Much has happened on this planet of politics in the previous few weeks, with national elections happening left, right and centre. Firstly, a six-week campaign here within the UK that resulted in a landslide victory for the Labour party, a devastating loss for the Conservatives, and the biggest variety of Lib Dems since Lloyd George’s time, over 100 years ago!
Across the Channel in France, we have seen the surprising success of the left versus the far right. And within the US, the unfortunately less surprising continuation of political polarisation, leading to the horrific violence of this weekend.
You’ve probably seen the photo. Former President Trump behind a huddle of Secret Service agents, blood streaking down his face and his fist raised in a salute to the encircling hundreds of people that attended the rally in Pennsylvania where someone attempted to kill him. Though the bullet clipped his ear, Trump himself was relatively unharmed. However, one supporter was killed, and two others were injured.
It is a disturbing image – the concept that that is what ‘democracy’ has come to in one of the vital powerful countries on this planet. More disturbing is that this would possibly not feel shocking to a lot of us. In fact, a few of us might need felt that something like this was only a matter of time. Our first response to this event must be prayer for comfort for many who were there, the victims and their family members and prayer that we’d not be desensitised to violence against anyone. No matter our political differences, everyone seems to be deeply loved by Jesus and so must be deeply loved by us.
For those acquainted with the Bible, the imagery might recall the story of Peter attempting to defend Jesus during his arrest by slicing off the ear of the High Priest’s slave, Malchus. Jesus rebukes Peter, saying, ‘No more of this!’ and immediately heals the injury. Even amid the events leading as much as his crucifixion, Jesus ‘turns the opposite cheek’, not as an indication of weakness, but as a mark of his indiscriminate love for those persecuting him and his trust in God’s sovereign will.
We will not be called to defend our beliefs using what Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 10, ‘the weapons of the world.’ Sometimes politics and democracy might appear to be a heady swirl of dramatic claims and events surrounding a number of big figures, and we will get caught up in it, confusing these figures and the ideals they represent for a much bigger reality. Like Peter, we’d react impulsively, not necessarily with violent motion, but in the best way we discuss those on the opposite side of the political spectrum. It’s a lot easier to generalise and dehumanise, to talk without compassion, gentleness, or patience, to not take the time to listen deeply for the stories behind the beliefs.
Listening is the true work for those of us engaging in politics. Over the election campaign, I knocked on a whole lot of doors and had the privilege of speaking with whoever was behind them, those that ended up voting for me, and people who didn’t. In being elected, I’m being trusted with the experiences they shared so I can advocate well on their behalf in Parliament.
It’s not about me. I have not been elected as some sort of ‘saviour’, and I haven’t got and nor should I claim to have all of the answers. Various Christian friends from the Conservatives lost their seats this time around, and with it their jobs and their staff’s jobs. Losing your job is one thing – but rarely is it lost so publicly and humiliatingly. If we’re in search of political views or figures to save lots of us, then we have got it incorrect, and if we’re pointing towards other people’s politics because the source of all evil, then we have still got it incorrect. We can’t be saved in our own strength, and that is just one in every of the numerous the explanation why violence won’t ever be the reply.
A fast plug: but this will likely be the theme of my lecture on the Keswick Convention this week once I will seek to make the case for Christians to be people of peace within the culture war.
You see, we’ve already been saved and redemption has been promised. Our responsibility is to be Christ’s hands and feet, sharing this excellent news with everyone through our words and actions. So fairly than retreating further into our own political camps, waiting for our chosen party or leader to come back into power and disparaging those we disagree with, let’s be proactive in reaching out to others, hearing their stories, and dealing together to satisfy the needs of the communities that God has placed us in.
To be clear, this doesn’t mean lying down and compromising when there may be injustice, particularly against the marginalised. After all, the gospel is nice news for ‘the poor, the sick, and the prisoner’. But after we speak up, we must ‘speak the reality in love’, and like Jesus, trust that God’s sovereign will likely be done.
Let’s pray for repentance and healing in our nations, for leaders that is not going to stoke the flames of division and violence. Pray specifically for this recent parliament, and particularly the massive recent intake, that the culture of the place would markedly shift towards integrity in every aspect of parliamentary life and business. Pray for those Christians who’re still here or have just joined, that we could be noted for our defiant gentleness and compassion, and that God would guide our work.
