Why Government Will Never Have/Be the Solution

For quite some time I've been sick of politics. The constant fighting, bickering, finger pointing, and the "us" vs. "them" structure there is between the parties, has me dizzy and annoyed. The "us" vs. "them" attitude also extends into fights between nations, religious group, and races, and I can't help but think that somewhere we are missing the mark. That politics, as we know them, aren't the solution. My mind has been swirling with a bunch of questions, and those questions have led me to a different, still evolving, perspective.

I've been super challenged with the idea of pacifism- actively seeking peace without violence, loving your neighbor and your enemies unconditionally, radical generosity, and service to others. The more I learn about Christ and see what his life modeled, the more I see that those are things that followers of His must confront. 

My confrontation with those ideas, coupled with some great podcasts and books, have led me to consider the real reason why politics frustrate me... It's that the political systems in the world seek power through force, and threat of punishment. Laws are in place to give us boundaries and to hopefully modify potentially harmful behavior, by having clear consequences for those certain behaviors. Many people don't break the law or don't harm others for fear of consequence. Though I believe we need laws, and ways to keep us accountable for our actions, governmental systems don't get to the root of the problem. Governments don't deal with people's hearts. They can set parameters in place to keep people in line, but they can't change anyone's desire to do those things in the first place. Governments rule over people, with threat of penalty and punishment...and we can see where that has gotten us. Conflict, arguments, and war. Lots of war.

What is the solution to war, conflict, and personal and political discord? It's a shift in perspective. It's turning the systems we live under, upside down. It's viewing others as equals. It's considering that we have the same tendencies to be extremists as the Muslims and that we feel just as passionately about our agenda as they do. No cause is more righteous than other- not even America's cause, because we are all fallen, and in need of grace. It's saying that instead of retaliating, we will seek for peaceful ways to manage and solve conflict. It's considering and putting others' needs before our own. It's giving generously, instead of holding tightly to what we consider is "ours." It's loving your enemies to the point of self-sacrifice. It's passionately serving. It's humbling ourselves before each other. It's dealing with matters of the heart, and changing from the inside out. It's "power under," not "power over," as Greg Boyd puts in his book "Myth of a Christan Nation."

So you can imagine that yesterday, when the Supreme Court didn't overturn what's affectionately called "Obamacare," I was annoyed at all the accusatory words, and nasty finger pointing from both sides. The truth is, we can't expect that one system or program is perfect and/or will solve our problems. The question is, where do we put our hope? If our hope is in political systems we will always be let down, and there will always be fighting and bloodshed.  Refocusing our purpose and attention is what solves problems. And that's about grace, love, understanding, and service... not lording power over others.

I never want to assume that all of my readers consider themselves Christians, but because it's a part of my life, I write about it. But, whether you subscribe to a certain faith or not, I think we can all agree that kindness, gentleness, and understanding is important, and changes people. However, if you do consider yourself someone who follows Christ, then I invite you to join me in wrestling with the complexities of what putting so much weight on politics and government can bring, and consider where to align ourselves. Worldly or heavenly.

This is new to me, so in no way am I fully "there." I'm just trying to be honest with my thoughts, in hopes that we can journey through this together.

Have a wonderful weekend!
~Jessica

Many of the thoughts in this post are in response to, and in paraphrase of Greg Boyd's "Myth of a Christian Nation." I wanted to give credit where it's due.