How odd it would have seemed 20 years ago if someone didn’t like one of the united states of America not because of its landscape or location but because of the voters who lived there.
If you’re a Democrat, you probably don’t like Iowa or Texas. If you’re a Republican, you might not be too fond of Illinois, even if you call it home. Political lines have been drawn. And whole populations have been clumped into one of two colors: red or blue.
In his article “What Painted Us So Indelibly Red and Blue?” Alan Ehrenhalt said, “We live in a collection of divergent and mutually antagonistic constituencies.”
We’ve all seen it. The antagonism simmered in the Bush and Obama years. It came to a full boil in the Trump years. And, even now, it is ready to boil over at the least provocation.
I have close friends and even closer family members on both sides of the political fence. I love them all the same. The way we vote does not define who we are. We’ve had a few skirmishes, but so far, we have remained a united family unit. And I haven’t lost any friends. But the looming 2024 election is sure to put a strain on even the best relationships, unless God intervenes (which I often call on him to do).
A good friend recently said to me that she sees politics running all through the Bible. She’s right. According to Josephus, a 1st century Jewish historian, four influential political parties existed during the time Jesus walked the earth: Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes and the Fourth Philosophy. There were also the Herodians, Sanhedrin, Zealots and others.
When I read my Bible, I see the opposing sides, but it’s not political opposition that stands out to me. I see those who believe in the God of the Bible and those who don’t. I see the enemies of God, and I see his followers. I see the kingdom of men and the kingdom of God; the friends of the world and the friends of God.
I see the same distinction in our world today; it has nothing to do with being a Republican or a Democrat and everything to do with where we place our trust.
I’m troubled by the hatred I see in our nation. Jesus warned “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand” (Matthew 12:25).
I’m troubled because, in the end, the person who put his hope of salvation in a political party or president will be gravely disappointed. The psalmist implores us, “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation” (Psalm 146:3).
Peter also sounded the alarm. Speaking of Jesus, he proclaimed, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Kathy Hardee is a wife, mother, grandmother, children’s church teacher and God worshiper. You can contact her at kathy@kathyhardee.com.
