We are only a few days away from voting and I actually have made it this far within the election campaign without arguing with anyone. As someone who could be very engaged in politics and cares deeply about poverty in our nation, this looks as if a minor miracle. Arguing with family, friends and even fellow Christians has been part and parcel of the weeks running as much as previous election days. But this yr I actually have been making a conscious effort to give attention to mercy, justice, and humility.
‘Mercy’ isn’t a word lots of us would naturally associate with a general election. Our society is deeply polarised, and there’s nothing like an election campaign to bring out the worst in us in terms of hostility towards people we disagree with. In our current cancel culture, to say that we struggle to disagree well is an enormous understatement.
Mercy is rare. In the world around us, we don’t see much loving-kindness in motion towards those that don’t deserve it. But more troubling for me, as a Christian, is that just as I cannot find much mercy around me, I often struggle to search out it inside me too.
But this time, to date so good. I actually have managed to not argue with anyone and, to the most effective of my knowledge, have been in a position to convey my views with humility and gentleness, without offending anyone. Well, I hope so. That’s been my goal. I actually have needed to bite my tongue quite a few times, keep an in depth watch on my use of social media in terms of political comments, and avoid my Uncle Bob.
If you may have a member of the family who has different political preferences to you, little doubt you will have experienced some tense or argumentative family gatherings over time, and possibly avoided one another over the previous couple of weeks. Whenever we went to my aunt and uncle’s home for Christmas, my mum would urge me not to start out a conversation with my Uncle Bob about anything affecting our nation. Whether it was healthcare, education, immigration, employment, welfare – any topic that may lead to an argument about politics was off limits.
But Bob and I could not help ourselves. Sooner or later, one among us would make just the teeniest, tiniest comment, after which we would be off, arguing about why this politician or party is best than that one.
Maybe you’ve an ‘Uncle Bob’. Maybe you are an ‘Uncle Bob’!
Political conversations might be hostile at the most effective of times, but they have a tendency to grow to be much more polarised and indignant within the build-up to a general election. Christians should not immune. To be honest, in terms of talking about political issues and parties, my arguments may differ to those recommend by Uncle Bob, but my tone and attitude often sound the identical, despite the fact that I’m a Christian and he isn’t.
Even within the Church, an election campaign may cause Christians to show differences of opinion into partitions of division. We can begin to see the people we disagree with as our enemies, forgetting that our ‘tribe’ is the people of God, not our political party. We are called beyond partisan considering – our primary allegiance is elsewhere, and aligning ourselves with Scripture at all times means considering beyond anybody party line. No politician or party has the monopoly on wisdom.
Followers of Jesus are called to “love mercy” (Micah 6:8) and to “be merciful, just as [our] Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).
Loving mercy and being merciful during a General Election means, for starters, remembering that politicians are made within the image of God. All of them. Every single one among them. Even the one you are considering of right away who delights in policies you concentrate on to be evil.
Every person was created by God and is made in His image, which implies we should always speak of and treat everyone with respect, honouring their Maker.
But each one among them is flawed and sinful too, identical to we’re, which implies we shouldn’t hold any of them on a pedestal or be surprised when they don’t seem to be perfect.
Holding these two facts together – that we’re all image-bearers and fallen – may help us Christians to model mercy to those around us.
Speaking up for justice may involve tearing down arguments, but loving mercy means we do not tear down image-bearers.
So once we go to the polling stations this week, what should set apart followers of Jesus from those that do not know Him is not who we vote for, but how we vote. Christians are called to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly (Micah 6:8). If we engage with politicians, policies, and one another on this basis, even once we strongly disagree, we will likely be distinctive from the culture around us, as we should always be.
Natalie Williams is CEO of Jubilee+ and writer of ‘Tis Mercy All – The Power of Mercy in a Polarised World published by SPCK.
