“I’m not sure where I fit in, anymore. And after what I’ve witnessed in 2020, I’m not sure who to trust.”
Several people have expressed this sentiment to me lately, and they’re not talking about finding trustworthy media. They’re talking about Christians. They’re talking about how the various events of 2020 revealed things in people that cause them to no longer feel safe around those people—fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
They feel a sort of “homelessness,” meaning they no longer know what kind of church they fit into. They feel alone.
Nurses who are a part of congregations who don’t think the COVID-19 pandemic has been any worse than the flu.
Conscientious Christians who feel many of our churches have just taught their children to disobey authorities.
People of color whose communities don’t think their experience is all that different from a white person’s experience.
Conservative Christians who abhor abortion and would never vote for Biden, but have sincere concern for the devotion of many to politicians like Donald Trump or political pundits like Tucker Carlson.
These people are disciples of Jesus, trying to faithfully follow Him yet have come face to face with a world that doesn’t seem to allow space for the deepest concerns of their hearts.
“I’m not sure our church knows how to have relationship with each other when we disagree,” a friend recently reflected. “What’s even worse, is that some people truly think what I have seen first-hand for the last year isn’t real. They think it’s all a lie.”
I’ve watched in bewilderment as untrained, well-to-do Instagram influencers yank Scripture out of context to make a point about people in the medical field only being in it for the money.
“Scripture says deceivers will come in the last days,” they say. “Doctors and nurses don’t actually care about your physical health. They prey on your fears in order to pad their own pockets.”
And hundreds, if not thousands, of our own people within church laud these self-proclaimed experts. Yet, these very influencers are doing the same thing. They effectively deceive their own audiences.
For starters by misquoting Scripture. Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there. If you have been under the impression that the COVID-19 vaccine messes with your DNA, that injecting it into your arm is essentially injecting grounded up baby particles, or that somehow it will remove your capacity for empathy, you have been listening to someone talk about medicine who has not been trained in medicine. They don’t know what they are talking about.
I’ve walked away from conversations stunned by how convinced someone was that a particular individual was Marxist because they believed certain aspects of the way the American system has been set up hinders certain people while helping others. This individual hadn’t even studied Marxism; he’d simply observed a few things in real-life. Yet, he is labeled a Marxist for expressing these observations.
For myself, personally, nothing has made me more disillusioned with the Church than talking about what I see in Scripture of God’s heart for the oppressed only to get accused of straying from the Gospel and drinking the cool aide of the Left.
Are Amos, Joel, and Micah no longer books of the Bible? Are they not a part of the instruction God gave to His people for how to participate in His Abrahamic covenantal blessing to all nations? Do books like Matthew and Luke and the sixth chapter of Acts not give visible demonstrations for how God envisions His people living out righteousness/justice in everyday life?
Or is Right Wing Republicanism real Christianity?
If one differs from Right Wing Republicanism, are they inherently unchristian?
Why is there such instantaneous vitriol at differing perspectives?
Certainly, we can look outside the church and see that the Progressive Left is extremely hate-filled and deceptive. But inside the church, the energy (often anger) comes from those who lean Right.
Furthermore, can we acknowledge that outside the church, the Right is at times as deceptive as the Left? They’re certainly as morally bankrupt. (Compare Donald Trump with Kamala Harris, if you haven’t already.)
Why, then, is the Church being divided along American political lines?
Why do we champion those who disobey COVID-19 regulations and boast about not getting the vaccine instead of the quiet faithful who are finding ways to continue ministering in spite of COVID-19 regulations? And why do we condemn racial minorities for acts of civil disobedience when we just got done praising those who are disobeying COVID-19 protocols?
Does our faith not transcend our political views?
Does goodwill towards one another end when we realize we think about the medical field differently?
Why do we not trust each other based on Whose we are as opposed to the solutions we suggest may solve the problems we all face?
But that’s just it, isn’t it? Some of us believe certain people are the devil’s (at least being deceived by him) based on what those people express politically.
And where in Scripture do we see any ideology to be a tell-all sign of what spirit we live by?
The way we test the spirits is by seeing if they testify that Jesus Messiah has come in the flesh (1Jn. 4). Yet, we have churches scattered with folks who testify that Jesus Messiah has come in the flesh but feel homeless in the pews because they got the shot.
Or stood with the family of George Floyd.
Or called out Trump’s sin right alongside Biden’s.
They feel homeless because they believe Jesus Messiah coming in the flesh means we flesh-out the Gospel every day in real, tangible acts of community.
There is a wall of hostility in our churches. I can’t tell if it’s always been there, or if current events have erected it. But this wall exists, and it stands antithetically to the Gospel of Jesus Messiah.
This isn’t the first time the church has faced a crisis that rocked people’s trust of each other.
In Paul’s letters to the church at Corinth and the church at Rome, he frequently interacts with the “Weak” and the “Strong.” There is no way of knowing for sure who the “Weak” is and who the “Strong” is, but it is likely the “Weak” represent Jews who had become Christians but still believed in Torah observance and the “Strong” represent Gentiles who had become Christians and did not believe Torah observance was essential for Christian faithfulness. Some of the “Strong” may have been Jews as well (such as Paul, himself).
Not only did this lead to many ideological differences, but if someone who was “Weak” saw someone eat food that had been offered to idols, they weren’t sure if they could trust that person. After all, that person was giving space to demonic powers. Similarly, the “Strong” often scoffed the “Weak” for having reservations regarding things like eating food offered to idols. These weren’t just ideological/theological differences; they were lifestyle differences.[1]
How am I supposed to trust you if you scoff at me for not wearing a mask or getting the COVID-19 vaccine? Does that make me feel cared for or safe?
How are you supposed to trust me if I believe something you have done has opened you to demonic influence? Will you feel safe to share about a habitual struggle you have and request prayer for it if I believe you have that struggle because you read an article on CNN, the Communist Manifesto, or Harry Potter?
Like the people in the churches at Rome and Corinth, each of us have souls here today.
We each bear the image of God, Himself. We all value life, Truth, Spiritual renewal, and a host of other things even if we see things differently when it comes to politics and current events.
Can we set aside our judgments of each other based on whether or not we wear masks and instead care for the burdens we each face?
Do we have the capacity for letting the medical personnel among us share about the horrors they have witnessed in the last year without clarifying our opinion on everything? They just need a hug! They need someone to listen to them, to cry with them.
If we’ve had the ability to air our thoughts on a regular basis in the middle of a global tragedy, it probably means we’ve had it pretty nice. Can we leverage the comfort we’ve lived in over the last year to give space to others who have not had such a privilege?
Many folks among us feel alone. They are not sure they fit in the Church anymore. We may not have them very long if we don’t repent and tear down this wall of hostility.
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
Romans 14:17-19
Do you find it difficult to pursue/trust people who see politics and the coronavirus differently than you do? Why or why not? Share in the comments below.
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[1] See Reading Romans Backwards by Scot McKnight for more insight on this.
