A recent article in The Wall Street Journal highlighted the growing polarity among Americans as we head down the home stretch of a strange and divisive Presidential election. According a recent Pew survey, there has been a sharp uptick in mutual disdain among self-identified Republicans and Democrats since 2016. Yet the same survey also shows over 50% of Americans make up what is often called “the exhausted majority” who are tired of the two parties and wish for more options.
This has motivated many groups, such as One America and Braver Angels, to create environments to help lower the political temperature. I have attended several Braver Angels events and have come away impressed by the group’s efforts to bring people together across political divides without asking them to give up their deeply held beliefs.
The political divisions afflicting America today are undeniably deep. Our political parties are the most polarized in terms of policies and personalities that they’ve been since the Vietnam War. We should not be surprised that American citizens, participating in the process, are making choices that line up with their values. As someone who has been a lifelong conservative and happily active in politics, I urge Christians to engage the public square. If we truly love our neighbors as Jesus commanded us to do, how can we not work to shape the policies that affect our neighbor’s flourishing?
Click Here to Read More (Originally Published at Providence)
Daniel is director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. His forthcoming book is Agents of Grace. He is also a bestselling author of several other books, including The Original Jesus, The Dignity Revolution, The Characters of Christmas, The Characters of Easter, and A Way With Words, and the host of a popular weekly podcast, The Way Home. Dan holds a bachelor’s degree in pastoral ministry from Dayspring Bible College, has studied at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and is a graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Angela, have four children.
