Individualism, Partisan Politics, and Self-Denial

“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." Probably most people with some church background have heard these words. A version of them appears in the gospels of Matthew and Mark, along with Luke, each time connected to a critical passage concerning Jesus' true identity and the centrality of his own cross.

The notion of crosses and self-denial are well known to many church people, but that is not to say that crosses and self-denial are terribly popular. Crosses are often understood as the minor or major inconveniences people have in their lives. I once heard "My arthritis is my cross to bear,"from a person with a rather benign case. Arthritis can be a horrible and debilitating disease, but it's not a cross. Crosses are things you can put down, or never pick up in the first place. They are totally avoidable sufferings or difficulties that people undertake to further the ministry of Jesus.

And if we often trivialize crosses, we dismiss self-denial out of hand. It is not unknown to us, but it is relegated to special situations. Soldiers will suffer and even die for their comrades. Many parents are familiar with it. And some but by no means all athletes embrace the "There is no I in team" mantra, and do whatever is needed for the sake of that team. But America is very much about the individual, and the notion of willingly giving up something for the sake of the nation or community seems to diminish as that individualism grows more and more dominant.

I wonder if some of the partisan divide in our country isn't related to this. We struggle to trust those who don't think just like us. Even within political parties the infighting can become brutal as some measure political figures purely on the issues they deem important. In this individualizing of politics, national candidates sometimes ending up looking a bit ridiculous as they try to give each affinity group what they want. It's a wonder any candidate for president can articulate a coherent message or sound at all sincere. And no wonder attack ads are more effective than clearly stated positions.

If you've read this blog before, you likely know I don't think much of attempts to restore America as a "Christian nation." However that does not mean I don't think followers of Jesus could not help show our nation a better way. And resurrecting the notion of self-denial as central to the Christian life might go a long way in this effort. But first, we probably need to figure out how to do that in in our own congregations.

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