Pastor’s Perspective – August 2024
The Red and The Blue
Unity, the very character (the Oneness) of the Triune God, seems impossible for God’s people to mirror. It is not a modern problem; division has plagued the people of God since Cain killed Abel. The sad truth is that our greatest moments of unity are the times when we rebel against God (can anyone say Babel). At times we can find the courage to unite against a common enemy, but when the conflict is finished, we quickly descend into tribes and sects. We seek our own way instead of relying on the Holy Spirit to bind us in God’s will.
Before there were denomination and wars between Christian kingdoms and sects, there was Civil War in biblical nation of Israel. King Solomon laudably built the Temple of the Lord, but then (inspired by his foreign wives) continued to build temples to many other gods. This betrayal of Israel’s God led to the loss of unity in the people of God. His kingdom was torn in two, which resulted in a Northern Kingdom (Israel) and a Southern Kingdom (Judah). David’s family continued to rule in Judah and worship in the Temple built in Jerusalem, but the northern kingdom was disconnected from the righteous worship of God.
They decided to set up their own places of worship in Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom. Over time, though the people still had a cultural connection with the God of their father’s, their kings and leaders turned toward the Canaanite gods. The Northern Kingdom was all but lost to God, and it became nearly impossible to worship God in a land devoted to the worship of Baal and Molech.
Meanwhile in Judah, the place where God was formally worshipped, the Kings and their subjects began to follow false Gods in their private lives. They would publicly acknowledge the God of their fathers, but privately worshipped the Gods of wood and blood.
Judah, of course, was the better option for life as a Jew. They still worshipped at the Temple and taught the law to their children. That certainly was enough…right? Isn’t it better to be the people of the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule?
Sadly, these are the arguments that we are making in Red and Blue America. In today’s world, Democrats and Republicans argue over who’s worse. The split in the nation has cut families, churches, and communities into pieces. It’s sad. It’s infuriating. And for many Christians, it makes us feel like we’re the only ones that are left. Some give lip service to God. Others reject God completely. But many of the people have yet to “bow the knee to Baal” (I Kings 19: 18). The sad truth is that people on both sides have been separated for the unity of the Church because we believe that the other side is not godly enough. Like Elijah, we hide in caves, suicidal, unwilling to eat or drink, unwilling to act in the name of God, because we fear that we’re the only ones left.
If you’re reading this, it likely proves that we’re not alone. The people of God can stand together but it will demand that we pay a cultural and political cost. We might have to cross borders and political lines to gather the team that God would build for 21st Century America.
I wish that human unity could start with agreement on all things, but it cannot. Unity starts with love of God and neighbor, and then grows toward understanding. We might never agree on everything. We may never speak common languages in this world, but if we have a common God and Savior and treat each other with the love and care that has been shown to us by our graceful God, then we have a chance to worship, serve, and live in harmony.
There is still time to heal our nation, but it is not going to come from our political leaders, it must come from the people of God who value the word of God over the power of humanity. If we can accept each other as the people of God, then our bonds might be strong enough to overcome the cults of Red and Blue. So that we can live as one people, and dare I say it, one nation under God.
Pastor Dan
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