Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor, Ph.D.) will present a series of blogs, dealing with various issues raised in the recent election that showed a deep divide, impacting both society at large and the church. The thoughts presented are processed through the lens of the Radical-Middle (both/and), personal narratives, and pastoral concerns. Your rational feedback is welcomed.
Disclaimer: The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the respective views of AMI pastors.
Devotional Thought for Today
Introduction (1): Whose Politics? Which Morality?
Proverbs 18:2
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.
Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
When it comes to the beliefs of our fellow human beings and even those who “claim to live in Christ” (1 Jn. 2:6), we can be greatly perplexed at the diversity of opinion—how is it that people, many of whom are educated and of goodwill, can believe so vastly different things about the nature of reality?
This incredulousness was certainly evident during the recent presidential election. Many of even the same families and faiths came to adopt two radically different positions concerning visions of the moral and political good during the election, very roughly categorized as liberal and conservative.
For liberals, they saw a hard-working, honorable, and capable candidate in Hilary Clinton who was ready to pave the way for women to break the glass ceiling of a patriarchal rooftop and continue Obama’s struggle for a more just society. Trump was the incarnation of Satan: unethical, unqualified, and, most importantly, a bigoted normalizer of the triune unpardonable sin of our time in the threefold manner of racism, sexism, and homophobia. “How could anyone, much less a follower of Jesus, vote for a man who talks about minorities with such disrespect? How can we vote for a man who knows so little and lies so much?” they asked out loud. Support for Clinton was support for justice over injustice, plain and simple.
For many conservatives, they perceived Clinton to be the epitome of corruption who would force Christians to accede to the unjust mandates of social justice activists in the arenas of abortion, homosexuality, and religion: they wondered, “How can Christians support someone who so blatantly defies God in her advocacy for same-sex marriage and abortion? How can we back someone who so dangerously threatens our religious liberty? How can we vote for a person so corrupt and full of deceit?” Many conservatives saw hope in Trump for a revitalized economic future. Others voted for him as a buffer to what they perceived to be a greater evil, namely the felt threat of liberalism to the ideals of morality, freedom, and true religion. Supporting Trump was akin to U.S. support of Stalin during World War II against the Axis powers—not ideal, but necessary to defeat the bigger threat.
This is truly an American age of polarization, of radically different conceptions of the good. One person’s idea of marriage equality is what another would call the degradation of public morality. One man’s religious freedom is another’s religious bigotry. One woman’s reproductive rights are another’s genocide of children.
The problem of fundamental disagreement is a profound one, and I can only offer some cursory thoughts as to finding a way through. Christians must carefully evaluate their own philosophy and competing philosophies, always measuring them against “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). Christians must earnestly seek wisdom to discern the various visions of ethics, politics, and justice (James 1:5, 3:17-8). And, perhaps most importantly, Christians must be willing to respectfully listen to others and truly attempt to understand where others come from, even while humbly disagreeing (Lk. 9:54-5)—if the Golden Rule applies to the political realm as well, then I think it would demand nothing less.
So, join with me this month as we examine several election-related issues that, if handled without the “Radical-Middle” (both/and) and adequate knowledge and compassion, threaten to compromise our prophetic (i.e., theocentric, nonpartisan) witness to the unbelieving world.
Prayer: Father, this morning, I’m amazed at Your grace once again, for I’m truly blessed. As Christ exhorted us to love You with our minds as well, motivate and strengthen me to study the issues according to your truth, and then embody that truth in how I live by the power of the Spirit. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: 2 Kings 1
Lunch Break Study
James 1:19: Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.
Read Lev. 10:16-20 (ESV): Now Moses diligently inquired about the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it was burned up! And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the surviving sons of Aaron, saying, 17 ‘Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary, since it is a thing most holy and has been given to you that you may bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord? 18 Behold, its blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary. You certainly ought to have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded.’ 19 And Aaron said to Moses, ‘Behold, today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord, and yet such things as these have happened to me!* If I had eaten the sin offering today, would the Lord have approved?’ 20 And when Moses heard that, he approved.
*Aaron’s two sons died earlier that day for disobeying God’s explicit command (Lev. 10:1-2).
Questions to Consider
- Why was Moses so quick to get angry with his brother Aaron?
- What calmed Moses down, that is, becoming “satisfied” (NIV) with Aaron’s reason for not complying with what he was told to do?
- Application: The quickest way to end any dialogue these days is to label your “opponents,” who are merely articulating their views, with some belittling and insulting terms. Do you think everyone who disagrees with your position deserves such treatment? Ultimately, what does that say about us, in terms of who we are and how much we really know about things?
Notes
- Moses knew that Aaron failed to comply with what he was told to do, but Moses didn’t consider why it could’ve happened that way; in other words, he didn’t truly listen but was quick to speak and become angry.
- After hearing Aaron out, Moses understood that Aaron was mourning for his two sons who had died earlier that day as God’s judgment against them; in other words, Aaron was in no mood to eat.
