The Tragedy of Tribalism

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” ~Romans 12:18

There’s no way around it… Wednesday, September 10th was a tragic day, no matter on which side of the political aisle you land. For those on the left and the right, the news that a young man was assassinated in a public venue for having open debate with people with whom he disagreed (many of whom vehemently disagreed with him) should be terrifying. It’s a sure sign our society is in big trouble. What received much less airtime was the school shooting in Colorado that has left three teenagers hospitalized in critical condition, yet it is equally grievous and frightening. To be clear, these incidents are not unrelated insofar as they are both products of a sinful, twisted, and self-centered worldview that demonizes “them” (anyone who disagrees with me, thinks differently than me, looks different than me, etc.). 

My point is not to pay tribute to a man (there’s a place for that, and many are doing a fine job of it), nor to discuss how extreme-left and extreme-right ideologies have both contributed to these heinous events, but rather to ask a question: If our hearts had guns, would we in the church be guilty of similar crimes amongst ourselves?

Within Christ’s Church there is a growing and equally disturbing trend of demonizing any with whom we disagree. I’m not speaking of the necessary and sharp disagreement between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism — minimizing the Gospel is not an option — but rather disagreements between those of the same Christian stream (within evangelical Protestantism, for example). Even closer to home, how often are we guilty of treating those in our own church as “enemies” when they live differently than us, parent differently than us, vote differently than us, or any other thing that goes against the grain of our personal perspective? 

Perhaps one of the reasons we in the church struggle to maintain peace and unity is because we are no less tribal than those outside the church. While not explicitly political (our disagreements are not usually left versus right issues), we are still self-centered, arrogant, and sinful in our estimation of our own opinions and practices, which makes us easily dismissive of others’. Where is the posture that does nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility counts others more significant than ourselves?

Let me close with this: the church is in danger of experiencing the same kind of tragedy we witnessed on Wednesday if we don’t submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit and keep in step with Him. Perhaps we won’t have bloodshed, but our hearts will be guilty of murder nonetheless. If we become conceited in our hearts and start provoking one another over matters of personal opinion and Christian liberty, it will be no surprise when we devour one another. Let us be committed to cultivating the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control, as we eagerly maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace.  

Rev. Kyle Lockhart, Pastor of Teaching & Spiritual Formation