Some Timely Advice From our Northern Neighbors

I was recently reading an article online from a little known Canadian Publication Called Geez Magazine. Here is a quote from it:

I’m not sure I should say this but I feel y’all in the US are too caught up in the phenomenon of America. Yep, even the progressive Christians. You take your nation and its politics so seriously. Obviously US politics directly affects the lives of many people and cannot be ignored altogether, but super-power is not the ultimate power. As people of faith we have the luxury of a broader perspective, a perspective that allows us to operate on a plane beyond power-politics.

So have a coffee, chill, turn off the news, maybe take a trip north. We get hyped up over elections here too – and sometimes I curse the scoundrel who is currently king of our castle – but in the end he’s just the Prime Minister. We don’t expect him to be a moral or spiritual figurehead. We don’t actually care that much if he smoked up two decades ago or even two weeks ago. Neither our moral nor spiritual center is with our politicians. And our political process is healthier for it. It is less polarized, less moralistic, and God isn’t in anyone’s corner. Sure we have religious politicians (our public health care system came straight from the social gospel) but because they rarely play the divine trump card, the polemic stakes don’t get elevated to the level of God-is-on-my-side dead end absolutes.

I found this perspective badly needed in my own life as our election here in the US is about to reach its climax. While I don't completely agree with the statements like, "We don't actually care that much if he smoked up two decades ago or two weeks ago." because I do believe that a persons actions are a reflection of one's worldview and a politicians worldview is essential to their decision making. However, I do believe that we should not use God as a weapon to prove someone else is wrong so we can be right. The fact is that we live in a pluralistic society where we must frame our beliefs with humility and love in order to be heard. We must also adopt a lifestyle that brings people together rather than divides them. This is a lifestyle that does not jump in bed with one political party. Instead it rises above party lines and strives to show what is true and what is false about each party. We need to remember that no matter what happens in the political sphere there is a bigger picture and Christians should focus on the big picture rather than grasping for power in the political realm. There are many other great insights in this article. If you would like to read it in full click here.