Whether it’s abortion, LGBTQ rights, gun control, racism — our nation has clear dividing lines along political parties and ideologies. Issue after issue is a painful reminder of this division. But as followers of Jesus we are called to be peacemakers.
Justin Giboney, attorney and political strategist, and Walter Kim, NAE president, discuss what it practically looks like to bring love and truth to the most difficult issues. You’ll hear:
- An assessment of society’s advancement on polarizing political issues;
- How the Church can confront lies that offend us and lies that serve us;
- What the Black ecclesial tradition offers for our posture and action; and
- How biblical doctrine and compassion change our approach to challenging conversations.
Read a Portion of the Transcript
Walter: What does it look like for the Church to confront these lies, these wrong ways of thinking? That’s awfully difficult in this moment. Any advice for us?
Justin: I think it starts with making sure we’re not conflating theology and ideology. A lot of people cannot tell you the difference. I’m conservative in my theology; that doesn’t mean I’m always going to be conservative in my ideology. A lot of people can’t tell you where one begins and one ends. We have to make sure — and that’s not just for conservative but that’s for progressives as well — these are different things. The theology has to control the ideology and not the other way around.
I can’t tell you how many Christians I know that once they got deeply involved in politics, their theology was impacted by their partisanship. Your partisanship should never be the master of your social action, but certainly not the master of your theology. That’s one thing that Christians really have to watch out for, not just going along with the narrative they may be getting from folks in their ideological tribe, but challenging those narratives and digging a little deeper to get to the truth of what’s going on.
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Today’s Conversation is brought to you by Wesley Seminary.
Justin Giboney is an attorney and political strategist in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also the co-founder and president of the AND Campaign, a Christian civic organization. Giboney served as the co-chair of Obama for America’s Gen44-Atlanta initiative, and in 2012 and 2016 Georgia’s 5th congressional district elected him as a delegate for the Democratic National Convention. He has written op-eds for publications such as Christianity Today and The Hill. Giboney earned a bachelor’s degree in Human and Organizational Development with a minor in philosophy before going on to earn a Juris Doctor degree from Vanderbilt Law School.
Walter Kim became the president of the National Association of Evangelicals in January 2020. He previously served as a pastor for 15 years at Boston’s historic Park Street Church and four years at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, Virginia. He has spent nearly three decades preaching, writing and engaging in collaborative leadership to connect the Bible to the significant intellectual, cultural and social issues of the day. He serves on the boards of Christianity Today and World Relief. Kim received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, his M.Div. from Regent College in Vancouver, and his B.A. from Northwestern University, and he is a licensed minister in the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference.
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