Attack Ideas, Not Opponents

Christians are commanded to love our enemies and there is no exemption for politics or social media.

Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash

I use my Bible app by YouVersion on my phone daily. I like the easy access to different Bible translations it provides. In addition, I use the app's Bible reading plans to help me maintain a habit of reading scripture daily, especially the plans that help me read through the Bible in a year (an annual goal of mine). 

I like reading from an actual, physical Bible and have done so for years, but as I've gotten older, it's easier to read from the app that allows me to adjust the size of the text. For example, on my desk, I have an ESV Thinline Bible with "large print." The "large print" is 10 point font that, while being large for Bibles with double columns, is still more challenging for me to see the text well enough to read (I say this even though I have progressive lenses with a recently updated prescription).

I'm not writing to laud YouVersion's app or convince you that you should prefer a Bible app compared to a physical Bible (or vice versa). Instead, I wanted to point out another feature the app provides - the verse of the day. 

I want to highlight that because of two verses highlighted last week and how they relate to our political discourse. 

Friday's verse is from 2 Corinthians 10:5.

It reads, "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ," (ESV). 

We are to destroy arguments, not opponents. 

Yet, I often see Christians on social media and political pundits who claim to follow Christ eviscerating political opponents. I'm not talking about making hay over policies and positions but personally attacking and mocking those with whom they disagree.