Disagreements Are Met With Respect & God’s Love, Not ‘Tit-For-Tat’ Rhetoric & Name-Calling
Word-of-the-Day: ‘<Jesus said, during the Sermon on the Mount,> “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”’ (Matthew 5:11)
Recently, while reading through some blogs I follow, an old article of about nine years ago popped up, from author and columnist Kurt Schlichter entitled, ‘The Left Hates You’ came up in the reading list. Mr. Schlichter is a conservative writer, a former US Army Colonel who served in the infantry, so his views are to the right, probably in the same vein as mine are.
I had heard of him and probably read some of his articles in the past, but he is not one of my ‘go-to’ authors so if I did read them, they’ve escaped my memory, and though it appears he has written several books, I haven’t read any of them. (When I don’t recognize an author or journalist, I look up their biography to see how legit they are and if I should bother reading their articles.)
His 2017 article has some relevancy to today, as he discusses the mindset and rhetoric of those ‘west of Interstate 5 and east of Interstate 95’, or the inhabitants of the West Coast and those who live on the East Coast, at least from Washington D.C. up into Boston, Massachusetts and further into Maine. The people of these coastal areas in the United States are primarily of the liberal, left-wing mindset, who also happen to be either ‘anti-Christian’ or what I would call ‘neo- or progressive Christian’; those who eschew the Old Testament teachings and hold to a model of God that has changed into their own liking.
Their political leanings are their own, and though I disagree with them (being a self-described MAGA Deplorable Neanderthal™ I’ve labeled myself before) that in and of itself doesn’t bother me. Their leanings toward anti- or neo-Christianity does, however, but on a personal and kindred term, as it is not a true characteristic of the Triune God that they are worshipping; it is a self-made image of God, an idol that they have created for themselves, molding God into their own liking, to excuse their failings and sinful nature. A false image of God, one that ignores His True nature and abandons His precepts and laws, is paganism disguised as Christian.
This first bothersome detail is something that I pray their scales that are covering their eyes will fall off, and see the True nature of God and read the Biblical details of His precepts, and apply them to their lives, in order to change their progressive, God-is-changing-for-us pagan worldview for the ‘God-never-changes’, static and consistent Biblical Worldview that is the only True view that one should have of God.
This is something that, while I will disagree with those who have this pagan viewpoint, I try to show respect and humble demeanor while letting them know what is wrong with their view, when I encounter such mindsets. I respectfully debate and provide Biblically-proven answers to their rebuttals, but I don’t belittle them or talk down to them, as I believe such a tone can be seen as ‘holier-than-thou’. It is not important to have the last word or parting shot, as much as it to provide Righteous food for thought for them to consider, ponder, and hopefully create questions that they will seek to answer.
The other bothersome detail of the left’s rhetoric is somewhat a byproduct of first; often their debate skills are simply the derogatory name-calling and character assassination that is engaged by those who disagree with them. It is an intellectually dishonest response to what could be a meaningful and educational discussion on key topics.
The MAGA Deplorable Neanderthal™ moniker I mentioned above is a mishmash of terms used to describe negatively and in derogatory fashion those who the left disagrees with. It is a morally weak effort to demonize and denigrate way to tear down the character of an opponent, instead of having a meaningful discussion that on topics outside of Biblical principles could be useful in finding common ground and compromise. Using derogatory names and labels for someone of an opposing mindset is in a sense a selfish ‘better-than-you-are’ attitude that hinders and divides people into despised categories.
The vilification of opponents and their viewpoints help no one and only fuels the flames of division. In turn, those on the right often resort to similar rhetoric to call those on the left. While Mr. Schlichter in his referred article is focused on the left’s diatribe, the truth is those on the right often fall into the same trap, to ridicule the left and demonize them. This tit-for-tit behavior causes the spiraling of relationships and has caused the severe divisions we see today in our nation; no longer having civil discourse, only shouting matches and insults across the chasm.
Jesus recognized this in His time, and throughout history. He knew this would be especially true for the Christians who would soon be coming into the world, that they would be hated, despised, and ridiculed for their beliefs. The orthodox Jews would call them heretics and accuse them of apostasy. Rome would refer to Christians as radicals and subversives, believing they were attempting to overthrow the Empire.
As Jesus grew in popularity and recognition, the hate against Him and His followers also grew. The Sermon on the Mount, starting in Matthew 5 with the Beatitudes, gave His initial followers the insight, through the list of blessings He provided them, into what their future would entail. Believers are not to engage in the ‘tit-for-tat’ commentaries but to instead turn and love upon their adversary, and pray for them to open and receive God’s love.
We can expect to see a dearth of the Lord’s Word in our opponents, and instead of cursing them we are to love them and try to bless them; we are to be saddened for their refusal to truly worship Him. We are to try to make amends to those who hate us, even if they refuse. Matthew 5:11 provides we will be insulted, persecuted, and attacked for our Faith in Christ. We can defend ourselves and our families, when necessary, but we are not to join into the fray of trading insults or harming our opponents. We are to stay on the path of Righteousness and humility, and by example and the Truth, not destructive rhetoric, attempt to win the hearts of our adversaries.
Mr. Schlichter is correct in the sense that the ‘left’, and the anti-Christians, hate us. But he has only told one half of the story, and not the full story that many on the ‘right’ hold similar hatred to those on the ‘left’. As Christians in the service of Christ, we are not to hate, but to love and demonstrate forgiveness, humility, and meekness; not to be weak, defenseless, or deferring of our Faith but to use the power of Jesus to change lives of our adversaries. Pray for the Lord to change our hearts, so we can be like Him and help Him change their hearts.
