The most divisive issue in American today is political affiliation – specifically presidential political affiliation.  It is more divisive than race or economics or any other issue that has been predominant in American public life.

Hateful, contemptuous, and dehumanizing, rhetoric and memes can easily be found on both sides of the political spectrum.  Unfortunately this kind of language and messages are not limited to being aimed only at the presidential candidates, but at their supporters as well.  The political “other” is commonly ridiculed, demeaned, belittled, and degraded in a thousand different ways.  It is too commonly assumed on both sides that no moral, intelligent, informed, and caring individual could possibly support the “other” candidate, so one or even all of these attributes must be missing from these individuals.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, it doesn’t stop there; on both sides of the spectrum can be found whispers of the threat of bloodshed.  The whispers from the right more often take the form of personal violence – the scrappy individual fighting and killing to defend their rights and freedoms from the tyrannical state.  The whispers from the left more often take the form of the violence of the state – the more refined and enlightened statist passing laws and policies that send public servants to do violence on their behalf against the non-conformists and the non-compliant who have for too long been resisting the greater good.

This dehumanizing polarization is eerily familiar to the political environments that led up to some of the worst horrors of the 20^th century.  Remember Nazism, socialism, communism, and fascisms were not forced on a large percentage of their respective populations – they were ushered in through significant popular support.    And though we look back on these movements and governments with shame and horror today, many of these abuses and horrors were not done in the secrecy we would like to believe  – people often knew about them, or at least enough about them.  Much of the time people felt indifferent or even good about what was happening to “the other” – the rats, the vermin, the enemies of the state, the separatists, the radicals, etc.

All of these things were made possible because of our human ability and tendency to dehumanize – to strip people of their inherent worth and dignity that is theirs if for no other reason than they are human, a child of God, someone made in the image of God no matter how badly that image is marred.  We can so easily through our words and attitudes turn people into things –  objects that can be discarded, and perhaps even “need to be” gotten rid of.

And here we are again; at least to some degree.  A powerful nation divided over values, morals, and visions for the future.  And because many people on both sides feel that so much is at stake, concern is high and fear is high; and surprisingly hateful, contemptuous, dehumanizing, and even threatening rhetoric can be found to one degree or another in far too many political conversations.

So how do we then, in this highly contentious and even possibly dangerous political environment faithfully live out The Way of Jesus?  How can Jesus still today, lead us to a better way?

Fortunately for Christians, this is an environment in which The Way of Jesus speaks so simply and clearly.  Even the most basic glance at the teachings and example of Jesus can shed a bright light on the right path.

In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus teaches us that what is more important than anything else, more important than whichever political candidate we support, is that we love God with all that we are and right behind that, is that we love our neighbor as ourselves.

In Matthew 5:43-45, Jesus tells us to not just love our friends and people who are like us, but to also love our enemies and pray for those hurt us and do us wrong.

Then in John 13:1-17 to model for us how we should treat each other, Jesus performed the task of the lowliest of servants.  He washed and scrubbed the dirt and filth off of his disciples feet, even the disciple – his friend – who he knew was about to betray him to torture and death.

Finally, in Luke 23:34, Jesus prayed for the people who were actively mocking him, humiliating him, taunting him, torturing him, and killing him when he said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

If we are to follow The Way of Jesus we will move against the divisive political current that is flowing through our nation by giving humanizing love, dignity, and respect even to those who hold views and support policies that we are morally opposed to. We will speak up for what is right and speak out against what is wrong; while at the same time guarding the human worth and dignity of every child of God – even those who we believe are against us.  We will pray for and find ways to humbly serve those who we feel are a threat to our way of life.   And in life and in death, in hardship and in comfort, we will continue to be a loving and moral people of enduring hope.