Trump, Vance and fruit

That meeting with Zelenskyy (Wikimedia)

Thinking out loud – 3

There is a view out there that religion and politics shouldn’t be mixed. We don’t want to offend one another and politics is likely to be a topic that people feel strongly about – so let’s avoid unnecessary divisions.

I’m all in favour of unity, but I have two issues with that thinking.

The first issue is the word ‘religion’. Do I follow a religion? I sincerely hope not! I do my best to follow Jesus, he’s the best example of living well that I have. He taught his followers by example, by argument and by his loving heart. That’s not religion, it’s simply the practice of following the best example!

The second issue is the word ‘politics’. Following Jesus, if it means anything, means following him in every aspect of life. So unless we define politics as somehow not being an aspect of life, it follows that we should include it as just another part of life in which we can follow Jesus. Did Jesus discuss politics with his followers? Most certainly he did! ‘Whose head is on this coin’, he asked. ‘Well then, pay Caesar his due, but make sure to pay the Almighty his due as well.’ And that’s just one example of many.

So with those two points cleared up, what about Trump, Vance and fruit?

Trump and Vance

Whatever you think of the politics, and whatever you make of their words, I’d like you to look deeper than that – please consider their actions as well, and particularly consider the motives and intentions that led to the words and actions. We’ll come back to those in a moment, but first let’s look at fruit.

Fruit?

Yes. Fruit.

Paul wrote 2000 years ago about the fruit of the Spirit of Jesus working in the hearts and minds of people following Jesus. Here’s how that works. When something grows (a young plant, a young animal, a child) there is always some kind of fruit. An apple tree will always produce apples, more and more in maturity as it reaches full size. A young animal will develop attitudes to prey and predators that will enable it to survive and produce offspring. A child will develop attitudes and actions based on those of parents, siblings, teachers and so on.

The fruit of Jesus’ Spirit working in his followers is described by Paul in Galatians 5:22-25. It’s fruit, it develops as you grow. It ripens with maturity, it has fragrance and flavour. Here are Paul’s words:

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Back to Trump and Vance

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. How much of those attributes have you noticed in the words and actions of the USA’s President and Vice-President?

If you want a specific example, think of the way they treated Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office recently.

Here are the opposites of the fruit in Paul’s list – hatred, gloom, impatience, unkindness, unfaithfulness, harshness, out-of-control. If the first list is the fruit of the Spirit of Christ, where does the opposite fruit come from?

See also:

• Art of persuasion, The – Journeys of heart and mind
• Fruit of our lives, The – Journeys of heart and mind
• Marci Shore Interview – Silicon Curtain

Useful? Interesting?

If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome!