The delight of being in the center of the political spectrum

 

Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

A few weeks ago I preached a sermon where the topic of justice came up, with the text calling us - His Church - to ask for His justice to prevail. Afterwards, someone asked me how this point of the sermon related to my inclination of being in the middle of the political spectrum.  

Here are a few elements of the conversation that ensued: 

• The justice that I seek must be His and not mine
• His justice, and not my cultural preferences, is what God will make prevail
• Being in the center of the political spectrum does not mean I need to renounce to what I consider important. 
• Being in the center means that I submit to God's standards, particularly in the way I treat others, in the way I show respect for all human beings as bearers of His image.
• Being in the center means I am looking to improve my ideas with God-honoring exchanges and conversations
• It is also a demonstration of how certain I am of what I believe; I am not afraid of bringing up my interests to the market of ideas. If, after a respectful interaction with others, I need to adjust my position, it would only means the improvement of my ideas.
• I find real delight in conversations with others who are as passionate as I am (or more), even if we do not agree on the same issues, as long as we show respect for one another.

Consider this.

1. How do you show respect for others?
2. How can you distinguish between the value of an idea, and the value of the person holding to that idea?
3. What gives you certainty about the social, political view you hold?