Five Ways Evangelicals Can Survive This Election Year

Dr. Bill Senyard here with Gospel App Ministries (www.gospel-app.com) and Good Enough Parent (www.goodenoughparent.online). Please, don’t let the stress and anxiety of the upcoming election rob you of your joy. In an ABC poll during the 2016 election, almost half (46%) of the respondents said that the election was stressing them out, almost a quarter (24%) said it was serious stress. Well, I haven’t seen the numbers for this year, but I imagine that they are higher—way higher.

May I speak specifically to my fellow Evangelicals, Ex-evangelicals, other Protestants, Catholics and other Jesus followers to suggest five things that we can do to chill during this election cycle a little or a lot? Quick context.

First, expect Evangelicals to disagree. We always have. There should be great grace for that.

Second, there are no perfect men or women running for any office—nowhere close.

Third, God is bigger than any and all of our messes. His specialty is resurrecting life out of death. So, He’s got this. Now, may I suggest five ways Jesus-followers can hold it all together between now and the election?

1. Go OCD on Jesus. Go nuts reading the four gospels again. Look very closely again at the life and death of our Savior. Ask great questions to the text. What did he say to whom? Who did he touch? How did they respond? How were they changed? If they were here today, what might they say to us about him? These were largely societal rejects, the unclean, the unbelieving, the oppressed, in a word, sinners. How do you see God’s innate love for the unlovable, the unloved, and the unlovely? That’s all of us on any given day. If you can, watch all of the seasons of The Chosen again. I get it that it is not inspired text, but it is a marvelous sermon or commentary on the Bible. Enjoy.
2. Demetricate your social media platforms. There is a free ‘demetricator’ software available for Facebook and Twitter. Google “Ben Grosser Demetricator”. It will substantially emasculate the most addictive aspect of these two social media platforms—the “Like” button. It is so simple, and you may be surprised the difference it will make. No longer will you see how many likes a post received. Instead, you will be notified that your post was ‘liked’. “Feel good” without “addiction”. Social scientist Ivan Pavlov (of Pavlov’s dog fame) would be so pleased with you for doing this.
3. Limit your exposure to any and all network news to no more than 30 minutes a day. Their business models are designed to gain more of your time watching their Both the network news and social media have discovered if they can make you mad, you will watch longer. Social outrage sells.
4. If you haven’t felt loved by God recently, I mean really adored, check out two resources. First get the must-read book, Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortland. It could change your life. Then, if you are a little more adventurous, do my on-line gospel experience, The Dance, a two-hour gospel journey for discouraged Christians who want to get back into the celestial dance. There is a slight cost, but worth it. www.the-dance.org.
5. Say the Simple Uncluttered Gospel (SUG) twice a day between now and the election. It is a gospel presentation designed to reach that critical inner voice in your midbrain. There is neuroscience behind it, so please say it word for word. Here it is.

Jesus-Follower, strictly because of what Jesus did for you 2000 years ago, Jesus loves you with all His heart, as much as the Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father. God loves you as you are, not as you should be or could be. You can’t add to this love or take away from it. It often feels like you’ve messed it up or need to do something so that God will like you better. Not so. How do you experience it more? Simple! Ask the Spirit inside of you to make you know, experience, and feel just how much God loves you right now. Just ask. Ask again later today. Ask tomorrow. Make it a spiritual habit.

You can get the SUG in bookmark form from my website www.gospel-app.com.

You’ve got this Jesus follower. Let me know what you think, Bill@Gospel-App.com.

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