My goodness. In just a few short days, we have certainly seen the public discourse sink to new levels of bottom. From Madonna wanting to blow up the White House, to the bullying of Barron Trump, to the puzzlement of the president’s press secretary. Wasn’t it Mark Twain who said, “never argue with people who buy ink by the barrel”?
Our national dialogue has been polarized and full of vitriol for some time now. It doesn’t appear the new administration is turning that around any time soon. What can be done? The issues we see non-stop on Cable TV news are national in scope. They are the largest issues—the realm of decision-makers in government, privileged advocates and their “loyal” opposition. They are also the realm of angels and forces for good as well as the realm of dark world rulers.
To the “talking heads,” journalists, and reporters, these issues have very little to do with matters spiritual. In their minds, these issues can only be solved by national cultural mandates—by getting enough people to change their heart, soul, and mind, and do so publicly, regarding one side or the other. That’s not going to happen. These issues are so complex and so huge, can any of us make a decisive impact? Wouldn’t Satan want us to think that we’re powerless to do anything about this?
You have talked about this recently if not with each other, certainly in your church or community. I must have read three recent Facebook posts from friends and family about the tone of their posts. There are now news stories about people concerned about the long-term relational impacts of what they’re saying on social media. They didn’t change their positions or values. Rather, in these posts they discussed style and tone of the dialogue. And you’ve thought about this, too, with respect to how you appear to your social media friends and your family and in the circles of influence in which you roam.
We live in an era when our efforts are attacked by those who seek to marginalize us and make our values irrelevant. Our opponents may concede that we exist but they often label our positions and efforts as “politically extreme, culturally old-fashioned, and unworthy of serious consideration.” They want to discourage us from advocating for the truth by trying to get us to believe that “the debate is over” or the “science is settled” or we’re on “the wrong side of history.” Good try. Scientists will tell you, if they’re truthful, that science is never really settled. Historians who think that the only history that matters is that which is being written today are either naïve or not historians. Still, we can’t do anything about that.
But, there is something we can do. Should we respond to these attacks in-kind returning label for label, or seek a dialogue of engagement with those who differ with our opinions? Is there something else we can do that will earn for us the right to be heard in the marketplace of ideas? What does Scripture say about all of this?
We talk about this on this website. Why not sign up for the Culture War College Basic Course? We discuss what you should do in Lesson Eight. You might even find the first seven lessons are helpful as well. You’ll need to register or log-in here. The best part of this course is that it won’t cost you anything, except some margins of time.
Go ahead and check us out. Satan wants us to feel defeated. But, why should we do that, when we’re already on the winning side?