Much has happened in the world of politics in the last few weeks, with national elections happening left, right and centre. Firstly, a six-week campaign here in the UK that resulted in a landslide victory for the Labour party, a devastating loss for the Conservatives, and the largest number of Lib Dems since Lloyd George's time, over a hundred years ago!
Across the Channel in France, we've seen the surprising success of the left versus the far right. And in the US, the unfortunately less surprising continuation of political polarisation, resulting in the horrific violence of this weekend.
You've probably seen the photo. Former President Trump behind a huddle of Secret Service agents, blood streaking down his face and his fist raised in a salute to the surrounding thousands of people who attended the rally in Pennsylvania where someone attempted to kill him. Though the bullet clipped his ear, Trump himself was relatively unharmed. However, one supporter was killed, and two others were injured.
It is a disturbing image – the idea that this is what 'democracy' has come to in one of the most powerful countries in the world. More disturbing is that this won't feel shocking to many of us. In fact, some of us might have felt that something like this was only a matter of time. Our first response to this event should be prayer for comfort for those who were there, the victims and their loved ones and prayer that we would not be desensitised to violence against anyone. No matter our political differences, everyone is deeply loved by Jesus and so should be deeply loved by us.
For those familiar with the Bible, the imagery might recall the story of Peter trying to defend Jesus during his arrest by slicing off the ear of the High Priest's slave, Malchus. Jesus rebukes Peter, saying, 'No more of this!' and immediately heals the injury. Even amid the events leading up to his crucifixion, Jesus 'turns the other cheek', not as a sign of weakness, but as a mark of his indiscriminate love for those persecuting him and his trust in God's sovereign will.
We are not called to defend our beliefs using what Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 10, 'the weapons of the world.' Sometimes politics and democracy might seem like a heady swirl of dramatic claims and events surrounding a few big figures, and we can get caught up in it, confusing these figures and the ideals they represent for a bigger reality. Like Peter, we might react impulsively, not necessarily with violent action, but in the way we speak about those on the other side of the political spectrum. It's so much easier to generalise and dehumanise, to speak without compassion, gentleness, or patience, to not take the time to listen deeply for the stories behind the beliefs.
Listening is the real work for those of us engaging in politics. Over the election campaign, I knocked on hundreds of doors and had the privilege of speaking with whoever was behind them, those who ended up voting for me, and those who didn't. In being elected, I am being trusted with the experiences they shared so I can advocate well on their behalf in Parliament.
It's not about me. I haven't been elected as some kind of 'saviour', and I don't have and nor should I claim to have all the answers. A number of Christian friends from the Conservatives lost their seats this time around, and with it their jobs and their staff's jobs. Losing your job is one thing – but rarely is it lost so publicly and humiliatingly. If we are looking for political beliefs or figures to save us, then we've got it wrong, and if we're pointing towards other people's politics as the source of all evil, then we've still got it wrong. We cannot be saved in our own strength, and this is just one of the many reasons why violence will never be the answer.
A quick plug: but this will be the theme of my lecture at the Keswick Convention this week when I will seek to make the case for Christians to be people of peace in the culture war.
You see, we have already been saved and redemption has been promised. Our responsibility is to be Christ's hands and feet, sharing this good news with everyone through our words and actions. So rather than retreating further into our own political camps, waiting for our chosen party or leader to come into power and disparaging those we disagree with, let's be proactive in reaching out to others, hearing their stories, and working together to meet the needs of the communities that God has placed us in.
To be clear, this does not mean lying down and compromising when there is injustice, particularly against the marginalised. After all, the gospel is good news for 'the poor, the sick, and the prisoner'. But when we speak up, we must 'speak the truth in love', and like Jesus, trust that God's sovereign will be done.
Let's pray for repentance and healing in our nations, for leaders that will not stoke the flames of division and violence. Pray specifically for this new parliament, and especially the huge new intake, that the culture of the place would markedly shift towards integrity in every aspect of parliamentary life and business. Pray for those Christians who are still here or have just joined, that we would be noted for our defiant gentleness and compassion, and that God would guide our work.
Tim Farron has been the Member of Parliament for Westmorland and Lonsdale since 2005, and served as the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party from 2015 to 2017. Tim is also the host of Premier's A Mucky Business' podcast, which unpacks the murky world of politics and encourages believers around the UK to engage prayerfully. He is the author of A Mucky Business: Why Christians should get involved in politics.
