Why Faith Matters in Times of Political Division

Today’s presidential election will be historic, no matter who wins:

Kamala Harris will become our first female president, or Donald Trump will become only the second president to win another White House term after losing a first attempt at reelection.
Mr. Trump was born in the first year of the Baby Boom generation (1946), and Kamala Harris in the last (1964).
Overseas votes could decide the election.
Nearly half of 2020’s electorate have already cast ballots this year.

In a nation that has been split 50/50 since 2000, seven different outcomes are deemed “most likely” by the Washington Post, one of which is a tie in the Electoral College. Counting the votes will extend beyond tonight, as could determining the outcome of the presidential race. Whatever else happens, at least the political ads will stop. (Nearly $1 billion has been spent on them over the last week, most of it targeting my TV, or so it seems.)

“Voter fatigue,” anxiety, and fear have escalated as the campaign nears its end. Some are undoubtedly excited to vote for their candidates, but many are not. Why is this?

“There’s One Thing We Can All Agree On”

Forty years ago, President Ronald Reagan delivered a radio address to the nation about the upcoming election. In it, he said:

As you discuss the election with family and friends in your homes and neighborhoods, I think there’s one thing we can all agree on. We all want to vote for something, not against something. We want to vote for a better America, for a stronger country with our people pulling together, a future of peace, filled with hope and new opportunity, a future where our progress is limited only by our own dreams and determination, and where Americans are working because America is working.

I cannot imagine that such optimism does not resonate with us all.

However, it is a sad fact that “negative partisanship,” whereby we vote against the candidates we oppose more than for those we support, is on the rise. Why?

Cultural commentator Andrew Sullivan writes that the “oldest and greatest bulwark” of a culture that promotes a peaceful and collegial society has been Christianity. However, with its stark decline in our secularized society,

The deep belief that we are all equal in the eyes of God and all equally flawed and forgivable gave way to a fundamentalist hubris on the right that saw liberals not as citizens who were misguided but as enemies who had to be destroyed. And on the left, Trump supporters soon became viewed as alien, anathema, unfathomable, deplorable—bigots for whom forgiveness was unthinkable.

As a result, even if our candidates win, we will be less excited than relieved that at least the “worse” candidates lost. And if our candidates lose, our discouragement will only deepen.

“Let Us Restore Our Vision of God as He Really Is”

The way forward is, therefore, to go backward—to return to the Judeo-Christian worldview that was foundational to our founding and remains vital to our flourishing. To this end, a statement by Billy Graham caught my eye. Commenting on James 2:19, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” he wrote:

They believe God exists; they even believe in the facts of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection. But their belief is not a saving belief—and the reason is because it has not led them to turn to God in repentance and trust Christ alone for their salvation.

Tragically, theirs is the faith of many Americans today. They believe the facts regarding Jesus, but they do not have a personal, transformational, daily relationship with the living Lord.

Unfortunately, the same can be true for you and me as well.

Seventy years ago, J. B. Phillips wrote a small book titled Your God Is Too Small. In it, he portrays the deity in which many believe: a “resident policeman,” a “parental hangover, a “grand old man,” and a “managing director,” among others. His book made a profound impression on me, challenging the many ways I underestimated God’s might and love.

Referencing Phillips’ classic book, author and pastor Alister Begg observes:

I think that in many places in the West in the seven decades after Phillips first published that book, God has become smaller in his church’s estimation as well as in the culture’s. We doubt his power. We doubt his control. We doubt his ability to grow his kingdom by bringing people to faith. We grow angry or fearful, as though the forces of modern secularism might overcome the Creator God or cause the end of his church. And we grow silent in our evangelism.

So, let us restore our vision of God as he really is.

“That Only Is Important Which Is Eternal”

Never in my lifetime has America needed hopeful, positive, gracious Christians more than she does today. But we can offer others only what we possess ourselves.

The more we trust and hope in our living Lord, the more we experience his transforming presence, serve his eternal kingdom with our temporal days, and become people of joy in a time of despair. And the more our faith will draw our divided and discouraged nation to our loving Father.

Paul Powell observed:

Over the triple doorways of the Cathedral of Milan, Italy, there are three inscriptions spanning three beautiful arches. Over the first arch is sculptured a cross and with it the words, “All that troubles is but for a moment.”
Over the left arch is carved a beautiful wreath of roses, and underneath it are the words, “All that pleases is but for a moment.” Over the central entrance to the main aisle is the inscription, “That only is important which is eternal.”

Which arch will you choose today?

*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.

Quote for the Day:

“A due appreciation of God’s sovereignty promotes the spirit of worship, provides an incentive to practical godliness, and inspires zeal in service.” —Arthur W. Pink

Published Date: November 5, 2024

Jim Denison, PhD, is a cultural theologian and the founder and CEO of Denison Ministries. Denison Ministries includes DenisonForum.org, First15.org, ChristianParenting.org, and FoundationsWithJanet.org. Jim speaks biblically into significant cultural issues at Denison Forum. He is the chief author of The Daily Article and has written more than 30 books, including The Coming Tsunami, the Biblical Insight to Tough Questions series, and The Fifth Great Awakening.