Faithfulness amidst Division | Brandon Bonner '23
How can we Christians fulfill our calling to share God’s love in such a divided political and moral landscape? Polarization has been a glaring issue for the United States for quite some time. Recent events and their associated controversies, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the January 6th insurrection, have only proven the deep issues that we face as a nation
These issues are intensified by the design of social media and news media to keep users and viewers engaged with their content. The time one spends engaging in media directly relates to advertising revenue. So the truth is not prioritized because it’s not profitable. Companies have also found that fear is the emotion that will most likely keep us engaged. Social media and traditional media can’t take much of the blame though. The media has served as a reflection of social prejudice, amplifying them based on the user’s desires.
Why does this even matter? People will have their opinions, right?
It matters because truth precedes justice. Before a verdict is reached in court, the facts and evidence must be presented objectively. When we as Christians fail to observe pure, unadulterated reality, then we are overlooking the vulnerable. God cares deeply about justice. In the Old Testament, the prophets weren’t simply theologians, rather they served as God’s messengers, convicting kings and calling for the just treatment of orphans, widows, and the poor. In the same way, we are called to “thirst for justice” and be a “pillar of truth” in this world.
While this problem can’t be solved in a blog post and I’m still learning about my own weaknesses regarding this, there are two lessons I’ve picked up over the years that have been helpful to me that I’ll share.
1. Avoid foolish arguments
Paul wrote the following when advising Timothy on leadership:
“Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful” (2 Timothy 2:23-24).
From this we can see that, frankly, there are just some arguments that we don’t need to engage in. Growing in discernment will help us maintain our focus on the issues that matter. In this scripture, Paul is also calling us to have a general graciousness towards others in all of our conversations.
2. Use multiple, reliable sources
Secondly, we should gather our news from multiple, reliable sources. This allows us to get a fuller picture of specific events and their larger context while filtering out the narratives of particular biased sources.
My hope is for Christians to fulfill our calling and be resistant to any narrative that aims to divide us in our pursuit of truth and justice. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will be unhindered in his work of unifying the body of believers, that the name of Christ may be exalted.