The Democratic Process: We Talk, Argue, Campaign, March, Vote; We Don't Firebomb

The Wired Word for the Week of October 23, 2016

In the News

Last weekend, someone threw a firebomb through the window of a Republican party office in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and spray-painted an adjacent building with a swastika and the words "Nazi Republicans leave town or else." The blaze did a good deal of damage to the inside of the office before going out on its own.

Within hours, however, one Massachusetts Democrat took action to raise money to reopen the building.

David Weinberger set up a GoFundMe page with the goal of raising $10,000 to help rebuild the GOP office.

On the GoFundMe page, Weinberger wrote:

As Democrats, we are starting this campaign to enable the Orange County, North Carolina, Republican office to reopen as soon as possible. Until an investigation is undertaken, we cannot know who did this or why. No matter the result, this is not how Americans resolve their differences. We talk, we argue, sometimes we march, and most of all we vote. We do not resort to violence by individuals or by mobs.

Within 40 minutes of posting the page, the goal was reached and surpassed, for a total of $13,117. At that point, no further donations were accepted. Instead, Weinberger suggested that those who still wished to give, contribute to a North Carolina classroom through DonorsChoose.

Among those who appended comments to the GoFundMe page were some who voiced conspiracy theories and others who wanted to argue politics. A few said that the matter should be left for insurance coverage to pay for, and there were even a couple of comments from people who seemed to misunderstand the fundraising effort. Many more comments, however, were supportive, as these samples indicate:

"I'm a Democrat but I don't believe in violence," wrote one man who made a $25 donation.

Another said, "I lean more towards the conservative side, but want to say that I feel everyone involved in this fundraiser is a class act. Thank you for showing everyone that, regardless of political affiliations, we are all Americans and we take care of each other."

Still another wrote, "Not a Republican, but we all stand together against such anti-democratic violence."

Even after donations were closed, comments continued. One person wrote "Bravo, folks -- I'm sorry I missed the cutoff for donations. This is exactly the necessary and appropriate response."

Another said, "I am voting for Hillary, but I condemn this violence, and attack on our voting process. The people responsible for this must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. If the campaign had not been cut off, I would have donated. I am sorry that this happened to my fellow citizens."

More on this story can be found at these links:

Democrat-Led Crowdfunding Campaign Raises $13,000 to Help Reopen Firebombed NCGOP Office. Fox 8
Democrats Raise $13K to Reopen Firebombed GOP Headquarters. USA TodayFirebombing of G.O.P.Office Jolts Fragile Balance of a North Carolina Town. The New York TimesDems Help Reopen a NC Repub Office. GoFundMe

The Big Questions

1. To what degree should Christians engage in political discussions, and why?

2. In what ways, if at all, do you engage in political discussions with people who support a candidate you do not support? What do you do if the conversation becomes heated? Is what you do when it becomes heated the same as what, according to your Christian faith, you feel you should do?

3. In what ways, if any, do you try to give the views of those you don't agree with politically a fair hearing? If you don't do this, should you? Why or why not?

4. To what extent should strong opinions on a single issue, such as abortion or who gets to appoint the next Supreme Court justice, affect how we engage with people who see that issue differently?

5. When, based on a discussion with someone who supported your candidate's opponent, have you reconsidered who you would vote for? What made that conversation helpful and/or persuasive?

Confronting the News With Scripture and HopeOne of the difficulties of using the Bible to discuss the actions of citizens who have the right to vote to select leaders is that the people of the Bible did not live under that form of government. Thus the Bible offers no verses specifically about living in such a society. Nonetheless, the following verses may be helpful:

2 Chronicles 36:1
The people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king to succeed his father in Jerusalem. (For context, read 35:20--36:4.)

As indicated above, the people of the Bible did not live in societies where leaders were selected by an electoral process. Before the time of King Saul, they essentially lived in a loose confederation with ad hoc leaders, and before that, as self-governing tribes and clans. From the time of King Saul on, for the most part, the people of the Bible lived in monarchies, sometimes under foreign rulers. Such was the case after the exile and in the time of the New Testament.

The verse above is from the final years of Judah's monarchy, after King Josiah had been killed in battle with the Egyptians. It reports that following Josiah's death, the people made Josiah's son Jehoahaz their king, but it doesn't tell us what process led to Jehoahaz's enthronement.

The verse does say "the people of the land" made Jehoahaz king (the parallel verse in 2 Kings 23:30 says they "anointed" him), and "the people the land" may simply mean the subjects of that kingdom, but more probably it means a group of influential leaders. Whatever the case, it wasn't a democratic process. In fact, given that kings were normally succeeded by their oldest male offspring, the selection of Jehoahaz may have been a foregone conclusion.

And, under the circumstances, with a threat from Egypt close at hand, it may have been an act of desperation as well. (As it turned out, Jehoahaz reigned only three months before the Egyptians deposed him, took him in chains to Egypt, levied a tribute on Judah and installed his brother Eliakim, also known as Jehoiakim, in his place.)

The verse above does illustrate that the Judahites believed that some sort of governmental structure with a leader at the head was necessary.

Questions: What are your thoughts about the political process under which we select our president? How, if at all, would you like to see it changed? Why?

Matthew 7:12
In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. (No context needed.)

This is the "Golden Rule," from Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. The "law and the prophets" refers to the Hebrew Bible (our Old Testament), which was the scripture available in Jesus' day, and so Jesus is saying that the essence of scripture is contained in this Golden Rule principle.

