When it comes to faith and politics, the specifics can get complicated, but the bottom line is not. As followers of Jesus, our political agenda is to love our neighbors and our enemies.
We cannot separate the kind of politics we have from the kind of people we are. Our politics desperately needs people who have put away anger, rage, malice, and slander. If we want better politics, we have to allow God to form us into the kind of people who live differently.
As long as there are people in community, there will always be politics. While politics can often go wrong, we can also choose to engage in a way that represents the love of Jesus to the world and works for the good of all God's children.
There is no lack of fearmongering during election season, but we don’t have to be afraid. While our political parties and candidates can’t save us, Jesus and his loving-kindness can, and he shows us that love is the way to create a kinder nation and world.
Biblical kindness never seeks anything but the best, even for those who seek the worst for us.
Most of us can be kind to the people closest to us—at least most of the time. But in the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus challenges us to an even greater level of kindness—Kingdom kindness—which demands that we are kind even to our enemies.
We all learned as children that it’s important to be nice, but sometimes we mistake niceness for kindness, and we even justify unkindness in the name of niceness. Jesus shows us what true kindness looks like, and invites us to be kind, even when it doesn’t feel nice.
The U.S. Presidential election is 50 days away, and the atmosphere is anything but kind. Yet even small acts of kindness can make a significant difference in our communities. This election season, let’s campaign for kindness!
