The Partisan Paradox II: Lobbing Rhetorical Grenades

Okay, so the sides in politics are miles apart and can’t communicate. No communication, no meaningful transfer of ideas. If there is little or no transfer of ideas there is little or no dissemination of the Gospel. It gets worse…

What’s worse is that by aligning myself to a specific political ideology, I defame the Gospel to 50% of my potential audience (+/- 3% margin of error). By aligning myself to a specific political ideology I create what I will refer to as a negative partnership. It is a form of impersonal codependence at a distance. People generally don’t delve down intellectually into every individual social/cultural issue dividing the parties. Parties, of which we are told there are only two which is a false polemic and false framing of reality. There are in reality many. 

Regardless, rarely do the general populace have an informed logical argument for every issue. It requires too much thought and too much effort. Instead, people attach to political parties in a negative partnership. Many just vote and think along party lines and the media caters to this mindset. As parties have grown more distinct, people have been more prone to view politics as simply a game to be won or enemy to be vanquished. Emphasis is placed on ideological policy achievements and not reforms. The focus is on making sure my “team” beats the other. 

At times it seems the issues of abortion, gun rights, social justice, racism and other hot button issues are deliberately kept in play to maintain a perpetual polemic to assure re-elections along these ideologies. Battles are won but they are meaningless because the war never ends. It is literally the endless war in Oceania and Eastasia in George Orwell's 1984. The sides just keep fighting on from farther and farther away against an enemy hard to define except by a stereotype and oversimplification. A so-called enemy that is much deeper, more intellectual and more compassionate than they'll ever be given credit for.

In a win-or-lose mentality there is no middle ground for the Gospel. No compromise. Its not about meeting in the middle to discuss commonalities, its about lobbing rhetorical grenades over unscalable walls to cause your opponent’s demise. Winning the ideological war isn’t the end goal anymore. It’s about destroying reputations and murdering character. What do we suppose happens to the message of the Gospel if we take a decidedly left or right stance? It destroys hearts. Why are we only allowed those two choices? Why does the media only portray two viable choices when there are many?

In a Christian and American system that depends on the transfer words, and a deliberate exchange of ideas, it is disconcerting. We might not agree on the ideologies but we need to at least agree to communicate with one another and agree on the meaning of words (Law of Identity). 

What is tolerance? What is life? What is love. What is hate?

The negative partnership poses a deeper and thornier problem for the Christian. Especially Christian leaders or those of Christian influence. It tempts us to show favoritism (James 2) and thereby diminish others that do not align to our party or our politician. It literally is a twisted form or Jesus’ words. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, eh, unless they belong to the other political party. If you align to a specific politician...everyone that doesn't like that politician loses the Gospel.