Leadership Thought: Are You a Caring or Contentious Christian?

Dear Friends,

Are you a contentious Christian?  In today’s political world it is easy to become one. For the past months I have witnessed  contention exhibited by both sides of the political spectrum.  Each one of us may possess strong feelings about our political positions and persuasions, and I confess it is easy to draw our line in the sand, to become overly emotional about our views, and yes, to even become angry and belligerent over the causes we espouse.  

Many of us have sadly witnessed relationships severed because of unkind words that were spoken or positions that were defended because of strong feelings that were held.  It is not wrong to feel strongly about the positions we espouse, but let’s be careful in doing so to remember our witness for Christ is more important than the candidate we support or the cause we champion.

Yes, I watch Fox News, but I also will often turn to CNN because I want to know what is being reported from another perspective. It is always amazing to me to discover how the same incident can provoke such different responses. It is a challenge to be totally objective, and not to allow our biases impact how we view things.

One reason it is important for us to talk with those who hold differing viewpoints, is that it enables us to learn from another. If the conversation is done in a civil fashion, we  can gain a clearer understanding of why the person believes as she or he does. The open discussion may not result in the changing of our perspective, but at least we will better understand our foundational differences.  The bottom line is that such  open and  positive discourse will transpire, and we will  help helped bridge the polarizing divide that separates us.

Whatever our reaction and response to the issue being addressed, our ultimate concern must always be my witness for Christ.  All of us need to remember that “the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone” (2 Timothy 2:24).  Yes, there is a time to fight for our faith, but let’s be sure the underlying cause is our love for Jesus and our desire to see others come to know Him as we do.

Philip Yancey in his book “The Jesus I Never Knew” offers thoughts that provide a much-needed boundary for our conversations and relationships with others.  Yancy writes “I feel convicted by this quality of Jesus every time I get involved in a cause I strongly believe in.  How easy it is to join the politics of polarization, to find myself shouting across the picket lines at the “enemy” on the other side.  How hard it is to remember that the kingdom of God calls me to love the woman who has just emerged from the abortion clinic (and yes, even her doctor), the promiscuous person who is dying of AIDS, the wealthy landowner who is exploiting God’s creation.  If I cannot show love to such people, then I must question whether I have truly understood Jesus’ gospel.”  Quoted from “I Can”, Art Lindsay, p 251.

So maybe the best thing we can do is to turn off our television sets for a while and ask God to show us if our contention is “godly, loving and kind.”

Yours in faith and friendship,

Pastor Tom