Belligerent Christians do not know what time it is
Do we not have faith that our omnipotent God can change even the most evil hearts?
It is sad that many Christians today have effectively torn Proverbs 25:15 out of their Bibles. The thought of a gentle tone is shocking to us, especially the idea it could be effective. We think we must turn the volume all the way up to 11, and be nasty and hateful in our speech rather than trusting God. We do not believe that the civil magistrate's heart is like water in God's hand, as taught in Proverbs 21:1.
Some would say that I do not "know what time it is." we are facing an existential crisis. It was not just 2016 that was a "Flight 93 election," it is every election - especially if open Communists like Zohran Mamdani gain expanded influence in our national politics. This is wrong. God is sovereign and can change hearts. Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2:13-17 were written during the rule of the oppressive pagan Roman Empire, which was a brutally violent regime.
Do we often assume evil or malicious motives when government officials do things we do not like? I know I do. We should not be naïve and we should not abandon discernment. After all, Jesus tells us in Matthew 10 to be as wise as serpents. But far too often, we assume that someone who disagrees with is does so because he is evil, not just wrong. Nowhere was this more evident on both sides than with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Our leaders were either tyrants trying to take away our freedom or corrupt and greedy scoundrels who did not care if people suffered and died.
Yes, there is a time for a more aggressive tone. There is real evil in the world, and we must speak against that evil. Abortion still slaughters over a million babies a year in these United States alone. Open sexual debauchery has infected public places like a virus. We must warn of the consequences of sin and we must warn of the real dangers we face. We sometimes must assert our legal rights as the Apostle Paul did. But the attitude of some - that we have to be relentlessly aggressive even to people who our on our side - is something we need to abandon.