I just finished reading Tim Alberta’s book “The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory.” Wow! What a thorough and in-depth examination and evaluation of the evangelical church in the United States these days. What’s interesting is that Alberta is not an outsider with an axe to grind against the church. He’s the son of a pastor whose father led a conservative Baptist church for almost three decades and very much identifies as a Christ-follower. But he also finds himself greatly troubled by how the church has, in many circles, been co-opted by an external agenda that has nothing to do with the values and lifestyle guidelines the Bible spells out for us.
One of his major points is that a deep sense of fear has gripped many people who profess to be followers of Jesus. And with this being a presidential election year, I have no doubt that much more fear will be circulated and spewed in the coming months. We will hear statements like “the public schools are subtly but systematically grooming your children in a dangerous ideology” … or “those people are coming for your guns and, if they get their way, you won’t be able to defend yourselves from an over-aggressive government” … or “their open border policies are letting all manner of criminals and terrorists into our country and they’re going to wreak unbelievable havoc” … or “they want to restrict you from being able to practice your faith and remove it entirely from the public sector” … or “those people in Washington are lying to you and selling you a bill of goods that simply isn’t true” … or “those people at that twenty-four hour news channel have an agenda and are trying to pull the wool over your eyes.”
Fear is essential to political fund raising. If you want people to support your campaign, an essential part of motivating them is to paint a picture of what will happen if your opponents win or gain control of the government. That’s why you’ll continually hear things like “this is the most consequential election of our lifetime” or “if we cede control to them, our country as we know it will be no more.” Fear and a pressing sense of urgency will motivate them to give at much higher levels than a candidate who paints a compelling picture of a preferred future.
Believe me—I understand that our public schools are failing in many parts of the country. I see the reports that show American schools are not producing knowledgeable adults in comparison to what is being generated in other developed countries of the world. I see that our immigration system is broken and badly in need of reform. I see that we have a problem with weapons of warfare being used on innocent, unarmed citizens in mass shootings that happen far too frequently. But it also puzzles me as to why so many professing Christians have become so preoccupied and gripped by fear. For one of the most constant pieces of advice in the Bible—one of the recurring refrains we hear over and over again—is “Fear not!” In fact, those two words, or something to their effect, are found 365 times in the Bible—once for each day! If there is any group of people that should be immune to fear, it should be us—people who are ostensibly directed and guided by a perfect love that casts out fear.
I’m convinced fear doesn’t merely motivate our actions, but it also clouds our judgment. When we give in to fear, we develop a mentality where we see ourselves as perpetually under siege. And when we believe that we are under siege and being attacked, we develop a desperate-times-calls-for-desperate-measures mentality where anything goes. And when anything goes, character doesn’t matter. Integrity doesn’t matter. Honor doesn’t matter. The winsomeness of our public witness doesn’t matter. A sense of the common good doesn’t matter. All that matters is winning and not losing. When fear rules, our primary motivation in life becomes defeating and avoiding that which we fear. For many professing Christians, the fear that we’re losing our country, or our influence, is what’s driving their actions. And it has caused them to embrace some candidates, and some techniques, that are at odds with the manner of life the Bible calls us to live.
I remember some time back reading an article in which a pastor, who was very supportive of Donald Trump, was interviewed. He said, “When I’m looking for a leader who’s going sit across the negotiating table from a nuclear Iran, or who’s going to be intent on destroying ISIS, I couldn’t care less about his temperament or tone or vocabulary. I want the meanest, toughest son of a gun I can find. I don’t want Casper Milquetoast as the leader of the free world.” I thought to myself, “How do you reconcile that statement with a Jesus who called us to be peaceable? Does a commitment to peaceableness and cordiality automatically label us as Casper Milquetoast? Jesus taught us to love our enemies, turn the other cheek, and pray for those who persecute us. I understand the need to draw a firm line in the sand when it comes to national security and not be intimidated or exploited as it relates to protecting innocent lives. But does this pastor think that striving to follow the example of Jesus was something good for those people back then but useless and ineffective when it comes to the complexities of our world today? Do we really want a tough leader who’s eager to kill on our behalf? Going back to the story of Jesus’ crucifixion … that’s Barabbas! Barabbas was a violent and vicious man willing to wreak havoc and kill in the name of freedom. When we say, “I want the meanest, toughest son of a gun I can find,” we need to be extremely careful. For we might be saying, “Give us Barabbas!”
When I think of this, I think of pastors from the underground church in China … who have in many respects “lost”, but who are having an extraordinary influence on their society. Their lives are not characterized by fear and paranoia—in fact, quite the opposite. People who spend time amongst them remark about how delightful and joy-filled they are. While they live in a governmental system that is restrictive and repressive—in fact, many of them would probably laugh at some of the things we point to as indicative of an oppressive and tyrannical government—the bottom line is they, with a modicum of resources, are having a much more significant impact on their society than we are on ours even with our plenty and abundance.
I understand how anxious and apprehensive it feels to live in a society that has undergone the cultural changes we’ve experienced in the last forty to fifty years. It reminds me of an article I read a few months ago written by a commercial pilot about the nature of turbulence. He stated turbulence is actually quite normal and generally harmless—that it feels much worse than it really is … that it’s virtually impossible for a plane to get flipped upside-down and flung from the sky by a gust of wind or an air pocket. No matter how bad it feels, the plane isn’t going to crash—not from turbulence. He also said that when they move the plane to a higher altitude in search of smoother air, it’s not because they’re worried the wings are going to be sheared off or anything like that. It’s about the comfort of the passengers and their desire to minimize the number of coffee stains and people’s use of barf bags.
Christians have dealt with cultural turbulence for hundreds—thousands—of years. The message of the gospel has always been at odds with the surrounding culture … which makes for a bit of a bumpy ride. We shouldn’t be troubled by this. We shouldn’t be fearful of losing. We shouldn’t be preoccupied with our personal well-being and safety. And … even if our plane crashes, it doesn’t matter. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:8, “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”
As followers of Jesus, we live according to the unshakable Kingdom of God—a Kingdom that is not of this world and doesn’t take its cues from what’s happening in the world. So … while we’re not called to put our heads in the sand, we need to remember that we really have nothing to fear. So lets not allow fear to shape our everyday lives. Nor should we allow it to unilaterally inform how we vote when we head to the polling place in November. That should be guided by the values of the Kingdom of God and the individual we believe most fully embodies them and is going to enable us to live in accordance with them.