The Partisan Mind vs the Mind of Christ

In this week’s episode David and Curtis explore the concept of the “partisan mind”; what ...

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In this week’s episode David and Curtis explore the concept of the “partisan mind”; what it is, where it comes from, and why it is in conflict with the “mind of Christ”. They look at the social science behind partisan polarization and offer some practical tips on how we can tell when we are (and how we can avoid) falling into the snare of the partisan mind.

Show Notes:

–Nichole Argo Ben Itzhak (Over Zero) – The Science of Polarization and Insights for Bridge-building

–Barna: Pastors Share Top Reasons They’ve Considered Quitting Ministry in the Past Year

-Over Zero: Core Concepts on Social Identity, Negative Emotions and Group Norms

-Check out Biologos

-Sign up for David’s French Press newsletter

-Follow Curtis’ work at RedeemingBabel.org

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  1. Avatar photo
    Tracy

    This was such a helpful articulation of our polarized communities from the perspective of what it means spiritually. And wow "preserving the good name of our neighbor?" An ideal by which we all fall so very short (whether that is a sporting contest or an election, lol). Great discussion and challenge indeed!

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  2. Braden

    I couldn't agree more with you guys that today's partisanship is not just unhealthy but sinful. It is so easy to look at people with a different political view and make definitive statements claiming not just that they are wrong but that I am right. It is all so prideful and rooted in sin.

    But if I understand your point, our current political landscape tends toward toxic partisanship because of tribalism born from our instinct to survive. And partisanship is characterized by irrationality, over emotion and generally a lack of compassion. In the context of survival this makes tribalism a good thing. In the context of partisanship then tribalism is a bad thing. And evolutionary processes link survival and partisanship through tribalism. Can tribalism be both a good and a bad thing? Or are evolutionary processes more a nod toward a belief in specific scientific explainations rather than an explanation of our current toxic political landscape?

    Is it also fair to ask if your point that our current tendency toward toxic and divisive partisanship is more indicative of our pride and sinful nature rather than the processes of evolution?

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    Bel

    Very thought provoking podcast.

    I’ve never thought of myself as Republican or Democrat as I’ve never fit neatly in either party, but I do have partisan mind reactions based in something else. It’s not something I would or even could articulate in a description of myself, I can’t yet put words to it, but there is something in how I think of myself that can result in the equivalent of partisan mind reactions. In certain situations I go on alert like a lion is circling my campfire.

    I think it may be related to feeling like a misfit; I edit or silence myself to avoid rejection and then other people make inaccurate assumptions about me and then share wild (to me) ideas assuming I agree, and BAM, partisan mind. I think the way to un-trigger myself is to out myself, but at this point, 11 years into my social circles, it’s difficult. I think people would understandably not trust me if I suddenly became very vocal with my opinions. A conundrum of my own making.

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  4. Lynn

    I think he would have looked at the Pharisees and seen the need for a Prophet like himself to rise up amoung the people ( Duet. 18:15).

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  5. Andrew C

    So enjoyed this episode, as I have all the episodes. I honestly don’t have much else to say, but I would like to recommend an episode exploring some of the places you two differ. Kind of taking the principals you’ve been discussing and putting them into practice. I think it’d be extremely valuable to see how two biblically faithful people can arrive at different conclusions and neither one is more or less right or wrong.

    Thanks for your faithfulness and courage in holding to the grace and truth of Jesus and what that looks like in our current climate.

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  6. Avatar photo
    TheKingPrawn

    Both sides cause a negative reaction for me now. Politics has become a sport in which I only root for injuries. I'm not sure how to square that with my faith. Is the anti-partisan mind also a problem?

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    1. Brendan Bossard

      What do you mean by "anti-partisan?"

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      1. Avatar photo
        TheKingPrawn

        I react very negatively to partisanship, even if I agree with the ideas being espoused by the partisans. The tribalism is so corrosive that it spoils even the best things.

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        1. Brendan Bossard

          Okay, I got that. I was confused because you seemed to be saying that anti-partisanship can be a problem. Can you clarify that?

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            TheKingPrawn

            It's perhaps too negative, too reflexive. I'd rather have a reasoned response than a knee jerk reaction. Having the negative on autofill crowds out the possibility of a positive response if warranted.

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  7. Avatar photo
    Jack

    Should’ve just called this one “Suicide of the West.”

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  8. Avatar photo
    Jeff Walden

    Hi! Mountain View resident here, several cities and 35-40 minutes' bike ride north of San Jose.

    I react exactly the opposite to MAGA hats when I see them here. (I can think of one person I have seen multiple times wearing one, and maybe one other instance in the area. Total.) And not because I agree with them!

    This area is so monolithically liberal, that when I see a MAGA hat, I'm cheered to see evidence of any diversity of viewpoint at all.

