Wednesday, 23 October 2019

Playing the Trump Card this Political Season: Civility within Political Hostility

Without tolerance of different worldviews, there will be no dialogue or progress.

Just the simple fact that I used the word “trump” in my article’s title is sure to generate hate mail. Some might see it as a subversive tactic to promote the current president—others the opposite. Neither is the case. I’m simply using it as a hook for you to read what should be the “trump card” this political season.

If you’ve ever played a card game, like Spades, you understand the idea of a “trump card.” If you play an Ace of hearts and I don’t have any hearts, I can then play a “trump card” and beat your Ace.

In this article, I want to briefly share what this political game is about, how people tend to behave in the game, and conclude with an exhortation to believers to play the trump card of virtue and civility during this political season.

What’s this political game about?

George Washington, in his farewell address, states,

…Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and morality are indispensable supports. . . . And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that National morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.

Religion, at the very least, provides a framework for morality.

Our political climate has always had sides that disagreed and fought over the role of government within culture. Small government verses big government. Yet, for the most part there was a common worldview held by both sides. That is no longer the case.

What is transpiring today is the clash of two completely different ...

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from Christianity Today Magazine https://ift.tt/32CgJ1s

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