Whose Team is God On?

 

It isn't a huge revelation to say that our country, and our world seems more divided than ever.   It's only my opinion, but it seems as if a large part of it is goaded, prodded, and pushed through social media and what used to be called 'news'.  The last post spoke of the task of Jesus followers to create environments for human flourishing and removing hindrances to human flourishing.  I'm thinking that social media, and perhaps media in general have tipped more toward a hindrance to flourishing than a beneficial factor toward it.  The behind the screen written sniper shots aren't coming only from those who don't follow Jesus, sadly.

If the differing ideologies have enough emotional steam it results in anger, frustration, conflict, disorder, chaos, violence and eventually war.  For those of us who are Jesus followers, we know from scripture that the enemy is constantly trying to drag God's good creation back to it's state of being "tohu va bohu", Hebrew for "formless and void".  In other words being drawn toward chaos and disorder back to a pre-creation state which is the process of de-creation.  

One of the features of division comes from an ever intensifying us/them mentality.  Another way to describe what seems to be happening is an intrenchment of tribalism. Tribes can be made up of families, neighborhoods, cities, teams, states, nations, and in fact virtually any form of social group.  Tribalism is when there is a strong loyalty to a certain tribe with which one may find himself identifying. I think tribalism is somewhat inevitable and can be ok.  I like the OU Sooners football team and have a sense of loyalty to the team because they are in my state.  I don't feel the same about Alabama.  I was thrilled when OU beat Alabama in last weeks game.  I have a couple of shirts and ball caps to show support to that group.  Members of that tribe can meet total strangers wearing OU apparel and call out "BOOMER" to which the response "SOONER" will be belted out.  It's part of being that tribe and all in good fun.  Football is a game.

Families can also be tribes.  In the movie Billy Madison, in almost every grade that Billy attends in his attempt to finally graduate from high school, he's met by a member of the red-headed clan who proudly call out, "O'Doyle rules!".  The Bloods and the Crips are notorious neighborhood tribal entities.  And of course these days, no one can avoid the pervasive tribal loyalties of the democrats and republicans. 

I don't think there is anything wrong with having a certain amount of loyalty to a group with which you identify, but when it becomes rabid tribalism, tribalism run amok, that's when it's feeding into the hands of the enemy of God and humanity.  When loyalty to a group ceases to feed human flourishing and the good life, it becomes a tool of the enemy.

Cyprus was a beautiful island which at one time was highly cooperative and communicative, as any group sharing an island should be.  One of the amazing facts of their pre-1950's peaceful cohabitation was that the island was comprised of Greek Christians and Turkish Muslims.  There are two groups that share little in common, yet they lived together in relative peace and harmony. They met together and shared ideas with one another regularly.

Tribalism slowly crept in and barriers to peaceful cooperation were built.  Hard and fast lines were drawn, figurative walls were built.  Any kind of communication or engagement with the 'other side' quickly became a sign of disloyalty to 'your side'.  Soon friends started betraying friends when they were caught fraternizing with 'them'.  In the article "The Thin Line Between Tribalism and Human Flourishing reports that "Any attempts by political and spiritual leaders (who were indeed attempting to restore peace) who reached out to the other side were silenced, shunned and intimidated, and some were targeted and killed by extremists ON THEIR OWN SIDE"!! (emphasis mine).  Tribalism can quickly revert to cannibalism, a group eating its own kind.

Soon my side saw your side as a "mysterious and dangerous outgroup, the barbarians at the gates".  Whoever 'they' were, they were the enemy.  Why?  Only because extreme groups within said so. As in the famous "West Side Story" soon the original reason for the animosity between the gangs is long forgotten, and 'they' are simply hated because they are 'them'.  Each side feels only their own pain.  Both sides suffer, but 'their' pain isn't acknowledged. There isn't room for someone else's pain.

The above noted article states a very stark truth, "Tribalists would rather be a slave to their tribal identity than a member of a flourishing society."  They would rather blow up paradise in their tribalistic violence in civil war than enjoy the good life together.  A gorgeous Mediterranean island reduced to rubble and ruined. Sound familiar?

As a Jesus follower, I don't find it surprising to see tribalism occurring at all, much less very pronounced tribalism.  That's what the enemy of God wants.  Violence, killing, anger, disorder, chaos, division, unforgiveness, hatred and the like reigns supreme and fast tracks people to a reversal of God's "very good" creative work to a "formless and void" state.

