Learning to Navigate Politics Even When It’s Difficult
For most of my life, I’ve thought that discussing politics wasn’t a polite thing to do. There’s not a particular reason behind this thought. It’s just something that I’ve absorbed over the years. It may be because I feel, like I’m sure a lot of people do, that talking about politics causes conflicts.
However, talking about politics is harder than ever to avoid right now. In fact, I’m beginning to see that politics isn’t something to avoid. The real question is how do you discuss anything remotely political without everything going up in flames because people seem increasingly polarized.
As I’ve started to be solidly in the adult stage of my life, I’ve begun to realize just how much politics affects my life and community. I don’t mind sharing that despite majoring in international studies, I wouldn’t have labeled myself as someone who kept up with politics. During college, I occasionally went to hear people involved in leadership speak, but it was mainly because one of my professors encouraged our class to go. Then, after college, I felt too overwhelmed by focusing on my career to have room to think about anything else besides my job.
A few years ago, I stumbled across a podcast called Pantsuit Politics. The hosts of the podcast, Sarah and Beth, are on different sides of the political spectrum, and they have thoughtful, informative conversations about current events. While the podcast isn’t a “Christian” podcast, both women are Christian and their values come across in their discussions.
Listening to their conversations has kept me informed without stressing me out in the way that reading the news tends to do.
Sarah and Beth have also released a book that seems especially timely for the present moment. Their book, entitled I Think You’re Wrong (But I’m Listening), guides readers through looking at the nuances of different issues. As Christians, it’s important to look closely at issues to see what solutions align with our values. Unlike what’s commonly portrayed in our culture, there is rarely a simple great solution to a problem.
One of the best parts of the book is that the authors encourage you to actually listen to people who hold different views than you. Sarah and Beth guide you to understanding how another person came to those views.
If listening to another person rant or argue has never changed your views, then it probably isn’t the best way to try to make someone else change either. However, if you understand how a person came to think a certain way, you may be able to have more of an influence. Sometimes, you may even see that there’s a solution that gets closer to the root of an issue that you’re able to see when you take other views into account and neither of you would have arrived at those thoughts otherwise.
Each chapter of the book has a reflective exercise to give you a starting point. If you haven’t spent much time considering or discussing your own political views in the past, this is a great way to begin.
As Christians, our aim should be to reflect the love of God not only in the policies that we support, but also in the way that we discuss politics with others.
Christians need to learn to express our views on how our communities should function, but the shouting and arguing we see on political TV cannot be our guide. Reading one book won’t instantly make you able to articulate your views, but I highly suggest reading I Think You’re Wrong (But I’m Listening) as a place to begin. If you’re already far along in your journey of intersecting politics and faith, it may still be helpful if you’re tired of feeling discouraged and angry. Christians can and should show grace and nuance when handling politics.
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” -John 13:34
Politics isn’t a sport. It isn’t about winning for the sake of winning. For Christians, navigating politics has to be about reflecting Christ to this world. It’s an almost impossible goal right now, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t still strive for it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth is an educator at heart. So far this has taken the form of a camp counselor, a museum assistant, and currently a middle school teacher. She loves to watch people grow and learn. You can read more of her writing at her blog Chronicles of a Southern Belle.