In June, in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd and the nationwide protests and widespread rioting that followed, I wrote a post entitled “my normal approach is useless here” acknowledging that there are times where careful quantitative analysis cannot fully capture the gravity of a situation. Science is wonderful tool for dealing with things that are repeatable and math and statistics are great when trying to understand patterns, but when you are faced with the unprecedented (a word that feels like it has worn out its welcome over the last year) none of these tools can give us certainty about what comes next or answers about what this all means. Six months later, those words again feel appropriate. In this post, I am reacting to the events of January 6th, not as a mathematician, but as a Christian. I know not all of my readers share this perspective, but I hope that hearing one Christian’s response might serve as a helpful counterpoint to some of the horrific and shameful scenes we all witnessed this week.
The storming of the capitol on January 6th was one of the most shocking events of my lifetime. I expected some measure of rioting, but what occurred was far worse than I imagined and recent reporting suggests that it was close to being much worse. The only experience I recall that can parallel watching these events unfold in real time was 9/11. Thankfully the human toll at the riot was much smaller, but the symbolism was equally poignant. Both were attacks at symbols of America, one on the economic centers of power and one on the political centers of power. Both revealed that the safety and stability that we hold so dear are far more fragile than any of us like to admit.
In spite of these similarities, the contrast between the emotional responses could not be more stark. On 9/11, many of us felt a shared sadness over the tragedy that had transpired, an anger at a common enemy, and a sense of unity that we were all in this together. On Wednesday evening, I (naively) remarked to my wife that maybe this would be the event that shook us out of our stupor, that maybe we could finally agree that this was a bridge too far and that maybe it would be enough to help us come together again after a dark period in our history. I was wrong.
Polls from Wednesday evening paint a dramatically different picture of our response. A YouGov poll suggests that 1 in 5 Americans and almost ½ of Republicans supported the storming of the capitol and people from both parties blamed members of the opposing party more than their own for what transpired. I sincerely hope those estimates are wrong.
Over the last couple of days, my social media feeds have been a window into a stark reality in which many are more interested in assigning blame, demanding retribution and protecting their reputations than healing the wounds caused by these events. Others have resorted to conspiratorial explanations for the events claiming it was an inside job or a covert operation orchestrated by ANTIFA, and some even believe that it was all a hoax and it was actually staged. This sort of thing did happen after 9/11, but it was relegated to the fringes. Now, it is out in the open and seems to come from all corners, from the people you used to go church with, who babysat your kids, from your friends, neighbors and relatives. This is not a majority of the country, but it is a sizable and vocal and influential minority. As we were reminded on Wednesday, believing a lie has consequences, and in the highly interconnected world of 2021 it is easier than ever for these sorts of messages to spread and ultimately to foment violence.
If you have been following this blog for a while you will not be surprised to hear that I am very concerned about the direction of our country. Our obsession with politics and political solutions to all of our problems has created an environment in which every election is portrayed as America’s last stand. This has allowed extreme ideas to become mainstream on both sides of the aisle. It has led to escalating rhetoric and caused many to view opponents as enemies. All of this is a recipe for a highly combustible status quo.
Watching this unfold over the last few years has been a trying experience. I have watched so many that I know and love embrace increasingly radical ideas and a view of reality that is inconsistent with the world that I see. I constantly have to ask myself, am I crazy? How is that so many people around me, people that I thought shared my beliefs and that I trusted, now seem to see the world so differently? Have I changed? Am I missing something?
I still care about these people and I want to give them the benefit of the doubt, so when they say “do your research”, I take it to heart. I investigate and try to read commentary and analysis across the political spectrum. But that gets me no closer to understanding this perspective. I see plenty of evidence that there are corrupt and cynical elements in our society who are all too willing to resort to lies and deception to exploit our vulnerabilities for political and economic gain and to further their twisted agenda. But, I see little evidence that this is achieved through elaborate schemes behind closed doors as many claim, instead it often occurs out in the open. These corrupt individuals appear at rallies, on social media or on TV telling us they are on our side and that they are our last and only hope, and then they demand our loyalty and squeeze us for all we are worth offering little in return.
