Send Her Back? The Good News in a Bad Chant
Crowds draw out the worst in people. When a guy with a t-shirt cannon appears on a basketball court, you would think he was shooting out gold bars instead of ridiculously, oversized t-shirts. Put a person on camera with some music in the background and they turn into a poor man’s Bruno Mars as they dance on the jumbotron. And don’t get me started on the kiss cam…
Nevertheless, crowds bring out the worst in people. And this was certainly the case at the recent Trump rally.
Playing the same song, albeit a different verse, President Trump continued his attack on the four progressive congresswomen known as “The Squad” during a rally in North Carolina this past Wednesday. After running through a litany of criticisms, the crowd broke out a new chant of "send her back," echoing the president's original tweet that they should leave the United States.
And then for 13 seconds, President Trump backed away from the microphone and allowed the chant to continue.
What are we to make of this as Christians? How are we to respond?
As Christians, we are called to love. Love looks for the best and tries to redeem the worst. We could loudly hear the worst through their chanting but we will have to look to the past in order to redeem this present, undesirable moment.
To redeem the chants, consider the context – a crowd. Herd mentality explains that awful 13 seconds. Research shows that we all have a natural desire to be included in the group, causing us to be overtly influenced by those in close proximity to us. But further research paints a fuller picture.
In a 1934 study, a researcher traveled with a Chinese couple to observe the service they received at 251 hotels and restaurants. At a time when racism against Chinese people was prevalent and significant, the couple was denied service only once. Afterward, the surprised researcher sent a questionnaire to each of the 251 establishments, asking whether they would serve “members of the Chinese race.” Only 1 place said they would welcome the Chinese couple.
When we fail to see the face of God, it is all too easy to degrade individuals we disagree with who bear the image of God. Contrary to their chants, citizenship is not conditioned on assent. Our disagreements with her don’t justify the chants at her. This is antithetical to the kingdom of God.
We are called to love others, even those we vehemently disagree with politically, because God first loved us. God didn’t abandon us when we disagreed with him. He pursued us though we continually rejected him. His love for us was not contingent upon our agreement with Him.
Crowds can bring out the worst in us, but for those who abide in Christ, we are called to love. He died for the crowd but didn’t die so that we would follow the crowd. (Jn. 3:16, Gal. 4:19, Titus 2:7, James 3:6, Rom. 12:1-2)