    Look, I'm LCMS. My LCMS church is more St. Louis (contemporary) than Fort Wayne (more traditional). We're a little looser, a little more flexible. But we're still LCMS -- and so generally politically inclined rightward, albeit with at least broad distaste with Trump. (We do have voluble leftward exceptions.)

    And yet when we had a vacancy, one well-liked guest pastor sometime 2015-2016, just after Trump said something particularly inflammatory, said at one point in a sermon, "Politicians are saying all sorts of crazy things lately." It wasn't overtly targeted. Appropriately! But I don't for a second think it was criticism really meant, at that instant, to span the spectrum.

    Which is to say, aside from my church and a local politics org whose meetings I've visited three times (once to see Chuck Devore speak, once to see Charlie Cooke speak, and once to see some dude named David French speak -- he accidentally filibustered my question rather than answer it 😅), we have effectively zero exposure to right-siders here outside their harmless little ghetto.

    Just sayin'. If you think "divided we fall" is a valuable cautionary motto (pretty sure both hosts agree on that), consider this alternative way to view the rare MAGA hat you encounter here. 🙂

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    1. Brendan Bossard

      Is LCMS "Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod?"

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        Jeff Walden

        Yes.

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  9. Lynn

    Jesus said,no man can serve two masters; either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to one and despise the other. You can not serve God and mammoth ( money, nation, political parties, religous leaders). How do you escape the partisan mindset? Focus on Christ.

    The partisan mindset set effects me negatively. I am a seventy year old white southern male who worships at a middle Tennessee Church of Christ. It upsets me greatly that everyone assumes I am a Trump supporting Republican. It is embarrassing. Tends to make me see all Republicans negatively.

    I also find that pointing out actual teachings of Christ and the apostles in small group settings is seen negatively because they contradict Republican politics. The teachings of Christ are partisan !?

    Churches spend a lot of time teaching about Christ - birth, death, resurrection, salvation, etc. And very little time on the teachings of Christ. In many churches more time is spent in the Old Testament than the New. This leads to the Ten Commandments being more important than the beatitudes, the Kingdom of David and Solomon being more desired than the not of this world kingdom of Christ, a view of blessings and curses as a just reward instead of rejoicing in suffering for Christ.

    Maybe the solution is for preachers to start preaching the New Testament message and lay the Old Testament that gave us the Pharisees aside.

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    1. Laurie

      The verse you shared is on my mind a lot these days. In my church people assume I agree with them politically too. It's frustrating.

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    2. Brendan Bossard

      Interesting post. I appreciate your insight. It sounds like you have experienced pretty legalistic church life. I wonder how the OT "gave us the Pharisees" though. The OT was the only established scripture that Jesus and the apostles had. Jesus said that the Pharisees (and other groups) were misapplying the scriptures. Paul links his theology to the OT. The writer of Hebrews infuses his letter with the OT. Can you clarify your point?

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      1. Lynn

        Paul links his theology to Abraham, not Moses. Moses was temporary until Christ allowed mankind to return to the faith of Abraham. The Hebrew writer expands on this by showing Jesus as the new Moses, new law, new High Priest, new David, superior to and replacing the system of Moses that naturally lead to the Pharisees of Jesus day. The law of Moses has the concept of blessings and curses as a reflection of righteousness- see Duet. 28. Under this concept wealth, power, social standing were a result of righteousness. Poverty , sickness, imprisonment, slavery were the result of sin - thus asking who sinned the blind man or his parents.

        The Pharisees, Saducees, and Scribes fell into the trap of, we're healthy, wealthy, and wise; therefore, we must be righteous. You're not therefore you must be sinful. Most of the Old Testament reinforced this mind set. Love your neighbor as yourself faded into the background. I believe that is why the law was always meant to be temporary. Spending too much time in the Old Testament today leads many into that same trap.

        In addition the law of Moses allowed for there to be a king, but did not want one. Most of the Old Testament is about the failure of that kingdom system with just a few brightspots in a 1000 year run. Thus in Galatians when Paul refers to the law as our tutor not only does it show us what sin is, but that that system was a failure in leading men to God. Jesus way is superior in every aspect.

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        1. Brendan Bossard

          Do you think Moses would have approved of Pharisaism?

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  10. Avatar photo
    Alex H

    Perhaps the saddest form of publicly identifying with a tribe is when we choose to put a sticker with the logo of the church we attend on the back of our car rather than one of the fish or the cross representing Christ as Lord and savior.

    I doubt a bumper sticker has ever changed the mind of a stranger about anything. But they do seem to be a way of broadcasting out into the world the message, "this is who I am". Wouldn't it be better to broadcast, "this is Who's I am"?

    Thinking locally is not so helpful in this situation. The congregants of a church that meets in Manhatten will look very different from those of one that meets in Mogadishu, yet they are both the same in our Lord's eyes and unified by the same desperate need for a savior.

    There is only one truly diverse campfire, the one of sinners in need of a savior. If we must stick our Christian identity to the back of our car why don't we advertise for the campfire He created rather than one we created?

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