Category: Politics

Is there any hatred that is ok?

This past weekend has brought about some extremely significant actions that have brought about strong words.  Words like nazi, racism, supremacy, hate, rage, fear have all been mentioned.  There have been those who took a stand for something that they believe to be right and others who stood against what they believe to be wrong.

The reality is, there was disastrous consequences that came from the actions that followed such vile words.  These words aren’t just demeaning in nature, they are filled with a hatred that is not only wrong, it is heartbreaking.

I have watched a lot of news, read several articles, and seen multiple clips from sermons and others as they responded to these tragic events.   In one of those responses, a man, who is not a Christian, said that he felt he had a duty to stand up against hatred.  He is a famous actor who has a lot of followers – his point was that he would be wrong to not help others see the tragedy for what it is.  I thought to myself, if this non-Christian has a responsibility to stand and proclaim that racism, nazism, and white supremacy are wrong than I certainly have an even stronger responsibility to do the same.

I realize that to many of us, those words seem obvious.  But let me pose a different question…

“Is there any kind of hatred that is ok?”

The Bible, God’s Holy Word, gives us some clear direction in this.  The book of Amos tells us to “hate evil and love good…”(5:15).  As believers we are to be ones who hate the evil of this world.  We are to be ones that hate sin for what it is.

We must be careful to draw a line as it is our responsibility to still “love our enemies” as Jesus tells us in Matthew chapter 5.  But it is clear throughout the Old and New Testaments that the only hatred that we ought to have is toward sin.

We must make these sorts of proclamations from our pulpits and in our workplaces, and in our classrooms, and on the ball fields, and in our Sunday School classes, and our small groups, and in our neighborhoods.

In addition, if this is not clear already, God is not a racist!  He does not hold a preference toward a certain race, or people group, or ethnicity.  Instead, in the book of Revelation we read the following truth, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude, that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'” (8:9-10).

Not only will there be different races and ethnicities and languages and people groups in Heaven, we will all be gathered around the throne TOGETHER worshipping the one true God.  May we as a people of God stand together united against racism and the wickedness of man and proclaim the love of Christ toward all people of all nations.

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Dear Mr. Obama

Dear Mr. Obama,

Thank you for serving our country as President over these last 8 years.  You have sacrificed time and energy to fulfill this incredibly significant position in our government.  Today is the day that you officially pass the torch to another leader.  I am sure that it is a bitter-sweet moment but hopefully it is one that you can cherish as you move forward to the next stage of service and activity.

As with some other people, I did not agree with all of your stances on issues, however, I am thankful for your consistent leadership and I can appreciate that you were willing to stand for what you believe to be best.

My convictions are based on the biblical principle that we, as Christians, are called to pray for our governing authorities.  Let me assure you that I have not only prayed for you regularly, but I have also, lead others to pray for you as well.  As a pastor in a congregation here in Mississippi I have regularly called on our congregation to lift up those in our government.  We have asked the Lord to grant you wisdom and discernment as you have had countless decisions to make.

Not only have we prayed for the decisions you have made on behalf of our nation, but I have personally prayed for you to make a decision of salvation.  I am not sure if you have or not, however, if you have not I want to urge you to call out to the Lord turning away from any and all sin in your life and asking God for forgiveness.  If you have made that decision than I simply want to rejoice with you as my brother and encourage you to seek the Lord through His Scripture to know Him more intimately each day.

In the days ahead, know that I will continue to pray for you consistently and lift you and your family up to the Lord.  May God bless you as He has so faithfully blessed our great nation.

Be Joyful,

Chad Hunsberger

Dear Mrs. Clinton

Dear Mrs. Clinton,

I would like to congratulate you on a hard fought campaign for presidency.  You made clear the issues you hold, and brought clarity to those areas in which you wanted to keep the same or bring change.  You have shown women of all ages that they can fight for what they believe in and that they too can aspire to great things in this country.

I want to be honest, I did not vote for you nor did I vote for President-Elect Trump.  While I did participate in the election my vote was cast in a different direction.  However, I wanted to write you to say thank you.

Thank you for a well-worded, purposeful concession speech.  Thank you for making the final words of this campaign ones of unity and not of discord.  Thank you for displaying a necessary willingness to support our next president.  For that matter, thank you for doing that with our current president as well.  Thank you, most specifically, for being a leader in our country.  You see, I am a pastor at a church in Mississippi, and as such I believe that it is my responsibility to lead others to follow the truths found in Scripture.  As Romans 13:1 reminds us, all governing authorities are placed there by the hand of God.

While there may be actions that you have taken that I disagree with, I know of only one perfect person, Jesus.  No matter how you feel about certain social issues.  No matter what sort of decisions you make or have made for good or bad – you are not perfect.  But I am so thankful that Jesus is.  I am so thankful that Jesus, the perfect one, came to earth, lived, died, and resurrected as the one perfect Savior.

I noticed in your concession speech a reference to a passage of Scripture.  I am so glad you can cling to such truths during such a difficult time. If you are not in the habit of using Scripture for the answers in life then I want to urge you to find all of your hope and joy in these truths.  Scripture tells us that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts and that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved.  If you have never done this, I plead with you to turn from your sin and run to Jesus.

So, here is a list of things that I commit to doing for you.

  1. I will pray that God draws you to Himself.
  2. I will pray that you surrender your life to God.
  3. I will pray that God grants you wisdom and discernment in the decisions you make.
  4. I will pray that God pours out blessing on you and your family.
  5. I will lead others to ask God for blessing in your life.
  6. I will lead others to pray for you often.

Be Joyful,

Chad Hunsberger

Dear Mr. Trump

Dear Mr. Trump,

Congratulations on receiving the honor of being called the President Elect of the United States of America.  Earning the electoral college votes necessary to cement your victory as President is no small feat.  Your primary run seemed improbable followed by a seemingly insurmountable challenge in the general election.  You, your family, your friends, and your campaign staff must be ecstatic about such a historic win.

I want to be honest with you, while I did participate in this historic election, I did not vote for you, nor did I vote for Secretary Clinton.  At this point, however, my vote is not the matter at hand.  I want you to know that I am, and will be, leading others to be supportive of you as long as it does not conflict with biblical standards.  I am a pastor in a church in Mississippi and as such I am obligated to lead our church family to follow the admonitions of Scripture.  One of those distinct admonitions is to “…be subject to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1).

Therefore, I am confident that God placed you in this authoritative position by His good plan.  I am thankful to God that He has chosen to do what He knows best and I believe it is, in the long run, what will bring Him glory.  I am confident that while you are soon to be seated in the oval office making crucial decisions on behalf of this nation, Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father making our petitions known to Him.  I am confident that while you are making speeches celebrating the victory won last night, Jesus has already won the ultimate victory by defeating death (1 Corinthians 15:57).  I am confident that while you have been given the challenge to exercise great leadership for your people, Jesus is providing perfect Lordship for us all.

I once heard an interview with you in which you said if you felt the need to repent, you would.  So let me encourage you to do just that.  Not because you are any worse than I am, but because, we are all bad in comparison to the perfection of God.  Confess that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead to receive the free gift of salvation.

So here is a brief list of the things that I commit to doing for you.

  1. I will pray that God draws you to Himself through the power of the Holy Spirit.
  2. I will pray that you confess Jesus as Lord and turn away from your sins.
  3. I will pray that God grants you wisdom and discernment in the many decisions you make.
  4. I will pray that God pours out His blessings on you and your family.
  5. I will lead others to follow the words of Scripture found in Romans 13:1.
  6. I will lead others to pray for you often.

Be Joyful,

Chad Hunsberger