The storming of the capitol was a perfect example of this. Over the last few months, the president repeatedly told his supporters that “they” would try to steal the election. Many believed he would win anyway. Then after the election he claimed that it had be stolen and that recounts would overturn the result. Millions of people trusted him. When this failed to change the result, he claimed the courts would fix the problem and his supporters awaited expectantly. So when he brought lawsuit after lawsuit before the courts and one by one they were batted down (often by judges he appointed), they were naturally shocked and angry. But, he assured them that it was not over and that the states would not certify them, but they did. So as a last resort he claimed that Mike Pence would flip the outcome on January 6th and he organized a rally in Washington at the same time and of course, many of his loyal supporters attended. When word came that Pence would not and could not change the outcome, the anger predictably boiled over.
At the rally, the president offered the following words:
“We will never give up. We will never concede...We’re going to have to fight much harder and Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us. If he doesn’t, that will be a sad day for our country because you’re sworn to uphold our constitution. Now it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy. After this, we’re going to walk down [to the capitol] and I’ll be there with you.”
Now I am not here to litigate whether these words were responsible for the violence that followed. I will leave that to others. But, I do want to note a couple of things that I find remarkable about this statement. First, note that he uses the word WE. This is an assertion that both he and his audience are on the same team. They share the same goals and are committed to the same outcome. Second, note that this offers a call to action: Don’t give up, don’t concede. Keep fighting. Walk down to the capitol. These are the words of someone seeking to lead and asking for others to follow. They are a request for loyalty. Third, note that the last phrase “I will go with you.” This is an assurance that the loyalty that was being demanded would be reciprocated. In other words, it was an assertion that he was not asking the crowd to do something he was unwilling to do himself.
I can’t help but notice the parallels with another leader, one who said, “Stand firm”, “Take up your cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24) and “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:24). It seems I am not on the only one who noticed the parallels. As the crowd marched on January 6, some carried bibles, others waved a Christian flag bearing a cross, and still others held up banners saying Jesus 2020 alongside those bearing Trump 2020. The juxtaposition was striking and the symbolism was clear. For many, loyalty to the American flag, to Donald Trump and to Jesus have become one and the same or at least inseparable. One need look no further than the title of the gathering: the “Save America March” (https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2021/01/06/watch_live_president_donald_trump_hosts_save_america_rally_at_wh_ellipse.html)
to see evidence that the same sort of messianic language once reserved for the son of God is now used for the commander in chief.
And yet, the contrast between Jesus and Donald Trump could not be more stark. Jesus did more than talk, he carried a cross of his own and was crucified on our behalf. What did Donald Trump do? Instead of walking with his followers, Trump returned to the White House. His followers broke through police barricades and stormed the capitol building. Five people were killed, more were hospitalized or ended up in jail, all while their leader watched from a safe and comfortable distance. These are the not the actions of a wise leader, at best they are the actions of a reckless manipulator.
Like many of you, I am still trying to make sense of what I just witnessed. It is difficult to fathom how we got to a point in which a crowd could carry a cross on their way to bludgeon a police officer with a fire extinguisher (https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation-world/ct-nw-capitol-police-officer-dies-20210108-f5sy2jrnj5d7jibygzcgiamtny-story.html).
What I do know is this: Christians need to stand up for what is right and stop justifying dishonesty and violence just because "the other guys do it too". That doesn’t make it right. It is easy to point out the wrongdoing on the other side, but how often do we stop and look in the mirror and recognize our own guilt? Doing this is not optional, Christians are commanded to do this (Matthew 7). This sort of tribalism is tearing us apart and it is evidence that our allegiances our misplaced.
Our allegiance should not belong to a politician, a party, or even a cause. Donald Trump and Joe Biden do not deserve our loyalty. Neither does either political party. Whether they deserve our votes is another matter, but they are not worth dying for and they are certainly not worth killing for. Offering complete and unquestioning allegiance to a man is not patriotism, it is idolatry. So is allowing devotion to a candidate or party to shape your understanding of the Christian faith rather than the other way around. This is a sin that we are all susceptible to, which is why we must constantly be reminded of truth of the Gospel:
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8
That is right. All of us are guilty. All of us are undeserving. And yet, God loves weak ungodly sinners so much that he sent his son to die for them. He died for Republicans and Democrats, supporters of MAGA and BLM, rioters and police officers. If only we could see each other as God sees us, then maybe we would stop trying to hurt each other and start working to address the problems in this country.