Divisive Assumptions
“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:4–5, ESV)
A Couple Comments
This past week, in conversations with many people throughout the Midwest, I heard a couple comments that caused me to step back and think for a bit. In particular, these comments revolved around wearing masks in public. However, as I’ve thought about these comments further, something is going on that is much deeper than talking about masks.
As I spoke with various people about wearing masks this past week, I regularly heard statements that sounded like this: “Well [insert name here] needs to stop being so influenced by President Trump and needs to understand how important it is to wear masks.” OR “Well [insert name here] needs to stop being so influenced by CNN and needs to understand how pointless it is to wear masks.”
Making Assumptions
What stood out to me in those comments—coming from both sides of the argument—is that there were a lot of assumptions being made. One side assumed that everyone who thinks masks are pointless, has been influenced by President Trump, and the other side assumed that those who think masks are important have been influenced by the media. Yet, no one spoke with the person. They assumed they were influenced by one political agenda or the other.
Assumptions and Divisiveness
These assumptions only increase the division in our country. It causes us to “lump people together” and then dismiss their opinion without a conversation. Rather than listening to what they have to say and trying to figure out the reason they believe what they believe, we make an assumption and dismiss their opinion. This gives us the comfortable opportunity to continue believing what we’ve always believed, assuming that anyone who disagrees with us has been negatively influenced by some “radicals.”
Assumptions and Discussion
These assumptions also hinder any attempt to have a reasonable discussion. In the comments I mentioned in the first paragraph, did you notice how there was no discussion at all? Both sides dismissed the other opinion without having any discussion. They didn’t talk about the positives and negatives of wearing a mask. They didn’t talk about societal or cultural benefits or drawbacks. They assumed they already knew what the other person believed and dismissed it. No discussion at all.
More Than Just Masks
This is happening in all of our conversations at the moment. The conversations revolving around Black Lives Matter, Social Justice, and other political issues are exactly the same. We are no longer having conversations about what we believe and why we believe it. We’re assuming the other person has been negatively influenced by someone and reject their opinion. This is one of the main reasons our country has become so divided. We are no longer having conversations. We are no longer discussing the benefits and drawbacks. We are no longer having a reasoned discussion.
Christians Have Conversations
It’s my desire to see Christians lead the way in changing this. We must not be held captive by the assumptions of our culture. As Christians, we are called to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). We can’t do that by making assumptions. We can only do it through conversations about our thoughts—about ideas and opinions.
So, as I’ve encouraged throughout this season of division in our country, we need to push back against any temptation to shut down conversation—including making rash assumptions. We need to think through why we believe what we believe AND why others believe what they believe. Then, prayerfully, take those thoughts and make them obedient to Christ. That’s the only way we will make some headway in these conversations. It’s the only path away from division.