What I do find surprising and very discouraging is when tribalism is so pronounced among followers of Jesus.  Politics takes the forefront these days, but hard and fast tribal boundaries have also been seen in denominationalism, theological stances, methods, beliefs and ideas.  Declaring 'them' to be in or out, right or wrong, good or bad.  Whenever students of Jesus begin saying "us" and "them" we have already betrayed our tribalism. 

I'm not sure there has been 'friendly' tribalism like the OU Sooner/Alabama Tide game kind.  I see one group claiming the moral high ground in their stance while a group with a completely opposite stance also claiming moral high ground.  My question is, is God behind OU or Alabama??  What I see is hand grenades to nukes being lobbed between 'sides' all the while claiming God's favor.

We somehow got to the place where we think that unless you agree with me in everything, or at least the important things (what I define as what GOD says is important) then I can't talk to you or get along with you. I can't even LIKE you much less LOVE you.  Well, I love you but by believing THAT, you're still "going to hell".  Fraternizing with the 'other side' shows not only that you may not be one of 'us', but that maybe you weren't one of 'us' to start with.  Let the cannibalizing begin.

When the church uses the words "us" and "them", she's already failed at being image bearers for our Creator. 

Jesus did say that the gospel of His kingdom would divide people.  But not the way we tend to make it. I believe that the hard and fast rejection of His gracious offer of forgiveness of sin and reconciliation to God divides.  It's not Jesus followers tribally chasing off 'them', the unbelievers, it's unbelievers choosing to walk away from Jesus' offer.

I don't even want to start on politics but here we are.  Is God a Democrat or Republican?  Believers on both sides claiming moral high ground.  As a cartoon I saw recently said, "your moral high ground is so high I'm surprised there's any oxygen left."  Can both be 'right' at the same time?  Is God for one and against the other 'side'?  Does it matter who's right?  Does truth matter?

I believe truth matters.  I have also come to believe that rabid tribalism is a sin against God.  What you believe about truth really has nothing to do with me.  An episode of Seinfeld had Elaine talking to her then boyfriend Puddy:

Elaine: Oh. So, you're pretty religious?

Puddy: That's right.

Elaine: So is it a problem that I'm not really religious?

Puddy: Not for me.

Elaine: Why not?

Puddy: I'm not the one going to hell.

While a bit wrong in choice of words there may be partial sanity to Puddy's attitude.  Why do we allow someone with different beliefs, ideas, and positions bother us so much?  Should we care?  Yes!  Shouls we let it bother us? Probably not.  Why do we cut off communication, name call, ostracize, slander, malign, and speak so poorly of those who maintain different views? Why do we get so angry, label, and yes, sometimes even threaten violence (and sadly some execute) toward them?  I've even witnessed believers wish assassination on political leaders in the name of tribalism.  Perhaps love, grace, and peace is more important than proving yourself right while demanding those around us be in lock step ideologically or they are forever shunned, labeled, or even relegated to hell in our minds and attitudes. 

Sentencing people as if we are wearing the black robe of Revelation 20 is playing on the throne, a place none of us belongs.  Does truth matter?  Of course it does.  You have the responsibility to seek truth and live by it as a follower of Jesus.  You worry about you, let him worry about those around you.  Does that mean you can't speak the truth you believe?  Of course not.  What it does mean is that the hearers aren't required to believe it just because you say it.  That doesn't make that person a "them".  It makes them believe differently.  

The kingdom of God has no tribes.  Jesus had a lot to say about how human flourishing is best achieved in relationships, even when we're wronged, mistreated, or abused in Matthew chapters five through seven.  Paul essentially declared there is no tribalism in God's kingdom, "There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus." - Galatians 3:28.  In many other passages as in Ephesians chapter 2 he infers the same, "He destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility" between a highly tribalistic Jewish audience concerning their attitude toward the  pagan Greeks, having to accept that those Greeks were also invited to be a part of God's kingdom.

I became aware of a very telling passage as Jesus began preaching the gospel of the kingdom, telling of the upcoming inauguration of that kingdom, the kingdom of which he was the promised king.  He quoted Isaiah 61 which was known to be the foretelling of a coming king and what he intended to be doing.  The people were thrilled, because they knew he was a local boy, Joseph's son (as they understood it anyway).  

