With the elections underway and political debate at its most contentious; what can Christians learn from all the strife and conflict? Unfortunately, in the modern world, emotions play the biggest role in conflict, “We often let tensions build to the exploding point and then confront people with a list of their wrongs.1” This is all too common on both sides of an argument.
The perception of feelings and emotions seem to carry the day and tend to lie in the foundation of conflict, this is a mistake. I am, however hesitant to state that all emotions are purely perceptual. If I state: “I am emotionally scared by what you did to me,” that is a fact. The other person might have a different perception as to the severity of the offense, but I think it would be a fallacy to state that all emotion is perceptual. Certainly, in most conflicting situations, emotions tend to flare and are caused by one’s own perception of the causal agent. Therefore, I can agree that most emotions are based purely on a subjective viewpoint, but so are opinions, statements, and viewpoints.
The emotional resolution needs to be handled with care and humility. Gentleness and patience seem to be the greatest weapons toward aggression; “If you succumb to sinful emotions and lash out at your enemies, others will feel justified in doing the same. But if you respond to those who wrong you with love and self-control, many people could be inspired by your example (see 1 Cor. 4:12–13, 16; 1 Tim. 4:12; Titus 2:7).2” Unfortunately politicians never use this advice, certainly not Trump or the Democrats. Civil discourse is at a new low and what Americans are dealing with is too much conflict without any resolution.
The Christian is bound by a higher power in times of conflict, it is incumbent on him/her to show proper emotional resolution. Do not let your emotions be your rudder, the ship will never right itself if emotions are the driving force. God created logic and reason for this very purpose. When situations arise that engender a conflicting position the calmer, less anxious, mind will prevail:
But relationships occur within the context of emotional processes. Under certain circumstances, people react. Forces of emotionality disrupt reasoning, valuing, and decision making. Passion interferes with judgment. The “cool head” gives way to anxiety. Uncontrolled or misguided emotion bolts into reactive behaviors, some of which are startling or disgusting. The best theology—the clearest and soundest—will help little if people lack self-control and self-awareness. Under duress, the thinking brain gives way to the lower, more automatic brains. Good theology, as well as good sense, is suspended.3
I tend to fare well in emotionally charged conflict, I had to for my vocation. I was an aggressive collections supervisor for over a decade. We dealt in personal repossession, as well as accounts receivables and collections. For anyone familiar with that line of work, it is an in-your-face, and up-your-***, domestic combat sport. I hardly went a day without someone cussing or screaming at me. From that viewpoint, you learn to handle emotions like hairstyles, everyone has one, but most of them are unusual and not well thought out. This deadened my heart towards my fellow man and made me a very shrewd and heartless businessman. I felt most people were out to rob the system and would manipulate their emotions in any direction to achieve that goal. My heart, after many years, hardened. I can testify, that if you don’t have Jesus, in your heart, even if you are an expert in conflict resolution, it can have adverse effects.
This brings us to our current atmosphere in the political terrain. It is illogical and unreasonable to expect all political apparatchiks to have the same biblical philosophy as a true follower of Christ. Most professed Christians in the political sphere are anything but. What we can control is our perception of their actions, and reactions, to conflict resolution. Christians today, in modern America, and around the world, need to be biblically savvy voters, voters who discern who the best candidate will be who will uphold and protect the Christian way of life. This does not mean we look for the candidate who is the most pious or outwardly Christian, this seldom leads to Christian governance (just take George W. Bush for example). What we are looking for is someone who can be reposed in conflicting situations and will remember that religious freedom and worship sovereignty are the targets. Let us learn from the mistakes of the COVID-19 lockdowns, Christian leadership failed us, failed the church, and ultimately failed God’s will. Leadership crumbled in conflict and most of the global Christian church did not see it coming.
“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other.”
John Adams
Footnotes:
1 Sande, K. (2004). The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict (Third Edition, p. 142). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
2 Sande, K. (2004). The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict (Third Edition, p. 36). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
3 Steinke, P. L. (2014). Healthy Congregations: A Systems Approach (2nd ed., p. 91). Lanham, MD; Boulder; New York; Toronto; Plymouth, UK: Rowman & Littlefield.
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