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A divisive tale of two American presidents

A divisive tale of two American presidents

Last updated on: January 9, 2025 at 6:21 am by Jim Denison

A divisive tale of two American presidents 2025-01-09T06:21:56-06:00 Jim Denison

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

President-elect Donald Trump has been in the news a lot in recent days.

He asked the US Supreme Court to block his New York hush money sentencing scheduled for tomorrow. Since winning the election, he has repeatedly raised the idea of taking over the Panama Canal from Panama and taking control of Greenland from Denmark. He has also said that Canada should become the 51st US state.

Meanwhile, the remains of former President Jimmy Carter were brought into the US Capitol on Tuesday, where the public has paid their respects ahead of his funeral at the Washington National Cathedral later today. The service begins at 10 a.m. EST; his remains will later be transported to Plains, Georgia, for a private interment this evening at 5:20 p.m.

How to know your neighbors’ politics

Reactions to all of the above have been as partisan as you might expect. Many of Mr. Trump’s supporters believe in his legal innocence and applaud his desire to expand America’s geopolitical reach. Many of his critics have written and said just the opposite. Mr. Carter’s supporters and critics have likewise been vocal in their responses regarding his death and larger legacy.

The rancor of the political Left and Right against each other has seldom been so vividly on display at one time.

Our partisan divisions are clearly reflected in a new Gallup report that shows a record-low percentage of Americans are satisfied with the way democracy is working in the US. In 1984, 60 percent of us said we were satisfied with our democracy; the number currently stands at 28 percent, fewer than ever before.

A new real estate platform now allows homebuyers to access their neighbors’ political affiliations. Customers can view block-by-block political data pulled from election results, campaign contributions, and licensable commercial reports. This will make it even easier for us to live in community with only those with whom we agree on political and cultural issues.

These trends are symptomatic of a larger issue at work in our society, a factor that should evoke both grave concern and empowering spiritual hope for us today.

“Bound together in a common fate”

Longtime readers know of my great appreciation for the work of University of Virginia sociologist James Davison Hunter. His magnum opus, To Change the World, explains cultural transformation better than any resource I have yet seen. I have commented on it and recommended it widely over the years.

In a recent article, Hunter takes his analysis further. He references the “culture wars” of recent decades (he actually coined the term in a 1991 book by that title), noting “the apparent polarization” and “seemingly incommensurable differences” of our society.

However, he states, “We increasingly inhabit a common culture.”

In his view, this culture is “chillingly nihilistic,” a fundamental belief that our cultural opponents are the enemies of all that is good and that we are their victims. Our shared beliefs and community (what he calls “tribal affiliations”) are fashioned in large part in reaction to the perceived injuries inflicted on us by other “tribes.”

Hunter illustrates: “For evangelical Christians, all that was wrong with the world could be traced back to ‘secular humanism.’ Or, to take a different example, for those on the left, all that impeded progress and social justice could be laid at the feet of capitalism and racism.”

Our “politicized identity” is therefore “formed and sustained by way of negation.” As a result, we seek “revenge that renders forgiveness or even democratic compromise impossible” out of a “desire for a purity that cannot abide the existence of the other.” In Hunter’s view, it is vital that we respond by “refusing to see our political opponents as enemies but instead choosing to see them as fellow citizens with whom we are bound together in a common fate” (his emphasis).

“Beggars helping beggars find bread”

This is where Christianity can play a crucial role in our national future. Here’s why:

We believe that all people, whatever their political persuasions, are created by God in his image (Genesis 1:27) and individuals for whom Jesus died (Romans 5:8). As St. Augustine famously noted, God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.
We believe that all people, whatever their beliefs or challenges, are capable of being transformed by God’s grace into his children (John 1:12) as a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). For any individual, it is always too soon to give up on God.
We also believe that we are just as sinful as any sinner (Romans 3:23), that we are just as much in need of God’s saving grace (Ephesians 2:8–9), and that we are therefore “beggars helping beggars find bread.”
And we believe that loving our neighbors as ourselves is both our mandate as followers of Christ (Matthew 22:39; John 13:34–35) and our appropriate response to his love for us (1 John 4:19). Such compassion demonstrates the reality and relevance of our faith and draws a skeptical world closer to our Lord. (For more, see my latest website article, “Firefighters battling ‘unprecedented’ fires in California: The urgency and power of true compassion.”

“To solve man’s basic problem”

Jesus identified the source of our struggles: “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person” (Matthew 15:19–20). In response, pastor and author Paul Powell noted:

“To solve man’s basic problem we must give him a new heart. We must change the seat of his moral, spiritual, and intellectual being. He must be made right on the inside.”

This is what Jesus—and only Jesus—can do. No other person, religion, political party, or worldview can give us a “new birth” (John 3:3).

In First15, our ministry’s daily devotional, we read:

We were created with an insatiable thirst for relationship with God. We were made to experience true rest and satisfaction in one place and from one relationship: intimacy with the Father. In Jesus we find what our hearts have been looking for from our first breath. In Jesus we find a pathway to the Father not formed by our exploration or wandering, but by his steadfast love and unceasing pursuit.

Will you “experience true rest and satisfaction” today?

NOTE: The first episode of Denison Forum’s new podcast, Culture Brief, is out now on all podcast platforms! Join Conner Jones and Micah Tomasella as they unpack the week’s biggest cultural stories, exploring the latest trends and topics through a Christian lens. I believe they will be helpful in guiding you through politics, sports, technology, and other culture-dominating topics. Listen to the first episode now on your favorite podcast platform. New episodes will be released every Thursday. Make sure to follow the show so you never miss an episode.

Thursday news to know:

*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.

Quote for the day:

“The greatest conversion called for by Jesus is to move from belonging to the world to belonging to God.” —Henri Nouwen

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