I recently spoke about what it looks like to become communities of belonging. I’m aware that many of our communities are places where we only belong if we all think the same way and believe the same thing. It’s true for many of us in the political sphere. It’s true for many of us in our families, our social circles, and even our churches.
I’m struck by how tempted I am to surround myself by people with whom I agree and to disregard those with whom I disagree. And this temptation helps me remember how much we need real relationships with people with whom we share something important and with whom we also really disagree.
I find myself tempted to divide the church into “real” Christians (which is to say, ones who share my take on what the Bible means and how we should live that out and, therefore, my political convictions) and “fake” or “nominal” or “political” ones. But what if people who actually read the same Bible and worship the same God also disagree about any number of political issues? The historic and current reality is that a shared faith in Jesus spans a really wide political spectrum.
Which leads me to the uncomfortable invitation to become curious, to really engage with honest questions and genuine interest in how other people see the world. I need to understand why people who want what I want—to follow Jesus, to live in a way that reflects the goodness of God, to love our neighbors well—are more liberal or more conservative than I am. And then I need to continue to walk alongside these very people, willing to learn, willing to disagree, willing to love.
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