Thought for Today
Genesis 1:20 And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky."
Psalms 8:3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; 4 what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? 5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.
1 Corinthians 12:4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.
As I watch all the political advertisements and as I hear all of the campaign speeches, one characteristic seems to stand out in them all. Everything focuses on differences. Regrettably, not differences in policies and plans so much as personal attacks on the evil, dreaded “other.” They are all ad hominem attack advertisements. That is a Latin phrase meaning “directed against a person rather than the position they are maintaining.” (MSWord search)
This candidate is accused of being unserious (a word I don’t recall ever hearing before the current campaigns). That candidate prevaricates (lies). This candidate did . . . (something vastly unpopular). That candidate will do . . . if elected (something equally unpopular) Interestingly, even when not attacking the character of the individual candidate or the party of that candidate, quotations offered to support the accusation are always offered without any context or explanation of the reason or event generating the quotations.
At one time, I actually took a number of college courses on marketing. That was many years ago, but, then and now advertising campaigns are carefully tailored for maximum effect. Media exposure is expensive. Every campaign advertisement we see is part of a deliberate marketing campaign tailored to ‘sell’ the candidate or the ballot initiative favored by the people funding the campaign.
If we are tired of all the negative, ad hominem attacks, we have no one but ourselves to blame. The advertisements are designed that way because careful studies have shown that such ads work most effectively.
I find all this vastly disturbing because, as a Christian, I believe we are all children of God. We are all created by God. The psalmist also correctly noted, God has made us all a little lower than God, and crowned us with glory and honor. Irrespective of political party, irrespective of political inclination toward being conservative or progressive, our Creator God made each and every one of us a little lower than God, crowned with glory and honor. We all need to remember that and act like it. We all need to remember that the dreaded “other” is equally made a little lower than God and is equally crowned with glory and honor.
The apostle Paul encountered a divided church in Corinth. “1 Corinthians 1:12 What I mean is that each of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to Christ." 13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”
Paul was not objecting to our having differences. Paul was trying to remind the Corinthians that irrespective of any differences, we are all equally children of God. Having civil discourse on the various positions and options available to us all is the very foundation of our government. It is also a necessity for the governance of any organization, including our churches.
It is imperative that we all be able to sit down, discuss civilly the issues before us and come to sane, rational, sensible compromises and discussions. Negative, ad hominem attacks on the character and person of our opponents only divide us, they cannot ever unite us. Whether in church or in civil governance, we can only be united by recognizing the reality of our commonality.
Wouldn’t it be nice if every campaign rally or every church meeting began by singing All Thing Bright and Beautiful? Especially the refrain, “All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, our dear God made them all.”
Stay safe, remember to whom you truly belong, trust God,
Pastor Ray