I’ve been giving quite a bit of thought to an opinion piece that noted Chicago Tribune columnist Cal Thomas wrote last year regarding evangelical Christians’ disappointment with the 2020 election results. Evangelicals were, and many still are, some of former President Donald Trump’s most steadfast supporters.
In his column, Thomas referenced an essay that Dr. Robert Jeffress, the pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, wrote for the Fox News website before the election results were confirmed. Jeffress, a fervent backer of Trump, called for evangelicals to continue trusting in God, stating that “Our faith and our salvation lie not in any human ruler, but in the ruler of rulers, the King of kings.”
Thomas further elaborated on these points by maintaining that although evangelicals are strongly at odds with the policies of the Biden and Harris administration, this disagreement should not prevent them from carrying out their ministry efforts to those in need in their communities.
Given where we are now during the aftermath of the election, American churches are in, to quote the book of Esther, a critical “for such a time as this” moment, as the country is still reeling from extreme political discord and racial strife while battling through the coronavirus pandemic. Many evangelical congregations were heavily into politics during Trump’s term in the White House and were devastated and angry when he lost to Joe Biden. They thought, as Jeffress wrote, that “the God of the evangelicals should be on the side of Republicans and conservatives.” I believe that God wanted the church to acknowledge two significant issues in the wake of Trump’s defeat. First, racial division needs to be addressed, and second, Christians need to refocus on the primary mission in ministry: to share the Gospel and draw souls into the kingdom of God.
When it comes to political headlines in the media regarding evangelicals, race is hardly an elephant in the room of discussion. White evangelicals have been called purveyors of white supremacy and hypocrites regarding their faith. Recent Fact Tank reports from the Pew Research Center list “white” in many titles in analysis of evangelical approval of Trump’s stances on issues such as immigration and travel bans while he was in office. An NPR podcast last year titled “Multiracial Congregations May Not Bridge Racial Divide” did not offer an overly optimistic view of churches becoming more diverse.
The historical racial divide in American churches is deeply rooted in the South, with racist ideology infiltrating congregations since the days of slavery. The Black Church, also historically known as the Negro Church, formed out of necessity for blacks to have a haven of worship as early as the 1780s. A pertinent question we must ask ourselves today is how can the church be a true witness of the teachings of Christ when stark segregation remains? The ugliness of our politics in the past four years greatly exposed the longstanding racial rifts within the church, placing evangelicals at the forefront, and it is something that both white and Black pastors can no longer ignore.
During this time when so many people are suffering and on the brink of despair, it is imperative that ministers not let ongoing political disputes take their attention away from the work of the Gospel. In fact, when studying the Gospels, it is evident that Jesus really did not get completely immersed in the political debates of His day. For example, Mark 12:13-17 records the devious intention of the Pharisees and Herodians to bait Jesus into speaking against paying taxes to Caesar. Instead of getting into an argument about the oppression of the Roman government, Jesus simply said to “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”
Now, I’m by no means implying that churches should idly stand by in the face of injustice and not participate in civic discourse, but when we do take a public stand, Christ must remain in the center of our message. When we minister to those who are marginalized in our society, those in prison, sick, and poor, Jesus said we have ministered unto Him.
This is the ministry the church should be focusing on in this tumultuous political moment, our Esther moment, but we cannot effectively carry it out with the current division within the body of Christ.
FREDERICTON – A look at David Coon, leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick:
Born: Oct. 28, 1956.
Early years: Born in Toronto and raised in Montreal, he spent about three decades as an environmental advocate.
Education: A trained biologist, he graduated with a bachelor of science from McGill University in Montreal in 1978.
Family: He and his wife Janice Harvey have two daughters, Caroline and Laura.
Before politics: Worked as an environmental educator, organizer, activist and manager for 33 years, mainly with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.
Politics: Joined the Green Party of Canada in May 2006 and was elected leader of the New Brunswick Green Party in September 2012. Won a seat in the legislature in 2014 — a first for the province’s Greens.
Quote: “It was despicable. He’s clearly decided to take the low road in this campaign, to adopt some Trump-lite fearmongering.” — David Coon on Sept. 12, 2024, reacting to Blaine Higgs’s claim that the federal government had decided to send 4,600 asylum seekers to New Brunswick.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
FREDERICTON – A look at Blaine Higgs, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick.
Born: March 1, 1954.
Early years: The son of a customs officer, he grew up in Forest City, N.B., near the Canada-U.S. border.
Education: Graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1977.
Family: Married his high-school sweetheart, Marcia, and settled in Saint John, N.B., where they had four daughters: Lindsey, Laura, Sarah and Rachel.
Before politics: Hired by Irving Oil a week after he graduated from university and was eventually promoted to director of distribution. Worked for 33 years at the company.
Politics: Elected to the legislature in 2010 and later served as finance minister under former Progressive Conservative Premier David Alward. Elected Tory leader in 2016 and has been premier since 2018.
Quote: “I’ve always felt parents should play the main role in raising children. No one is denying gender diversity is real. But we need to figure out how to manage it.” — Blaine Higgs in a year-end interview in 2023, explaining changes to school policies about gender identity.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
OTTAWA – The pressing issues of climate change and food security join more familiar ones like violent extremism and espionage on a new list of Canada’s intelligence priorities.
The federal government says publishing the list of priorities for the first time is an important step toward greater transparency.
The government revises the priorities every two years, based on recommendations from the national security adviser and the intelligence community.
Once the priorities are reviewed and approved by the federal cabinet, key ministers issue directives to federal agencies that produce intelligence.
Among the priorities are the security of global health, food, water and biodiversity, as well as the issues of climate change and global sustainability.
The new list also includes foreign interference and malign influence, cyberthreats, infrastructure security, Arctic sovereignty, border integrity and transnational organized crime.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
