It has been well documented that the next generation considers the church an institution that is too political. Too political in that many churches split over silly agendas and preferences but also too political in the sense that national politics are given a bigger stage to shine on they ought to be given from both behind the pulpit and inside the church itself. When churches emphasize political parties more than they do the gospel or even worse claim their political preference as the gospel, the next generation turns off.
I do not intend to use this platform to provide you with statistics on how the next generation will vote or how the next generation should vote in the upcoming election. Ministry leaders understand the old cliché, “people vote with their feet.” Many young people will choose not to vote at all. Is the church taking notice when young people decide not to enter their church doors? Do politicians notice when the younger generations decide not to show up at the poll? People vote all the time. We, the church, must take inventory, look at ourselves in the mirror, and decide if we ourselves are a stumbling block to the next generation not being able to enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
At his crucifixion, Jesus did not receive any votes. His closest friends turned away and as his triumphal entry indicates, the notion of popularity is here today and gone tomorrow. It would be easy to provide you with statistics and polls which indicate the values and beliefs of the next generation. How many Millennials voted for Bernie Sanders in contrast to Hilary Clinton? How many votes will Donald Trump receive when compared with Hilary Clinton’s vote count? How many Millennials feel helpless and will choose not to vote at all? Yes, votes do reveal feelings and beliefs, but I sense there is something at stake for the next generation in this election that I feel has been overlooked and ignored.
Life boils down to relationships. Jesus placed an extremely high value on relationships. Jesus desired that men and women not only love God, but also their fellow man. The Great Commandment (Mat 22:35–40), The Golden Rule (Mat 7:12), and The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37) all remind us of how paramount relationships are to the Kingdom of God.
The way in which Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton have related to each other in this election period is the epitome of treating one’s fellow man as nothing less than slime. Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton are not only two politicians running to be the next President of the United States. They are two national leaders who are to set an example of what it means to love one’s neighbor. My greatest fear is that the next generation looks at how these national leaders treat each other in dialogue, etc. and think to themselves that this is natural and normal behavior. If our nation’s leaders, and one whom will soon be proclaimed our nation’s greatest leader, can name call, sling mud, and degrade another, the next generation’s rationale becomes “why can’t I?” After all, this “leader” climbed to the top of the ladder in his or her profession with a manner that dehumanizes another, so “why can’t I?”
With this line of thinking at work, it does not take long for us as a nation to soon forget that “we the people” are made in the image of God and to begin witnessing our children acting as mini-Clinton’s and mini-Trump’s toward one another. Bullying is already a huge problem with students in school and cyber-bullying often plays a major factor in teen suicide. The election campaign has become so horrid that children should not even be in the same room where the evening news is heard.
I vote that we love one another as Jesus commanded us to and that the church and the family teaches the next generation to act the opposite toward one another as our presidential candidates do toward each other.