13 August 2024
Our current social and political trends avoid the obvious: A strong and stable nation requires a shared identity. Whether you like it or not, humans are fundamentally tribal. It's not a question of whether tribalism is good or bad; it just is. The only question is settling on the fundamental identity of the tribe. Taking advantage of our tribal instinct means being exclusive in one way or another. Outsider must be excluded or the whole thing collapses and people cannot work together as a nation.
Without a tribal identity that pulls us together, we will be driven apart. Simply being human is not enough. You cannot build a strong society on the basis of shared humanity. Humans are incapable of that. It's an old lie of Satan that we can stand together simply as humans. God will not allow it; that's part of the message of the Tower of Babel.
Outside of the Covenant, you have little choice on what gives you a tribal identity. It's a natural instinct to see the fleshly features as the basis (shared DNA); the concept of shared culture is not strong enough. Culture is the result of shared DNA in an existential context. You cannot simply construct a culture; it must arise and evolve from people striving to survive and thrive in some particular set of challenges. Once you isolate the culture from its source, it becomes evil.
Human political reality is that nationalism is an utter necessity, as is conflict between nations. If you attempt to build on dreams of something else, it must fail. Peace on earth is not possible from human capabilities. It comes only as a divine gift.
And that gift stands in a certain place: the Covenant. Granted, people in covenant faith communities will still generate cultures and tribal identities, but it's all fungible. In Christ, we remain conscious of the necessity of being fluid about such things. We turn it into a repertoire of our tribe to make adjustments, but it's possible only because of the dominance of our shared moral drive. Only in the Spirit can we treat human factors as secondary.
Thus, you can be sure that our current political situation in the US is one big lie. It's rooted entirely in fleshly concerns and utterly lacking in divine wisdom.
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