Some aspects of our current political turmoil are relatively novel. The level of intensity is not among them. In the mid-nineteenth century, for instance, political conflicts precipitating civil war polarized churches. In the mid-twentieth century, churches found themselves in the middle of civil rights battles, anti-authoritarian foments, the sexual revolution, and the legalization of abortion. The political tensions of our day may seem strident in comparison with the preceding 40 years, but they are nothing new under the sun.
What’s unprecedented now is the degree to which political tensions divide members of the same local church. Unlike the unifying issues of slavery or abortion, today’s docket of political tensions—racial justice, police reform, intersectionality, even the coronavirus—divide godly people seated in the same pew. Layered onto these topics, the anti-abortion candidate in the next election sports an extensive list of egregious moral failures, spawning contentious debate among the saints concerning his qualification for office.
As pastors strive to maintain peace in the midst of such political turmoil, let’s remember that navigating division is nothing new. Indwelling sin ensures that every assembly of saints, to one degree or another, constitutes an arena of relational turmoil—politically or otherwise. Loving relationships are hard-won and
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