America has always been political. Debates, elections, differing visions for the common good — these are not new. But we have never been as polarized as we are today.
The divisions we face now are sharper, more personal, and more emotionally charged. They no longer reside simply in the halls of government or in the pages of policy. They have seeped into our friendships, workplaces, families, and churches.
In today’s America, people leave their jobs because their boss hangs the “wrong” flag in the office. Long-standing friendships — once built over shared meals, vacations, laughter, and mutual care — fall apart because one vote was cast for “the other guy.”
Things we once believed were unthinkable — political assassination attempts, the storming of the Capitol — are now sobering realities etched into our collective memory.
We are not just disagreeing anymore. We are fearing, distrusting, and even demonizing one another.
This level of polarization does not remain external. It takes a toll deep within us. The more animated we become, the more flags we wave, the more tightly we cling to our camps with the cable opinion shows we watch — the more the internal turmoil grows. Instead of politics being one part of our identity, it has become the defining part.
People now wear their affiliation on their chest like a badge of righteousness or belonging. They uproot jobs, friendships, church homes, and entire lives because the political climate shifts.
And the cost is not only social. It is emotional and spiritual.
A 2024 study published by the American Psychological Association found that eight in ten adults list the future of the nation as a leading source of anxiety. Nearly half say they have considered moving to another state or country to escape the tension. This is not normal political disagreement. This is a sign of deep distress — a society losing the ability to hold together.
From a Christian perspective, polarization strikes at the heart of what Jesus calls us to be.
Jesus does not say, “Love those who vote like you.”
He does not say, “Bless those who reinforce your identity.”
He says: Love your neighbor (Mark 12:31).
He says: Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you (Luke 6:28).
He says: Peacemakers will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9).
The Christian life is not about just being right. It is about being loving.
Not about winning, but about healing.
Not about drawing battle lines, but building bridges.
Polarization feeds on fear. But Scripture reminds us, “Perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). Fear tightens the heart, love opens it. Fear isolates, love draws near. Fear divides, love reconciles.
This does not mean abandoning convictions or pretending differences do not matter. It means refusing to let disagreement cancel out dignity. It means seeing the person before the position. It means remembering that every human being — Republican, Democrat, Independent, unsure — is made in the image of God.
The way forward begins not by waiting for national unity to appear magically from Washington, but by renewing relationships where we live.
• By listening before reacting.
• By choosing presence over withdrawal.
• By valuing people more than parties.
• By remembering that the Gospel calls us to “we,” not just “me.”
If polarization has torn apart our country, then love — patient, courageous, humble love — is the only power that can put it back together.
For Christ did not come to create tribes, but a table.
And every chair at next week’s Thanksgiving table is the same height!!
By Medard Laz
Keep noticing that the chairs at next week’s Thanksgiving table are all the same height and that is how everyone is to be treated.
GOD’S LOVE BLAZES FORTH AND SCORCHES ALL BITTERNESS, RAGE, ENVY, CONTEMPT, SHAME AND FEAR. IT CASTS OUT EMOTIONAL TURMOIL!
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