I find it appropriate that Halloween and Election Day are just around the corner. Halloween is a phantasy. The election is a real horror. Both days are about the masks we wear.
First, the candidates. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have worked to present a public persona – a political mask. Their job is to make themselves acceptable to a majority of the electorate. Their masks seek to hide their real identities. Trump hides his tax returns; Clinton hides her emails. I suspect that these documents would reveal many unacceptable flaws in each candidate. The problem for the candidates is old videos and Wiki-leaks. I fear that the political masks are hiding unacceptable flaws in both candidates.
Like it or not, the candidates are a mirror reflection of the American electorate. It is the masks that we, the electorate, are wearing that are most troubling. Christians on the left and right are passionately donning political masks that hide their Christian witness. Christians on the left speak of nuance to justify their support of the Democrats. It doesn’t seem to trouble them that Mrs. Clinton and her surrogates are hostile to people of Faith who oppose their secular agenda. Christians on the right have demonstrated exceptional naiveté in their support of Donald Trump and his Republicans. They claim for Trump a recent “Damascus Road” conversion to the Faith. They ignore his boorish “brand” – a public persona/mask – that he has carefully honed over the past decades. Neither candidate can adequately represent the Christian faith. Their political masks betray sincere faith. Christians on the left and right should remove their political masks so that the light of Christ may boldly shine in the darkness.
People who wear masks are hypocrites – actors who seek to portray someone they are not. Jesus cried out against the hypocrites – persons who wear religious mask for the purpose of hiding their own corruption. I fear that by donning political masks that Christians are revealing who they really are – political pawns rather than disciples of Christ. All hypocrites have a common character trait – self-righteousness. They justify their nuances and naivetés and deceive themselves.
Jesus said,
“Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine…” (Matthew 7:6).
The mission of God is a holy trust which cannot be reduced to a political agenda. The mission of the church is not to “make America great again,” but to cry out “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). The political parties don’t need Christian support, they need Christian witness. I fear that by allowing our political masks to hide our Christian witness we are sacrificing the mission of God to political expediency. We should be careful to hear the warning of Jesus that if we throw our holy pearls before dogs and swine they will “trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”
After Election Day, one of these candidates will be President-elect of the United States. I pledge to pray for our new President. I pledge to pray that God’s kingdom come on the earth as it is in heaven. I have no hope that God’s kingdom will come because of human political activity, but in spite of it.
