This year has been a year of divisiveness, mudslinging, and disunity. The United States just came out of an unusually divisive election. Agreed every election is divisive, but this recent one could arguably be one of the most divisive in recent history; especially, among Christians. Some of the rhetoric I heard from both sides are statements like "Hillary is worse," "How can we elect an immoral person like Trump?" and etc. Even us believers are not immune from this corrupt divisiveness. Of course I believe in the free exchange of ideas, but nevertheless, respect is a vital tool in that concept; we read this in Peter’s epistle when he instructed the church to give answers to those with questions with RESPECT. Now I don’t believe in the utopia of we all hold hands, sing kumbaya, and agree on everything. However, respect for the individual whom you disagree with is so essential in fellowship with each other. In the long run, the president of the United States is irrelevant to a person’s spiritual well-being. President Trump or President Clinton will NOT affect who accepts Christ as their personal savior.

Why am I so passionate about unity in Christ? The apostle Paul couldn’t’ve explained it better. In his letter to Timothy, he warned him about useless divisiveness. Paul warns, “stay away from foolish, useless talkNi because that will lead people further away from God.” Because that will lead people further from God! If the result of “useless talk” is leading people astray then we need to STOP! If arguing with a non-believer over theology leads that person away from God, then STOP! If pointing out the flaws of your non-believing family member, or friend, leads that person away from God, then STOP! Hardening the hearts of those who haven’t accepted Jesus as the messiah is accomplishing nothing.

Admittedly current issues are important to discuss, but discussing and bickering are two essentially different things. As the Dean of my college said, “MSNBC and Fox News only want the culture wars to continue.” Why? They earn a huge profit over the bickering. When you’re earning a profit why will you stop what you’re doing? Don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting we live in a utopian bubble where we don’t engage in thought with each other, but a bubble of respect is what I am suggesting! If you are too stubborn to hear out what someone has to say, then you have it all wrong.

Israel’s history shows the danger of disunity. Israel split into two nations over divisiveness. That’s how we got Judah and the ten northern tribes of Israel. As a result, Israel became weaker, ultimately leading to the Assyrians, Babylonians, and the Persians to conquer the Middle East.

I hope that 2017 will be a year of unity. Where we share ideas with respect and more importantly show love. Growing tensions will only hinder the advancement of God’s kingdom. Eternity is more precious than winning an argument. We cannot be afraid to speak out, but we also have to demonstrate the love that God commands us to pour out to each other.