The Day After the Midterms: 4 Truths and 2 Commandments
The most anticipated mid-term elections, at least in my lifetime, are in the books. It's a good day to remember who's really in charge and what He asks of us.
As I record this commentary, I do not know the outcome of yesterday's midterm elections. Sorry, but believe me, it's not because of a lack of interest. I spent yesterday tracking election results, but because of scheduling for radio, there was no way to get an analysis of it recorded in time. For that, you'll have to check out our podcast, here.
So, I do not know if the Democrats took control of the House or if the GOP held the Senate, or if the referenda on abortion in Oregon, West Virginia, or Alabama passed or failed. Marijuana was on the ballot in Michigan, North Dakota and Oklahoma. I'm not sure if we are facing two years of gridlock, or if the Dems gained any ability whatsoever to slow down the speed of judicial appointments, immigration agenda items, or fiscal policy decisions by the Trump administration. I'm guessing there was nothing yesterday to indicate a cooling off of the American political divide, but I don't really know that.
I mean, by the time you hear this, I will know. In fact, just this morning, my colleague Warren Cole Smith got up very early to record a special podcast on the results. So, if you want those details, you should listen. It was an incredibly important election, with much at stake. And on today's podcast, we talk through what happened yesterday, and its national and local implications. If you don't already listen to the BreakPoint podcast, you will want to subscribe. Just look for BreakPoint wherever you get your podcast, or come to BreakPoint.org to listen online.
But even without knowing the results, I can say four things with a great amount of certainty: Christ is risen, Christ is Lord, Christ will restore all things, and Christ has called us to this cultural moment. Those are four things I say a lot, whenever I speak to groups. Often, I just repeat them to myself. They are four things every Christian should know, "inwardly digest," and remember. Otherwise, we will be unable to make any real sense of our current cultural and political moment.
Those four things—again, that Christ is risen, Christ is Lord, Christ will restore all things, and that we are called to this time and place—are True. What I mean by that is that they are true with a capital "T." They aren't true for me and not for you. They aren't true only for those who believe them to be true. They are just True – in the sense that they adequately describe the world in which we live.
Not only are they true in our American context—with all of its political divisions and illusions—they are true in every context. They are even true for our brothers and sisters around the world, who face a cultural moment of persecution, oppression, and even death.
It's true for anyone listening right now who is struggling to care about these elections, and politics in general. Now, don't get me wrong, I think you should care, especially if you are a Christian. But if you're going through a time of significant personal suffering or facing the pain and loneliness of a deep loss, then you do, truly, have more important things on your mind. Even so, those four truths—that Christ is risen, Christ is Lord, Christ will restore all things, and that He has called you to this time and place in history—are true for you too.
Yesterday's results will largely determine the political and cultural climate in which we will live, at least for the next two years. It is in this climate, not another, that Christians must work to advance that which is true, good, and beautiful. It is in this climate, not another, that we return to what Jesus called the two great commandments: To love God with heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
For a thorough analysis of what that climate will be, don't miss today's BreakPoint podcast, and the analysis from me and Warren Cole Smith of yesterday's results.
And remember: Christ is risen. Christ is Lord. Christ will restore all things. And He has called us to this time and this place. Amen.
Resources
BreakPoint Podcast: The Results Are In, Stonestreet and Smith | Colson Center | November 7, 2018
God and Government: An Insider's View on the Boundaries Between Faith & Politics, Charles Colson | Zondervan | 2007
Charles Colson on Politics & the Christian Faith, DVD, Charles Colson | Zondervan | 2008
Originally posted at Breakpoint.
