Political Awareness

Ever since I've moved to D.C. my political awareness has been uncovered, like shoots coming up out of the ground after a long winter. I took a looong hiatus after coming back from the West Bank because my heart was dangerously polarized on several issues, and to spend any amount of energy on the stances I had taken after time in the Middle East would have wasted time.

However, coming here has given me freedom again to explore these interests. Time has healed a lot of what was "roughed up," and now I'm in a city where it is normal to explore these things. After having been so affected by anger and hatred in a war-zone, God seemed to shut out all other options except to "love your enemies." And in my heart, whenever I thought about my time there, that's what I tried to do.

I don't know if I'm ever going back there again, but I know that as I revisit these issues and begin to discuss them with people (like a guy from my church who just came back from a trip to Israel/West Bank), I have to keep certain things in mind, as I was reminded this morning as I read a quote from Philip Yancey's "The Jesus I Never Knew." He says:

"A political movement by nature draws lines, makes distinctions, pronounces judgement; in contrast, Jesus' love cuts across lines, transcends distinctions, and dispenses grace. Regardless of the merits of a given issue - whether a pro-life lobby out of the Right or a peace-and-justice lobby out of the Left - political movements risk pulling onto themselves the mantle of power that smothers love. From Jesus I learn that, whatever activism I get involved in, it must not drive out love and humility, or otherwise I betray the kingdom of heaven."