I have strong opinions about many issues. My concern, though, is how easy it is to become self-righteous about our own convictions, and to look down on others who disagree. We can be right on an issue and wrong in how we treat others. In our zeal, we can become the very thing we profess to hate.

What a year.

I remember the days when the impeachment in the States was the big news. Was that only last December? Since then we’ve had a pandemic and financial crisis. Add to that the unjust murder of George Floyd and other incidents of injustice and you have yourself a mess. And we’re not even halfway through the year.

How should we respond to all of this?

My Concern

As I read social media, I see the danger of Christians becoming just another noisy advocacy group divided by our views on what’s going on.

• I hear versions of both of these: “How can you be a Christian and support Trump?” and “How can you be a Christian and not support Trump?” And that’s among people who aren’t even Americans!
• I read complaints about churches opening too quickly, and I hear complaints about churches not being granted the right to gather because of government interference. I hear strong words about those who disagree with whether we should wear masks or not, or even about whether the virus is a serious issue or not.
• There can be no real debate about the evils of racism among Christians. It is evil, and we must say so. But we disagree on what hashtags to use and what actions we should take to respond.

All of the above are important issues. I have strong opinions about each of them. My concern, though, is how easy it is to become self-righteous about our own convictions, and to look down on others who disagree. We can be right on an issue and wrong in how we treat others. In our zeal, we can become the very thing we profess to hate.

I’m also concerned that we can become an echo of culture, advocating for our political preferences, our convictions, and our rights, rather than seizing the opportunity that we have as followers of Christ.

The problem isn’t only out there; we can easily become the problem ourselves.

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