- I understand why people of the world would behave a certain way, but when followers of Christ do the same, it means that they have been influenced more by the media and academia than God’s Word. It suggests that what they know lacks both depth and breadth because quickly labeling someone (“hater,” “bleeding-heart liberal”)—which torpedoes any rational conversation—suggests that they have run out of cogent things to say.
Evening Reflection
Paul told Timothy, Pastor of the church in Ephesus: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Tim. 2:1-2). This wasn’t an easy thing to do, since Paul was referring to the Roman Emperor Nero—a madman who murdered his own mother Agrippina to secure his power. The President-elect Trump certainly has done foolish things, but matricide isn’t one of them. If the early Christians could pray for Nero, we should also pray for Trump (as well as Mike Pence). Would you pray that they would become humble people who would take God’s Word seriously and govern our country with His wisdom and compassion?
According to an article in Forbes, over 40% of Americans make some kind of New Year’s resolution. I’m not sure if you’re in the 40%, but here is a daunting statistics: only 8% of people actually achieve their resolutions. This means that out of the estimated 322 million people in the US, only about 10 million people make and achieve their New Year’s resolutions. So what drives us to continue this, despite the low rate of success.
As we come to the last day of 2016, we look back to a year of which people’s opinions are very much divided. With the passing of many prominent figures who have shaped and challenged our culture, an election that pulled back the mask of a divided country, a refugee crisis that seems to have no end in sight, let alone all the personal battles, the list goes on of the various challenges that we have faced throughout this year. And one of the most interesting things that have developed throughout this year is how the church has responded (or has not responded) to a world that is spiraling out of control.
I think what is incredible about the Scripture here is that it does two things with one passage: In one sense, the passage warns us of why these false teachers must be addressed, revealing the true nature of these bad characters, thus helping the church to recognize them for who they truly are. But at the same time, this passage puts our grumbling, our discontentment, our lack of thanksgiving, our using of other people for our own benefit into perspective. It shows us how these things in our hearts reveal the true evil intent of our character.
I recently took a class with a professor who was a staff sergeant in the Vietnam War. At the youthful age of 20, he quickly found himself in the swamps of Vietnam with the burden of leading a group of men into war. As he recounted many of the horrific things he had experienced in the war, he taught us the importance of training disciples in the church. He believed that the term “disciple” isn’t just reserved for those who are in positions of leadership or are well equipped, but rather, anyone who has come to Jesus for salvation and surrendered their lives to His Lordship. In other words, all Christians are disciples. And he challenged a classroom of around thirty future leaders and pastors of churches to take this calling seriously. As he quickly learned in Vietnam, a squad is only as strong as its weakest member.
Having been involved with college ministry for close to 12 years, I have since transitioned and have seen many peers and students switch into working life. I’ve witnessed many people find jobs right out of college while other struggle for months, if not years, to find a vocation. Many know right off the bat what they want to do with their lives, while others are in a season of waiting and discovery of what career path God is calling them to pursue.
Like many Asian males, I grew up I taking taekwondo lessons. It was all part of my parent’s effort to get me to be more active and build up my confidence. My dad would pick me up from school, drive 30 minutes to my lesson, and then pick me up afterwards, which would end around 4:30PM. After a “hard day at the gym,” I would be so hungry that I would beg my dad to take me to Burger King, since dinner felt like a thousand years from then. But my dad would always say, “Be patient Josh, mom’s got something better waiting for you at home.”
Recently, I noticed while reading through my Facebook feed that many were calling 2016 one of the worst years in recent memory. And once you begin reflecting back, it’s not surprising that many have come to this conclusion: police brutality, racial divide, Aleppo, numerous shootings/bombings around the world, and the election (to half of the nation). Yes, it’s been a terrible year for many. In light of this, many of the comments expressed confusion. Others offered their own well-intentioned solutions in the form of new political policies and strategies. But most were resigned to a loss of hope. What can be done when the issues seem so much bigger than us?
It was a similar situation around the time of the birth of Christ. The people of Israel had been in exile for many years and even as they returned to the promised land, they were met by Grecian, Ptolemaic, Seleucid and Roman oppressions. They had become foreigners in their own land. As a result, many Jews attempted to resolve the situation by means of violent revolution or by colluding with the Roman authorities for more power. But none of it brought the liberation they had been longing for, which led to a profound sense of hopelessness. But little did they know, that true freedom had come in the form of a baby, who was called Immanuel, “God with us.” This baby would go on to bring about a type of liberation that they could have never imagined; one that gave them freedom from their greatest oppressor: the power of sin.
In order to fully understand the meaning of Christmas, we have to become familiar with Israel’s story. Around the time of Jesus’ birth, the people of Israel had been in a posture of waiting for some time—looking forward to the day when God would liberate them from pagan oppression through a show of military might. It would be a time where sinners would be judged and the righteous saved. To put it in another way, they were expecting God to usher in a kingdom characterized by judgment and power. But what the story of Christmas teaches us is that these expectations needed to be reshaped and realigned.