Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures
Should Christians hold President Trump Accountable for Unchristian Things?
Desperate times call for desperate measures – at least that is what Hippocrates thought. The ancient Greek physician coined the idea in his work Amorphism, noting: “For extreme diseases, extreme methods of cure, as to restriction, are most suitable.” Today, the sick patient is less a person and more a society, with many Christian “doctors” calling for desperate measures.
Every electoral cycle seems to hold the threat that we are “one election away” from losing everything. This election, unlike the one 2 years ago, 4 years ago, 6 years ago, etc., has the propensity to change the very fabric and foundation of the country. With heightened stakes, we overlook indiscretions, rationalize sexual harassment, and blame fake news for real transgressions. Why? Because of them, the other side.
But what are the symptoms? Instead of body aches, we have relational strains. Instead of making every effort to keep the peace, we look for every chance to find division.
Arthur Brooks highlighted a recent study which coined the term “motive attribution asymmetry.” Essentially, he describes how your political ideology is rooted in love while the other side is based in hate. Your side is all that is good and right in the world while the other side is all that is wrong with this world. Researchers concluded that today’s Republican/Democrat divide is at a level comparable to the Palestinian/Israeli divide.
And the numbers indicate that.
One in six Americans stopped talking to a family member or friend after the 2016 election. Fourteen percent of American Christians stopped attending their church after the campaign. In a recent Pew study, 64 percent of Democrats and 55 percent of Republicans said they have “none” or “just a few” close friends who are Republicans or Democrats. This precipitous drop from the previous generation makes it all the more easy to demonize the other side than actually understand the other side. In the 1960s, a group of researchers asked Americans how they would feel if their child married someone with a differing political ideology. Four percent of Democrats and 5 percent of Republicans said they’d be displeased. By 2010, that number was 33 percent and 49 percent, respectively.
What has caused this division? Nutpicking. This recent phenomenon consists of showcasing the nuttiest member of a group as the best representative of that group. In our nutpicking world, neo-Nazis represent conservatives, socialists represent progressives, and Westboro Baptist members represent Christians. This may serve as an easy way to make a point and construct a boogeyman to incite fear, but it does little to make the U.S. a more perfect union or make His kingdom come on Earth as it is in heaven. When you nutpick, you sound like a banging gong because you lack charitable love. Such love defines and differentiates Christians, like a kind shopper on Black Friday.
In a study called Hidden Tribes, researchers found that only 14 percent of the populace (8 percent on the left and 6 percent on the right) essentially hate one another. “Progressive Activists” are “deeply concerned with... equity and fairness.” “Devoted Conservatives” feel that "America is embattled, and they perceive themselves as the last defenders of traditional values.”
Such desperate times have yielded desperate measures for Christian “doctors,” also known as voters. In an effort to save the patient and win this once in a lifetime election, some sacrifice values on the altar of electoral success. After all, we can’t allow Drag Queen Story Time to take over our local library. We will quietly settle for a less than desirable candidate to keep Antifa socialists at bay.
But it doesn’t stop there. Some don’t just support a candidate; they revere a candidate. This is indicated by anyone who speaks against one of his policy positions, tweets, or past actions. They are seen as a traitor when they say sexual harassment isn’t just “locker room talk.” They are told to pragmatically get in line when they express concern about government spending. They are viewed as a Benedict Arnold for voicing concerns about tariffs. And they are sticks in the mud when they speak out against the president’s track record relative to North Korea and Russia.
In today’s political world, there is no such thing as a faithful arrow from a friend. While no candidate is perfect, some Christians have emulated Zedekiah (1 Kings 22). Instead of being what M.L.K. called the “conscience of the state,” they are hesitant to voice disagreement with the leader of the state. And when the Micaiahs of the world voice dissent, they are smacked down.
But the smacks from a few shouldn’t deter you from turning the other cheek. We didn’t elect a pastor-in-chief to represent us, but we did elect an individual who leads a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. And as one of those people, we should quickly support them when appropriate and graciously critique them when necessary. We reject the false dichotomy that says we can only do one; we do both.
As Christians, we can disagree without demonizing, offering our support while we voice our dissent. Where would David be without Nathan? Or Peter without Paul? As those known by our love, we know that love has the propensity to disturb short-term comfort for long-term health. We speak the truth tinged with grace, doing so with boldness and gentleness. When we forsake gentleness and grace, we make the truth unpalatable. When we forsake truth, we turn grace into cheap candy – satisfying but unfulfilling.
Winston Churchill once remarked that we haven’t made it this far because we are made of hard sugar candy. Opinions vary on particular issues but disagreement shouldn’t silence dissenters. Such disagreement is a key feature of America’s greatness. Alexis de Tocqueville noted: “The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.”
Desperate times call for desperate measures. However, the desperation isn’t rooted in the state of our society but the character of the Christian. Character isn’t the only quality that matters but it should be a quality that matters – our character as well as the president’s.