Fasting from Being a Jerk – Round 2

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Last week, my blog’s suggested 40-day Lenten fast from being a jerk in yet another crazy presidential election year seemed to strike a real nerve. So why? Why does the idea of fasting from being a jerk resonate within our better selves in this 2016 election cycle?

I believe as followers of Jesus we instinctively understand that we are called to live with a proactive biblical worldview that seeks the common good of all God’s children, irrespective of politics or partisan persuasion. Jesus calls us to be engaged in the political process to serve the world without becoming entangled in the partisan divide. It’s hard to actively participate in God’s redemptive work when we allow ourselves to be enmeshed in worldly ideologies and values.

Throughout its 2,000-year history, the church has always struggled with the temptation to assimilate secular constructs, patriotic loyalties, religious traditions and cultural values into its biblical worldview. The apostle Paul referred to this as “quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ to follow another gospel. It’s not really another gospel” (Gal. 1:6-7).

As Paul reminded the Church at Ephesus, Christ is the basis for our unity – not partisan alignment. “Christ is our peace. He made both Jews and Gentiles into one group. With his body, he broke down the barrier of hatred that divided us. He canceled the detailed rules of the Law so that he could create one new person out of the two groups, making peace.” (Eph. 2:14-15).

We must make biblical faith the determining guide for our political ideology rather than using partisan political ideology as the determining factor for our theology. Ultimately, left or right, red or blue ideologies are human systems that operate quite comfortably without any sense of accountability or dependence upon God.

Jesus provided the ultimate example. He refused to accommodate the gospel to the political demands of Caesar, the right-wing militant response of the Zealots, the liberal agenda of the Sadducees, the status quo politic of the Herodians or the graceless theology of the Pharisees. Jesus calls us to do the same, choosing first to follow him in obedience to God’s kingdom mission for the common good of the world God loves.

This Lent, let’s fast from sacrificing our Christian faith on the altar of partisanship. Let’s stop being a jerk.

Mike Slaughter is the almost four-decade chief dreamer and lead pastor of Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church and the spiritual entrepreneur of ministry marketplace innovations. His newest book is The Christian Wallet: Spending, Giving, and Living with a Conscience (Westminster John Knox Press; January 27, 2016). For more on this blog's topic, see Hijacked: Responding to the Partisan Church Divide.