“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” I can hear Andy Williams singing now. You know, it’s that time of the year when physical and electronic mailboxes are stuffed to the brim with paraphernalia with pleas for support. That time of the year when advertisements flood television airwaves, and they end with the tagline, “I approve of this message.”
I’m referring to election season, and halfway through a U.S. President’s four-year administration, the “midterms” are upon us — Tuesday, November 8th. Incumbents and challengers make last-minute pitches to respectively retain or gain positions in hopes of winning control of Congress and implementing its vision or acting as a check on current presidential power.
Here in my state of Georgia, a record 2 million residents cast early ballots. Nationwide, 35.5 million Americans took advantage of advance voting, on pace to match or exceed 2018’s 36 million.
What’s driving this high turnout? For months, politicians made their case to earn voter confidence. However, the focus on policy has shifted to demonization. Candidates predict a vote for the opposition will usher in the country’s demise.
This doom scenario has taken a firm grip on conservatives and liberals, especially on the fringes. Two recent examples magnify the depth of its impact:
David DePape, a 42-year-old California resident, believed the 2020 presidential election was illegitimate. The target of his rage centered on U.S. House of Representatives Majority leader, Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat. DePape broke into the Speaker’s home and viciously assaulted her husband, Paul, with a hammer.
In his confession to police, he fumed, “I’m sick of the insane f***ing level of lies coming out of Washington, D.C. I came here to have a little chat with his wife. I didn’t really want to hurt him, but you know this was a suicide mission. I’m not going to stand here and do nothing even if it cost me my life.”
Following DePape is 21-year-old Chicago native, Scott Lenox. He saw a political ad in a bar apparently for Darren Bailey, a Republican member of the Illinois State Senate and gubernatorial candidate. The television spot angered him, and he started a heated argument with his friends.
Lennox’s ire led him to record a chilling voicemail on Bailey’s staff office phone, “I’m going to skin Darren Bailey alive, making sure he is still alive, and I’m going to feed his f***ing family to him as he is alive and screaming in f***ing… He is a piece of white a** racist s*** and honestly, if he doesn’t kill himself, I will. You know what? I know where he lives. I know where he sleeps. I know where his kids sleep. And I know the f***ing school he works at.” Authorities caught wind of the message and charged Lennox with one felony count each of threatening a public official, telephone harassment, and harassment by electronic communications.
It’s worrisome to see this level of vitriol among the masses to solve political differences. That said, what’s far more concerning is this level of animosity has infiltrated the collective consciousness of the body of Christ.
I hear siblings in Christ call each other “tares” (impostors) for not voting as they do. Long-time relationships are torn apart. Churches pit themselves against each other. One pastor chided supporters of his candidate’s opponent, “Your family will be cursed to the third and fourth generation.”
I watch and ask, “What is happening to us? Where have we placed our hope?” We’re sinking into the sea of chaos and confusion as we fixate on the political climate. Thus, we’ve veered our focus away from Christ who, according to 1 Corinthians 14:33, “is not a God of disorder but of peace.”
If we aren’t vigilant against our real enemy’s (Satan) schemes, we, too, can fall prey to the devolving mindset of a David DePape or Scott Lenox under some false cause for righteousness.
Voting is a right former President John F. Kennedy described as “most powerful and precious” in a speech on civil rights to Congress in 1963. The late congressman John Lewis said in a 2019 interview shortly before his passing, “The vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democracy.”
With Election Day on the horizon, if you haven’t already, make your voice heard. Knowing this season can be tempting to show “attitude”, I implore all reading this to choose instead to display gratitude for the right to play an integral part in the political process and, more importantly, for each other. How fitting as we approach Thanksgiving.
I’m thankful for my family, friends, and especially my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Though we hold various political views, we share an eternal bond with our heavenly Father. The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 2:18, “all of us (came) to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.”
Politicians come and go, but the Lord is with us always. He always keeps His promises, He’s never lost a battle, and He’s the One who can transform hearts and thus nations. Jude 1:25 says, “All glory to Him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are His before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.”
I’m confident heaven isn’t compartmentalized into partisan factions. Therefore, “I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose (1 Corinthians 1:10).”
As ambassadors of that celestial city, may we use our time to strive for the common goal of giving the earth a glimpse of our hometown.
Have a happy, blessed, and safe Thanksgiving.
Sources:
Song: “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” performed by Andy Williams
Article: “Early Vote Totals Point Toward Record-Breaking Turnout for Midterm Elections” by Chris Gilligan, published November 4, 2022
Article: “Early voter turnout for 2022 midterms on pace to meet record-setting 2018” by Herb Scribner, published October 22, 2022
Press Release: “Man Charged with Assault and Attempted Kidnapping Following Breaking and Entering of Pelosi Residence” by the United States Department of Justice, published October 31, 2022
Press Release: “Dear Colleague to All Members on Attack on Paul Pelosi” by Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Article: “Suspect in Paul Pelosi attack allegedly told police he was on ‘suicide mission’ with more targets” by Rebecca Shabad and Zoë Richards, published November 1, 2022
Article: “North Side man charged with sending GOP gov hopeful Darren Bailey voicemail death threat: ‘I know where his kids sleep’” by Tina Sfondeles and Jon Seidel, published November 2, 2022
Article: “Man Charged over Death Threats against Illinois GOP Gubernatorial Candidate: Report” by Ari Blaff, published November 2, 2022
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14:33
Book: “The Most Powerful and Precious Right” by John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
Article (Opinion): “Obstacles vs. apathy in holding back turnout in communities of color” by Steven W. Tompkins, Lee Pelton, and Michael Curry, published November 2, 2020
Scripture: Ephesians 2:18
Scripture: Jude 1:25
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:10
Scripture references are from the New Living Translation. Their links go to bible.com, courtesy of YouVersion, makers of the Bible App available for iOS and Android devices.
