There has been a lot of talk in the past several days about there being evil on "all sides" of the issue after the recent #Charlottesville tragedy. And while I generally don't get that involved in politics, news of this has reached even my ears.
Yes I think we all inherently understand that evil is always on "all sides", as in "evil is in all of us" ... but that is like saying, "There certainly are a lot of grains of sand on the seashore." It's stating something so obvious that it doesn't really mean much ... especially when there is such blatant and obvious evil that is not being specified or called out (I understand Trump specified the evil later). Don't get me wrong, this is not really about Trump. This is about us as Christians. Whatever your political stance and preferences, and whatever your thoughts about our current president in the United States, we must remember as Christians we are citizens of heaven, of a different kingdom ... under the rule of a different king. And it is as such that we must find ourselves not trying to just be politically correct, but rather kingdom correct ... both in our thinking, our actions, and our speech (including our social media outbursts for heaven sakes!). For our king taught that hatred, violence, and enmity, not to mention retribution upon our enemies (including ones you think you have on capitol hill) - is strictly forbidden for followers of Jesus.
Jesus blistered the leading majority constituents (those that held the most power and influence) of his day, calling them hypocrites, hard-hearted, children of hell, blind guides, wicked, snakes, broods of vipers, and that they would not escape being condemned to hell (Mat 23). And don't forget his campaign manager calling them a brood of vipers as well (Mat 3)! Jesus apparently didn't have a problem calling out evil when he saw it, no matter where it resided, or what kind of trouble it got him in. He even called it out amongst his closest friends and followers, calling the apostle Peter "Satan", stating that he did not have the things of God in mind but the things of men (Mat 16).
Jesus also said that everyone on the side of truth listens to him - implying that we do what we hear (John 18:37; c.f. Jam 1:22).
Let's listen to Jesus for a moment (who we claim as our king ... right?):
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?" (Mat 5:43-47)
"Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Mark 13:13)
"For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." (Mat 15:19)
"But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother's wife, and all the other evil things he had done," (Lk 3:19 - there's that pesky campaign manager again)
"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed." (Jn 3:19-20)
"The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil." (Jn 7:7)
As Christians who follow our Lord Jesus, let's not be afraid to call out evil, no matter where we see it. And let us call it out first and foremost whenever we see it in the mirror (Mat 7:3-5).