It is hard, I catch myself every day and need to repent daily. I was reading recently about the concept of ‘beyondism’.

David Brooks coined the term beyondist - A beyondist is someone who urges us to get beyond left/right distinctions, beyond partisan politics, beyond the stymied options of the day.

Human nature resists that - since politics is about power, we are called to resist that need in ourselves, that is the radical call of Christianity. There are times partisanship is necessary, using systems to assist change is necessary. Diversity is healthy for a democracy.

I think the golden rule is a good place to start, Jesus answer to what is the greatest commandment has been lifechanging for me in all my relationships whether personal, system or political.

However, Jesus asks us to love and care for our enimies. What often gets lost to the modern reader in the parable of the Good Samaritan is how much a “good” Jew of that era hated Samaritans; the idea of a good Samaritan would have been an oxymoron to Jesus’ listeners.

There are times where the gospel is conservative, where it’s fighting against negative change; such is the case for many American activists today. However, we’ll also see where the gospel is of a liberal/reform nature, fighting for positive change, as in the case of Wilberforce, the US Civil Rights movement of the mid-20th century and folks questioning the interrogation tactics of the military and CIA today.

Technically I don’t become a Dr. until May’s graduation - then I can write prescriptions.
Thanks for the quote from Stackhouse.