The Rock or the Hard Place?

(Disclaimer: I write this as a private citizen. In this piece I do not speak for or to the church I pastor. But I do write as a Christian. In fact, that is part of the point.)

How in the world has it come to this? How, nine months out, does it appear we will have to vote for a serial shader of every law and ethical principle or an uncouth bully? The pundits write about an angry electorate. I am angry—angry that we cannot do better.

I tell people to consume news from a variety of sources, then to think about what they find. So I checked into the Rush Limbaugh show the other day. It felt like I had gone through a wormhole into some twisted parallel universe. The host and callers lit into Megyn Kelly for being so mean to Donald Trump. How dare she? After all, he had done nothing worse than accuse her of asking him actual questions because she was menstruating, then call her a third-rate journalist. It was all her fault.

The same sterling character has claimed to be a Presbyterian but cannot accurately quote even one Bible verse. You know the rest of it. For the record, I do believe this is a free country. Trump gets to say whatever he wants within certain broad limits. But I don't have to like it, much less vote for the buffoon.

Thank God (and I mean that literally) I also do not have to vote for Hillary Clinton. I have good friends who have earnestly explained why they support her. But as they talk all I can hear is, “At least she's not a G-D Republican!” No honest person can claim she is honest. Her every syllable and gesture is calculated. What does she actually believe/support/work to achieve? The record makes it crystal clear that her one guiding principle is self-empowerment and enrichment.

Of course, this does not exactly make her a unique politician. And in this free country she has the right to calibrate her every move. But the fact that millions are prepared to go along with the charade is every bit as mystifying to me as thumping for Trump.

I get the anger. I do. On the right people are angry because they see a government actively working to undermine cherished cultural and, yes, spiritual traditions. They see their own leaders as two-faced panderers. On the left people are angry because they see an unholy alliance between the super-rich and politicians. They see profound injustice being done.

Here's the thing: both sides are right.

But Trump or Clinton? Now that makes me angry.

Lies, Damn Lies and Social Media

I recently read of a mother who told her kids to stay off social media because people's posts are 100% lies. “It's not their real lives,” she stated. “It's their pretend, ideal lives.”

I grant the partial truth of this. Yet on balance, Facebook and Twitter have been a blessing for me.

Okay, when I log on I expect that I will have interest in very little I see. I don't care what you had for supper at that restaurant. I don't care for your cute puppy memes. I don't care about most of the people tagged in your posts because I don't know them. I don't care about your politics. (Though I will admit to making the occasional political tweet.) The only Facebook character I regularly read is Maxine, the crotchety old lady. The only tweet I never miss is my daily dose of Calvin and Hobbes.

Yes, I hit “j” quickly and repeatedly. Yes, I understand that much of what people—including me—post proclaims only the better parts of our lives.

But unless you and I are close already, or unless you approach me in my role as pastor, I do not really need to know about your low moments. It's not that I don't care, it's that I already see enough pain in myself and others. I turn to social media in part to get away from that.

Social media have been largely responsible for renewing relationships I have allowed to languish. They have connected me with the people in the church I serve. They have enabled my extended family to communicate better than we ever managed before.

The trick is to manage our use of social media. For me, this has meant learning not to take the bait when somebody tries to start an argument, and trying to limit my own posts to those that I would want to read were I in others' shoes.

I don't know about you, but I like to laugh. I like to think my friends are happy. I like to catch up with college buddies, my mother-in-law, young adults with families who once upon a time were in youth groups I led. Social media help me do all these, and more.

I am grateful.