Wise at War; Reluctant Warriors Under the Banner of Love

With news this morning that Roe v Wade might finally be overturned we are bracing ourselves for another convulsion of the endless culture wars, And who feels up for that? Who is so well rested and fortified with strength as to be eager for the fray. 
Those of us who believe that unborn babies should have a chance at living and thriving and those of us who believe that Roe was always bad on its constitutional merits can not help but regard this as good news. But we’re also grieved by the sad awareness that this will only serve to deepen the divisions that already exist between us and so many of our neighbors. 
What does the moment call for?  Does it call for the escalating rhetoric of angry rebuttals? Passive disengagement to focus on the gospel? Should we downplay our convictions to build bridges? If our neighbors regard us as enemies because of our convictions, should we treat them as enemies and devote ourselves to overcoming them? If it must be culture war, can we leave the war for others to fight? What does the moment call for?
Well, this moment requires what every moment does: wisdom. 
We don’t need a winning strategy or a winning roster or a winning argument or a winning mindset or winning power and authority. What we need is the wisdom that God promises to provide those who lack it. 
And this is where we start - we start in humility. We lack wisdom. We always have and always will, apart from God’s generous supply. 
Ask God, personally, for that wisdom. Plead with him for it and wring it out of him with persistent prayer. He will provide it. 
And here are some things I think God has revealed to me about what is wise for us in this moment:

• It is not wise to be triumphant when the court agrees with me or defeated when it doesn’t.
  
• It is not wise for me to make disagreement, however sharply expressed and no matter how important the topic, more personal than it must be. 
  
• It is wise for me to go to any length to avoid hypocrisy.
  
• It is wise for me to take my opponent’s criticisms of me and my “cause” to heart. I have blindspots and could profit much from their perspective.
  
• It is wise for me, as I am able, to make whatever sacrifices virtue might require of me before my opponents get a chance to demand them. If I am committed to the cause of life let me demonstrate that by volunteering at the local pregnancy center, or bringing a meal to a foster family, or becoming a guardian ad litem or any number of other things that demonstrate “skin in the game.”
  
• It is not wise for me to believe that if I just did everything right I could get the desired outcome while retaining everyone’s good favor. Jesus did everything right and died for it, against the backdrop of sneering taunts; why should I expect to get along any better?
  
• It is not wise for me to downplay my convictions in the hopes that by doing so I might maintain a fragile connection to people who are far from God for the sake of drawing them closer. It is not wise because those people are often more forgiving of my convictions, if lovingly expressed, than I give them credit for. It is not wise because any relationship that is too weak for authenticity is too weak for redemptive transformation. And it is unwise because there is scant evidence to suggest that this approach ever pays off.
  

There is much more to say on the topic of wisdom, but I’d rather you heard it for yourself from the source. I’d rather that you immerse yourself in scripture and attune yourself receptively to the God of wisdom. And it is my prayer that I and the people of God comport ourselves with wisdom now to make the most of this hour for the sake of God’s glory and for the sake of the most vulnerable people. 

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