have begun to be the main form of debate, if you can call it that.

Granted, there have always been a level of verbal combat in the political arena. However, it has become much worse of the last several years. There was some of it to a degree during the Clinton years. Republicans did it to some degree, but I saw the meaner attacks coming from the President's defenders and supporters. It was the beginning of the age of the paid political attack dog with James Carville in the lead and the new and growing twenty-four hour news media lapped it up. But even in those early days, it was still possible to have a reasonable disagreement between colleagues on substantive issues without a shouting match. It was not as personal as it is now.

The slide accelerated with the election of President Bush. The far left wing of the Democrat party expressed such a visceral and irrational hatred of the president that even when he did things that they should have agreed with, they opposed them just because they came from him. During this time, especially during Bush's second term, the truly angry voices from the right came to prominence as well, not just those who were accused of being angry by those who disagree with them. As the president broke further and further away from the conservative base that helped him get elected, they got angrier and angrier. The election of President Obama pushed even the average citizen of a conservative bent over the edge while the anger of the left did not abate one iota. The few reasonable voices on both sides of the political spectrum are drowned out but the angry and vocal.

The combative nature of politics has leaked into our personal lives and conversations. People are have a tendency to form cliques anyway, but the groups form are separated by a much broader line than they used to be. Ideology now forms the basis for an ever growing number of social groups rather than common interest. Fewer and fewer people have real friendship with those they disagree with. One friend I have who does not agree with me on anything actually felt the need to say something to the effect of, "You know, for a (my political ideology), you're actually really cool." How sad it is that she actually had to say it but even sadder still that it speaks to the objectifying and demonization of people who hold a different worldview than our own.

For me, the saddest part of all is that Christians in the political arena are indistinguishable from their secular counterparts. This should not be the case. In more than one passage, we are admonished by the Word of God to give honor where honor is due. This means a respect for authority and giving them the proper honor due the position regardless of whether or not we agree with them. There is to be NO name calling of any kind. Keep in mind that the New Testament admonitions were given during the reigns of Caesars Caligula, Claudius, and Nero, three of the worst and most corrupt emperors in Roman history. Caligula and Nero were madmen and cruel beyond measure. Yet, the church is told to give them the respect they were due despite the fact that they persecuted the church, especially Nero. No modern government official, elected or otherwise, comes close to any of these men.

If we, the church, are to be engaged in politics, we must do it in a manner that most reflects the character and nature of Jesus. Christians should be the reasonable voice that is able to rise above the din and speak wisdom with humility and clarity. That may mean a fundamental shift in thinking for many because it means we do not hold issue protests. Rather, it is the well reasoned argument backed with strong and genuine emotion spoken by a humble man or woman of God that wins in the arena of ideas. That's what Jesus did. His anger was reserved for those who corrupted the faith of others and even with them, most of His responses were still gentle and wise. Consider this next time you engage in a political debate with someone.