But then the tables turned to the point they were going to kill him by throwing him off a cliff!  That was part of the same sermon he preached.  What was it that so infuriated them that they would kill the one that moment's before were celebrating as the promised Messiah, the Servant of Isaiah?  

He simply said: " But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers[a] in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”

He was saying that God chose to attend to people in the heathen nations in these instances instead of people who had similar needs in Israel.  For him to suggest that God may show love, mercy, and grace to pagans who don't deserve it?  Who don't follow Torah?  Who don't keep the festivals, obey law, or are genetically one of the 12 tribes? That infuriated that proud Jewish audience.  

Pardon me sir, your tribalism is showing.  I believe that Jesus will confront us with our tribalism and do everything  he can to encourage us to root it out.  Anger and violence is not a part of His kingdom, it's a part of the enemy's realm.

It's interesting that Paul says it's ok to divide.  In Titus 3 he says to separate yourself from divisive people.  "Warn a divisive person once, warn him a second time. After that have nothing to do with him." Presumably when he decides he wants to play nice, forgiveness and restoration come into play.  God is all about relationships.  Are people stepping away from you?  If so, is it because they are stepping away from God's offer of grace or because you're a rabid tribalist? 

But what if the wrong president get elected??  Our country will be ruined!  We'll be fascist! We'll be woke!  We'll let illegal immigrants in!  We'll force illegal immigrants out!  God will not honor the wrong government!  Interesting we have a lock on what God thinks is the 'right' government. If you look back at Samuel, you'll see it was never God's intention that we have a form of government outside of Him.  Yet, it is extremely important to note that while in Babylon (not exactly a godly government doing godly things) being dismissed from their own land due to Israel not trusting in God but instead living on their own terms they are exiled.  They were exiled, according to Isaiah, to purify them.  God's intention was that through suffering due to ignoring Him they would wake up and come back to Him.  He promised that after 70 years there, he would bring them back.  So in the meantime were they to call the Babylonians names, label them, insult them, become violent to force the 'right' form of government on them?  No!  Listen to what he tells them through the prophet Jeremiah in 29:5-7:

“Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Find wives for yourselves, and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and give your daughters to men in marriage so that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease. 7 Pursue the well-being[b] of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the Lord on its behalf, for when it thrives, you will thrive."

He didn't say 'keep to yourselves', or 'make sure they know whose side you're on', or 'make life miserable for the evil Babylonians'.  No!  He essentially said, let life go on as if you were in your own homeland. Most surprisingly God instructed them to help Babylon prosper or fare well. What?? But they're the ENEMY!!  He tells them that if Babylon thrives, they thrive.  He wants 'us' to pray for 'their' flourishing!  Maybe, just maybe, God was trying to tell them, and us, that human flourishing and image bearing can take place in even the worst of circumstances or environments!

There seems to be a trend around the holidays to either choose not to get together with family due to a conflict in beliefs, or exclude inviting family members due to the same, or to intentionally do things to provoke family members who disagree politically or otherwise.  If the laser focus is on the issue that is by far not more important than family relationships and the focus is off of love, then the family is disintegrating.  "By this everyone will know you are my disciples, if you....are in the right political party? right denomination? Have the right view of the rapture or millennium? Keep the sabbath, obey the law, etc. etc. etc.. NO!  "If you love one another."  That includes loving (behavior) those who don't believe everything you do.  Let God sort it out.

Perhaps instead of hiding behind a screen typing hateful replies to others you disagree with, you find ways to make social media a place where humans can actually flourish instead of a war zone.  Perhaps instead of thinking 'us' and 'them', you simply consider only 'us', inclusive of all humanity who wer created in the image of God.  Perhaps instead of extricating yourself from your family and friends during the holidays, no matter the reason, (I do believe there may be times to separate yourself for a short time to heal from some unhealthy circumstances - and saying that I know will allow many people an illegitimate 'out'), instead involve yourself in relationships, engage in love, grace, forgiveness, mercy, peace and things that promote flourishing wherever you are.  Remove the barrier of flourishing that is called tribalism. Repent of it and begin to enjoy the good life!  FG