The excellent paraphrase of the Bible, The Message, words the verse this way: "Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God's Law and Prophets and this is what you get."

Questions: Might the GoFundMe me page be seen as an application of the Golden Rule? Why or why not? When have you done something similar for someone who opposed your views?

1 John 4:20Those who say, "I love God," and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. (For context, read 4:16-21.)

Questions: Who today are the "brothers and sisters" to whom this verse refers? Could they include the supporters of your candidate's opponent? Why or why not? How do you feel about the "liars" accusation in this verse?
What is the love to which this verse refers? Is it a warm feeling? a neighborly obligation? a sacrificial action? material giving? an absence of malice? forgiveness for wrongs? all of the above?

Romans 12:18, 20If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ... "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." (For context, read 12:14-21.)

Here the apostle Paul acknowledges that living peaceably with all is not always possible, but that we should do as much as we can -- "so far as it depends on you" -- to be at peace with others. That seems especially applicable during political seasons.

In talking about heaping burning coals on an enemy's head, Paul is quoting Proverbs 25:21-22. In his commentary Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon (Immersion Bible Studies, Abingdon, 2011), TWW team member Frank Ramirez comments, "In ancient warfare, the mistreatment of enemy prisoners was commonplace. Against that, this bit of wisdom attributed to Solomon suggests doing just the opposite. If you really want to get even with your enemies, kill them with kindness. This counterintuitive advice just might work. It is actually a fairly sophisticated strategy for winning a war. Leaving embittered survivors only plants the seeds for the next war. But long-term peace and stability can result from unexpectedly kind behavior."

(The Romans, who were warlike and severe, adopted a modification of this policy, in some cases, elevating conquered peoples to Roman citizenship. Paul, for example, was a Roman citizen [Acts 22:25]).

By the way, we mean no parallelism between the "burning coals" and the firebomb. The first was simply a figurative expression, with roots in ancient ceremonies; the latter was a criminal act.

Questions: What are our Christian options when someone makes it impossible to live peaceably with him or her? What kindness might you heap upon that person? In the current rancorous political environment, might support or kindness from opponents have the effect of leaving people less embittered? Where have you tried to show graciousness to someone who disagreed with you politically?

For Further Discussion

1. Discuss together Romans 14:1 -- "Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions."

2. Respond to this: Hillsborough, North Carolina, where the GOP office was firebombed, is the hometown of Steven Petrow, who writes the Civilities column for The Washington Post.Writing in The Post after the incident, he said, "Like just about everyone in my hometown, I was first shocked and then saddened to hear that the county GOP headquarters was firebombed Saturday night, with a swastika and the words 'Nazi Republicans leave town or else' spray-painted on a nearby building. ... But what interested me more was the reaction of the friends and neighbors who posted over and over on Mayor Tom Stevens Facebook page: 'We are not this.' And: 'This is NOT representative of our community.' No, this act is not representative of the 6,000 souls who live here, but it is yet another example of the hate and violence that can explode just about anywhere. My hometown. Your hometown.
            "Thank God no one was hurt. But make no mistake, the impact of the firebombing is frightening in a completely different way. As Stevens, a registered Democrat who, like everyone who runs in our town's nonpartisan elections, serves without a party affiliation, said: 'Its hateful message undermines decency, respect and integrity in civic participation.'"
            Stevens went on to tell more about the damage and the investigation, and then concluded, "As I left the charred offices Monday morning, Republican campaign workers were busy: New phone lines were about to be installed. Glass was set to be replaced. Campaign literature for state GOP candidates was being handed out to passersby. All as it should be three weeks before Election Day. As Stevens told me: 'If anything, all these efforts reflect who we are in this community. We can and do have differences, but we believe in civil discourse and have faith in our civic processes.' And this, I believe, is how Hillsborough is representative of the best in America." (See full article here.)

3. Discuss this: While we aren't suggesting that the political differences in the United States are on the scale of Christian-Muslim conflicts in places like Nigeria, it's worth noting that people working for peace there emphasize respect, dialog and compassion, which is beneficial in any disagreement.
            Musa Mambula, a Church of the Brethren leader in Nigeria, has been acknowledged by his home country of Nigeria for his contributions toward the betterment of Nigerian society. This year, he was honored with the Custodian of Nigerian Dream Award at the Nigerian Rebirth Conference in Abuja, Nigeria. 
            Speaking to a denominational gathering recently in the United States, he told how the EYN (Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), in an age of persecution and terrorism, is facing the challenges of Boko Haram, and nonetheless working to build Christian-Muslim relations. Mambula commented: "In the challenges we are passing through, I am emphasizing our peace stand: tolerance, respect for each others' religions, dialogue and community -- showing real, deep love for our neighbors. We do not believe in retaliation. We must show love, compassion and forgiveness and preach peace."

Responding to the News

This is a good time to recall 1 Timothy 2:1-2, which says, "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity." Here the apostle Paul offers direction that we Christians should take to heart, both now and after the presidential election, regardless of who wins.

This is also a good time to consider what the relationship is between godliness and prayer, and to contemplate why Paul says prayer should be about matters not only related to the church, but far beyond it as well.

Prayer

Lord God, as this election approaches, help us to better understand the issues and concerns that confront our country, and how the gospel compels us to respond as faithful citizens. We ask for eyes that are free from blindness so that we might see each other as brothers and sisters, one and equal in dignity. And no matter who is elected, may his or her leadership take us in the right ways. In Jesus' name. Amen.