The following is an excerpt from an article I wrote for Intersect.
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The election is finally over. After more than a year of tumult, America has elected a new president. It was a particularly chaotic and difficult campaign, and like most people, I am grateful that it has come to an end. But even as we enjoy this respite, we should take the time to ask what lessons might be learned from election 2016.
Evangelicals were prominently featured throughout the entire campaign. There was much discussion about our approach to politics and how our votes might be allocated. And like it or not, the way we engage the political sphere is a part of our public witness. I will leave it to others to provide a more detailed analysis, but considering the importance of this subject, I wanted to share five reflections on evangelicals and our politics taken from these many months.
1. Christians need more political discourse, not less.
I know this statement seems counterintuitive. I know that because I also have those Facebook friends who are constantly engaged in never-ending, unproductive debate. But that isn’t what I’m referring to. Instead, I am thinking of the honest conversations that I shared with other believers around my dinner table, in coffee shops or after a church service. Far from the invective of digital debate, I found these face to face conversations to be immensely helpful and sincere. Through those conversations, I was able to hear from other believers who were wrestling with the volatility of American politics and trying to reconcile their politics with their Christian worldview.
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Read the entire article here.
Joshua Wester 