Written by: David Hood

This is part 3 of a 3 part series. Read parts 1 and 2 here an here.

In these posts, I am asking the question what kinds of Christians do we need right now in these tumultuous and volatile times? In this post, I would humbly suggest we need Christians who work for peace and unity, and Christians who are getting ready for what happens next.

Christians who work for peace and unity- Our society was becoming more volatile before COVID, and now the pandemic has exacerbated our political and cultural divides (almost every societal problem has been exacerbated by lockdowns). The unprecedented isolation of this last year has left us more disconnected than ever and we’ve spent a lot more time online, following algorithms deeper and deeper into echo chambers and the most extreme versions of our leanings and prejudices, causing us to become more radicalized in our positions and aggressively suspicious and distrustful of those who are different. It feels like almost any topic is a landmine, and public discourse has become toxic.

What a chance for the church to shine! Unfortunately, Christians have not led the way in peacemaking or bridge-building. We have not, in general, stood out from the crowd as the ones who are kind to those who disagree with us and can love across differences. Rather, some of the most aggressive people on the internet are evangelicals. We have fought, very publicly, over the Syrian refugee crisis, Donald Trump, Black Lives Matter, systemic racism, critical race theory, socialism, gun control, the legitimacy (or potential sinisterness) of government responses to COVID, conspiracy theories, QAnon, church building closures, reopening protocols, masks, and now vaccines and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and our tone has not been marked by familial love and affection, or a desire to understand and move towards.

We are living in a very unforgiving culture; a kind of anti-culture of tribalism where might makes right. We are getting sucked into the tone and posture of our culture and it is anti-Christ. We need to do better. We must do better. Not just in our face-to-face interactions with people, but on our Facebook walls, in our stories, in the comment sections, with our tweets. I am ashamed at some of the interactions I have seen online involving Christians and on Christian pages. It is intensely discouraging how quickly conversations descend into mockery, belittling, dismissing, labeling, dehumanization, character assassinations, assuming the worst of people, unfounded accusations, demonization, and anathemas. I am tired of seeing the “laughing” emoji being used by people who take the name of Jesus to react to posts where people are expressing contrarian political views or worse yet, sharing their fears, trauma, and pain. What is wrong with us? Would Jesus ever laugh in the face of someone who was unburdening themselves? It is bad enough to do this to our neighbours, but to our brothers and sisters in Christ, this is unacceptable and wicked, and it is bringing reproach on the name of Jesus. We MUST remember as Christians that we are to produce, by God’s grace and through the power of the Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit not the works of the flesh. We are to be known for love, joy, peace, forbearance (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, and not for hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy (Galatians 5:19-23).

We are contributing as much to the fragmentation and polarization of our society as anyone on the secular left. Worse still, we are fracturing the church; Jesus’ body, His bride, His beloved. There is a haunting verse in Proverbs 16 that I think should bring us to our knees in holy grief and repentance. For context I’ll start at verse 16:

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Other translations have it, “those who sow discord among brothers” or “who stir up trouble among brothers.” God hates and detests those who fan the flames of and thrive off of disunity, discord, and division. Let than sink in. We seem to relish division in the Church in North America right now. We love a good fight. We seek it out. We’re energized by it. We think we’re doing God’s work, but we’re actually opposing Him. We’re opposing Jesus’ prayer for the church: that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me (John 17:21-23).

Our online fighting breaks Jesus’s heart and works against His prayers for us. It also hinders the watching world’s ability to see the gospel, to see Jesus’ love, God’s love. We need to repent. We need renewal. We need help to do better.

Now don’t hear what I’m not saying. I’m not saying we can’t disagree, even passionately, or that Christians won’t sometimes, at the local church level, have to part ways on things, but all of this can still be done with familial love. Even when we have to draw hard lines in the sand, especially when the gospel is being compromised, we can do so with love for the other, and it should only be done if we have actually listened to understand and made every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3). If we’re honest, we often make very little effort, and sometimes we actively work against unity.

May these verses guide our audible and digital interactions in the years to come:

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.”

Romans 12:9-21 Let love be genuine…Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honour…Live in harmony with one another…Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honourable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all…Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

2 Corinthians 10:1 Now I, Paul, make a personal appeal to you by the gentleness and graciousness of Christ.

Ephesians 4:1-6 I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Ephesians 4:29-32aLet no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted.

Colossians 4:6 Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.

Titus 3:2 slander no one…avoid fighting…be kind, always showing gentleness to all people.

Christians who are getting ready for what happens next- Our world has been all about COVID for the last 15 months and we are finally starting to see the light at the end of this tunnel. I’m concerned though, that many of us are anticipating that once a certain percentage of the population is vaccinated all will be well. Yes, we will have overcome a significant crisis, but I think we will feel the reverberations of 2020 and 2021 for many years to come, and not just economically.

From what I’m hearing we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg of a mental health and addictions crisis that will constitute a second pandemic in the months and years to come. We will see the fallout of prolonged isolation, languishing, tremendous loss, unhealthy coping habits, increased domestic and child abuse, and increased consumption of pornography. Things are opening back up but we have been through a collective trauma, the effects of which on our psyche, for both young and old, will not simply fade away once we achieve herd immunity. Are we ready? Add into all of this that our government just passed amendments to their Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) legislation that makes it even easier for people to access physician-assisted suicide and that in two years people will be able to access MAiD not just because their death is foreseeable and they’re in intolerable pain, but because they have depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia.

At a time when we are asking people to sacrifice for the sake of the vulnerable, we’re passing legislation that will make it easier for vulnerable people to access suicide. At a time when we’re talking about “languishing” and recognizing that we are probably going to see spikes in mental illness in the coming months and years, we are passing legislation that will make it easier for people with mental health challenges and mental illnesses to access suicide. At a time when suicide hotlines are being overwhelmed and volunteers are working tirelessly to talk people down off the ledge, we are passing legislation that normalizes suicide and offers it as a legitimate solution for mental and emotional suffering. At a time when we have seen our seniors devastated in poorly funded and inadequately staffed long-term care facilities, where loneliness is chronic and quality of life is low, we are passing legislation that will make it easier for many of the residents to choose to die. It is becoming easier to access death than it is resources and help. This is haunting stuff. The UN has expressed concern about where we’re headed. I am concerned for our country as well; for my neighbours, the vulnerable and suffering, who need love and community and hope. This feels like a potential disaster in the making.

COVID as a public health crisis is subsiding, praise Jesus, but let’s not think that life will just pick back up where we left it. There are more crises to come. Are we as Christians thinking about and getting ready for what comes next?

In conclusion, a lot more could be said and this series could have several more entries, but more than anything I want us to recognize that we are in a moment in history, and how we behave matters significantly. We need certain kinds of Christians to rise to the occasion. Christians who keep things in perspective, who advocate for more than just their rights, who use Scripture properly, who work for peace and unity, and who are getting ready for what happens next. For God’s glory and the good of the world.