New Monmouth Musings: Do you watch Fox News or MSNBC?

Are you a contentious Christian?  In today’s political world it is easy to become one.  This past week I have witnessed such 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.  Like many of us who have watched television the past few weeks.

I have witnessed these kind of reactions as we have followed the Kavanagh confirmation process.  Many of us have sadly witnessed relationships severed because of unkind words that were spoken or positions that were defended because of strong positions that were held.  It is not wrong to feel strongly about the positions we hold, 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.

As Christians there are times to be both peaceable (Romans 12:18) and contentious (Jude 3).  We are to be “both kinds of people depending on the issue and concerns we address” For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven . . . a time for war, and a time for peace (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 8).

Yes, I watch Fox News, but I also will often turn to MSNBC because I want to know what is being said from another perspective.

Whatever our reaction and response to the particular 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