Today, November 5th is election day in the US. Months of campaigning… politicians have dug trenches and jumped in, defending their position. Millions of people are casting their votes; a new president will be elected. Commentators and experts say that the result is too close to call.
Half of the nation will be pleased; the other half will be disappointed, angry, frustrated… There will still be the disagreement. The United States will still be the Divided States; entrenched views won’t disappear.
Here in the UK on November 5th we celebrate Guy Fawkes Night with bonfires and fireworks. We remember the 1605 Gunpowder Plot when Catholics and Protestants held entrenched positions. Catholic plotters intended to assassinate Protestant king James I and blow up his parliament. Britain then, as now, was not a United Kingdom but a Divided Kingdom. The solution? Blow up those that you disagree with!
Yesterday I was chatting with my friend Nick whom I’ve known for many years. We talked about matters that Christians disagree on, discussing where truth meets compassion, how – if – there can be unity in the church. Trenches are dug with spades of ‘scripture’, ‘tradition’ or ‘relevance’ and folks jump in to defend their position. The deeper they dig, the more they’re entrenched.
Entrenched? My mind creates pictures of First World War soldiers digging trenches to defend their position. The trenches are filled with vulnerable soldiers and guns aimed at the enemy. There’s unspeakable filth, suffering, and inevitable death.
I prefer to imagine the digging of two very different trenches…
…Builders digging trenches to lay a foundation. It’s filled with concrete; it’s a strong, secure base for a house that becomes a home.
…Gardeners digging trenches for planting. It’s filled with rich compost to produce beautiful flowers, or nourishing vegetables.
It’s inevitable that trenches will be dug. There will always be disagreement. We must then decide whether we use our trenches to divide and destroy with hatred, belittlement and force, or use them to build and grow with strength, beauty and nourishment.
malcolmsmusings.org 
Just a thought. Is it always possible to be united? Jesus didn’t work hard at unity with the Pharisees.
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I understand your point, Nigel. There are times when you can’t compromise. I think that my concern this morning is that sometimes there is so much emphasis on division and destroying the opposition, that we lose sight of positive construction and growth.
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According to one dictionary definition of unity, it means “the state of being united or joined as a whole.” It doesn’t say that participants’ views must line up in unison. We can agree to disagree and still be joined as a whole. That seems to be the mature way to deal with opposing views. Of course, that’s not to say we shouldn’t discuss our differences. But if we reach an impasse, then the smart thing to do is drop it. No use ruining a relationship over the disagreement. As my father used to say, “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” Better to make the matter a point of prayer than argument.
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Thanks, Nancy. I understand all the theory. I confess I’m still not very good at working it out in practice. Seeing this morning’s news from your side of the Atlantic it seems to me that some of my American friends are going to be challenged with unity in the ‘United’ States.
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