Christianity is strongly linked to having conservative political beliefs. As a means of generalizing, this statistic holds up pretty well. But it is worth acknowledging that being a Christian does not an automatically predict your political ideology. There are outliers.
But none of this matters. While Christianity doesn’t predict your political beliefs, it does predict your belief in Jesus: If you’re a Christian, then you believe in Jesus’ life and ideologies. If you believe in Jesus, then you cannot separate yourself from his instruction to selflessly love people. He didn’t list any exclusions.
So if you’re a Christian, then this is your post-election game plan: Be humble. Love others. Listen to people with different beliefs. Respectfully discuss your own beliefs. Be open minded. Your message is never strengthened by efforts to weaken someone else’s message.
How Should You Treat Others?
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” John 13:34
If I didn’t list any other scripture, John 13:34 would be enough. Jesus said to love one another. It doesn’t say love people who go to your church. It doesn’t say love people with similar beliefs to you. It doesn’t say love each other unless they’re part of a radical movement. It says to love each other “just as I have loved you”. Jesus was a pretty chill dude. He had established beliefs but wasn’t a judgmental guy. He even dished out sarcasm to the hyper religious Pharisees. The point is, if Jesus were on Facebook today, he wouldn’t be posting status updates that read “SHOVE IT KILLARY SUPPORTERS, GOD SAVED THE COUNTRY”(an actual quote from my newsfeed)….I won't dissect the politics behind this statement, Just know that no biblical depiction of Jesus supports this behavior.
Should You Argue With People Who Have Different Beliefs?
Romans 14:1 ESV “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions”.
Nope. Arguing with non-Christian’s does nothing to strengthen your message. If you take nothing else away from this article, absorb this: It is not your job to change the opinions and beliefs of people who don’t share your faith. Christians are called to be a living example of Jesus' love. That’s it. So chill out on the abortion rants, and as Romans calls you to do, “welcome” people from outside of your beliefs.
What About Abortion?
Proverbs 6:16-19 ESV "There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers."
I have a lot of conflicting beliefs about abortion, but this belief is concrete: It’s not my place to tell anyone how to live their life. It’s not your place either. Remember, you’re called to be a living example of love. If you don’t support abortion, then don’t get an abortion. Fanatics often quote that God hates the hands that shed innocent blood, in regards to abortion… but does this not also apply to war, which statistically Christians are more likely to support? This Proverb also spells out that God hates one who sows discord among brothers, and make no mistake, the Bible spells out that we are all called to be brothers and sisters. So before you condemn someone to hell for supporting abortion, remember that Jesus called you to forgive, and condemning people definitely falls within the “sows discord” category.
How Do You Treat Others Who Are Sad or Upset About the Election Result?Romans 12:15 ESV "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."
Remember when I said that Jesus wouldn’t tell Clinton supporters to shove it? Well, from all that I’ve studied about Jesus, I don’t think he would have voted for Donald Trump either. But that’s not the point.
No matter what side you are on, I think most people are at least anxious about a multitude of national and global issues. Called to be a living example of Jesus’ love, it is a Christian's duty to listen to the concerns of those they disagree with. If you’re happy with the election outcome, it is still important that you don’t disregard the fears that Clinton supporters have. Stop telling people who are upset to get over it and move on. Christian’s are called to mourn with those who are mourning. Part of that involves listening, and if you listen to many of the fears non-Trumpers have, chances are you might agree with a few. Take moment, and listen without interrupting. And Clinton supporters, it’s important that you don’t assume the worst about Trump supporters. I’m not a republican, but I still can agree (and do) with many conservative policies.
If we all took a moment to shed our labels then we’d see that often our hopes and desires aren’t all that different. It’s corny, but at the end of the day we all inhabit the same soil, and rooting for one side to fail ensures that no side can win. You can disagree with someone and still treat them with respect, and that's exactly what Jesus asked you to do.
