It happened again.

Someone I know to be thoughtful, intelligent, and a genuinely nice person posted something on social media that made a political point. She was sharing something someone else had put together.

And it created all sorts of emotions in me when I read it. 

Not because it was wrong, but because it showed such an unwillingness to deal with the true nature of the situation it was commenting on. Or unawareness that there was a whole mess of data she was missing. Or, perhaps even worse, a lazy indifference to the fact that there’s a whole raft of assumptions masquerading as arguments at the root of her position.

It’s frustrating for me, because there’s next to nothing I can do or say that will get through to her and change her mind. It saddens me, because I don’t like seeing people who know better saying, doing, and posting things that demonstrate either arrogance or ignorance (and sometimes people combine those, too). Yes, I confess it angers me a bit, too, when it’s my ideas and positions that are being misunderstood, unfairly attacked, or dismissed without a hearing. And there can even be a certain kind of self-indulgent, congratulatory glee when I see how easily something that’s been asserted can be debunked or disgraced—PWNED!

But here’s the thing: nothing I’ve written here has said what her politics are or my positions are, and chances are good that, as you’ve read, you’ve filled in one or both of those blanks — either with your own opinions and frustrations, or what you assume are mine. Sadly, that illustrates even more some of the bad mental habits we have when it comes to politics. 

I’d like to say that this is a situation that is new and unique to the social media age, but the truth is that these technologies have simply amplified problems that have always existed. The fundamental issue is human nature: that we are imperfect people doing and saying imperfect things while holding imperfect opinions … interacting with other imperfect people doing and saying imperfect things while holding imperfect opinions.

This is why I’m writing about politics and the Christian life. The only cure for human nature’s sinful motives and incapacitating imperfections is the regeneration—re-creation—that comes with faith in Christ crucified. And that “fix” is only applied to the individual believer; it can’t be employed externally, as though you could aim it at your neighbors or nation and get everyone to think and behave the way Jesus wants them to.

So my goal is to help believers do better—and think and speak and write and just be better—when it comes to politics. To be more like Christ in their dealings with others. To recognize and remove their biases. To remember that they represent Jesus, and the only way of salvation, at all times. To understand the distinct and powerful advantages they have when it comes to life in this world. To admit that they know less than there is to know and thus to seek out better knowledge. To balance their calling as citizens of the state with all the other callings they have from Christ. To put off their old self and put on the new with politics as with all other things. (Read Ephesians 4:17-5:2 and Colossians 3:1-17 for an overview of what this means!)

Will what I write result in a perpetually peaceful social media experience? Probably not—unless I somehow manage to keep all kinds of political commentary out of my (or everyone else’s) feeds. But every Christian who gains a better understanding of what it means to be a citizen of their nation while also being a citizen of heaven represents a blessing to the world. And is an improvement to the messy interactions of imperfect people that we call politics.