By Timothy Deal
March 11, 2016
First off, yes, this is a commentary on the current political races. At least, in general terms. While the staff at Children of the Wells shares similar political viewpoints, this website is not the place to engage in debates or campaigning. (That’s what Facebook is for! …I’m kidding.) But what is worth talking about here is the high stress levels politics inflicts on all of us.
Both politicians and 24/7 news media are keen to remind us of the high stakes involved with election season, wherein every outcome bears heavy consequences for the good or bad of our country and very way of life. Politicians use the threat of impending doom to galvanize their followers into action. News media hype up the drama as if it was a sporting event in the world’s largest arena, filling up their air time with endless commentaries and soundbite replays. As an audience of voters, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the inundation of speeches, inane comments, angry rhetoric, and angrier responses, and sense an increasing loss of civilized discourse or even the erosion of what we feel are America’s best values. After all, even though we know politicians and media have their own agendas for pumping up the election drama, the consequences of an election are not all exaggerated.
Proverbs 29:2 puts it succinctly: “When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.” How rulers come to power has varied in many ways over the millennia, but that simple truth remains. It’s evident in history and we’ve even touched on it in Children of the Wells. Though far from perfect, Governor Vac follows righteous convictions to feed and protect the people of Falcon Point in the midst of a broken world. A few hundred miles away, the citizens of Thyrion once groaned under the tyranny of the Kyzers, enough so the rebel group Defiant was born. When even the Defiant fell under the rulership of wicked men, the people in neighboring communities groaned again under their guerrilla tactics and forced warfare.
Some of the worst rulers in history have come to power by the will of the citizenry. Obviously Americans don’t want to repeat such mistakes, but in the heat of debates, moral uncertainty, and anxiety about the future, some wind up clinging dogmatically to their political party in the blind trust that they won’t be the ones to bring ruin to the country. Others grow so disgusted at the political process and those involved in it that they choose to shut it all out entirely, preparing to hunker down in solitude until the whole thing blows over or the country blows up, one of the two.
I have to confess I’m often tempted toward the latter reaction myself, though I know a more balanced approach would likely be better. As with anything, political discourse can’t change for the better until someone steps up and demonstrates a more positive approach. But the stress of election season – not to mention the daunting task of understanding complex issues apart from the binary, dulled rhetoric of both major parties – makes one despair of ever setting things right.
Clavius, the main character in the recent biblical movie Risen, faces similar despair. A Roman tribune weary of dealing with zealot uprisings and needless bloodshed, Clavius confesses to Pontius Pilate of his dream of retiring somewhere he can escape and find peace. As part of his means to that end, he seeks to quench the latest threat of an uprising before it starts by tracking down the body of a man named Yeshua, known to Western audiences as Jesus Christ.
However, when Clavius manages to capture and interrogate one of the disciples, Bartholomew, he is surprised to find not a vengeful revolutionary, but a man bubbling over with joy and excitement. Bartholomew says the world has changed, but doesn’t seem at all interested in changing the government. Instead, Bartholomew says the world has been changed by love, a preposterously silly notion, yet Clavius is struck by Bartholomew’s earnestness. Before him is a man unafraid of the threat of death, but filled with the joy of one who has come to understand a wonderful secret long hidden.
In 21st-Century America, it’s easy to lose sight of the excitement that first gripped the early church in its founding. But as the Easter season fast approaches, it’s an excellent time to put ourselves in the disciples’ sandals, to imagine what it was like when they understood Christ’s sacrifice for the first time. And in the process we may be reminded that no matter if we live in a country ruled by an emperor, king, president, tyrant, or benefactor, God is still the ultimate authority and He has secured our future.
I am certainly not the first blogger or columnist to remind Christian readers of these things. In fact, it almost feels cliche to write an essay in the midst of election season about God being in control. But as fallen humans, we often need reminders of what we already know. And if we understand that no matter what leaders come into power, Jesus has already assured our salvation, has promised to be with us through every difficulty, and will someday rule the earth Himself, that takes some of the pressure off us worrying about an election going the wrong way.
Which is not to say that we have no obligation to be involved in the process – far from it. But by remembering the bigger picture, may we be better inspired to take the right kind of action: expressing our political beliefs in a humble, approachable way, knowing that no leader is perfect, praying for everyone in positions of God-given authority, and trusting that He will see us through.
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