Staying Salty in an Election Year
[The following is a letter I sent to our church on 6/19/2020]
Cornerstone Family,
“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” (Phil. 1:27)
This has been an unbelievably stressful, contentious and wearying year with the murder of a beloved couple in our church, COVID-19 and the multitudinous affects both have had on our individuals lives, our church, our city and our world. Many of us have experienced job loss, reduction in wages and a general increase in stress.
And this weekend, as our city and nation remember the emancipation of slaves, the President of the United States is coming to town. The rally tomorrow effectively kicks off the presidential election cycle, which is going to be noisy, persistent and maddening, regardless of your politics. Both sides will stick to the conventional playbook by demonizing the opposition and forcing people to polar extremes. In my view, no Christian should feel too comfortable in either of the dominant political parties.
In view of all this, I urge you to be prayerful and conscientious about how you engage in these public conversations, specifically on social media. Election years tend to bring out the worst in all of us. Knowing that this election is happening in a season of acute anxiety, tension and emotional exhaustion, we’ll need to exercise extra vigilance.
What we do not want to happen is to draw partisan dividing lines in the church. We don’t want to post stuff on Saturday night that is going to create an issue within the church on Sunday morning or throughout the week. That is not at all to suggest we should be indifferent to what’s going on in the world. But it is an earnest request to be mindful of the manner in which we engage. Your allegiance to Jesus the King and to the Kingdom of God is more important than your national or party allegiance.
Know also that people outside our church— those not following the way of Jesus— are watching how we participate. Consider the words of Paul to the church in Colossae: “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt” (Col. 4:5-6a).
So, I ask you to wisely steward the tone, content and frequency of your posts and conversations. Avoid sarcasm and snark and do not belittle anyone. When in doubt, keep your thoughts to yourself and pray about it. The world will not come crashing down. Consider also the percentages of your energy going to condemnation and criticism versus being a force for creativity, stirring up the good and better kingdom culture we want to see embodied in our world.
And most of all: Remember who you are. You are a citizen of the Kingdom of God. You are an ambassador for Christ. You are called to be salt and light in the world. You are one in whom the Spirit of God dwells. You have been rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought into the Kingdom of the Son.
Now, let’s encourage one another to live like it.
Love you all. Stay salty and shine brightly.
+ jon