Finding Hope in Troubling Times: A Reflection on the 2024 Election

A Different Kind of Faith

In the wake of the 2024 election, I’ve witnessed a wide range of responses. Some people celebrated Trump’s reelection with fireworks. Others have fallen into deep depression, leaning on friends for support.

Over the past few years, I've become increasingly convinced that in a post-Christian America, people haven't become faithless; they've simply chosen different avenues of faith. For many, politics is their new religion.

For some on the left, Kamala Harris's loss felt like more than a political defeat. They genuinely believe these election results represent an existential threat to their very existence. I know trans people who fear they won't survive much longer. Women who worry they’ll soon be living in a real-life version of “The Handmaid's Tale.”

For some on the right, Trump's victory is seen as a sign of God's direct intervention. While many of them have vague views of "God," they see him as a chosen instrument who will end wars, bring peace, and right all wrongs.

A Shared Worldview

While both sides disagree on almost everything, they unwittingly agree on one worldview: that American politics is their ultimate source of hope. In other cultures, this source of hope is often called something different: religion.

I mention this for a few reasons.

First, this context helps explain why some are elated and others are depressed. The election wasn't a small thing; it represented the culmination of all their hopes and fears. Both Elon Musk (on Trump's stage) and Oprah Winfrey (on Harris's) claimed that if the other person won, it would be the last free election. Fearmongering gets people’s attention, but it doesn’t help in the long haul. People were told that "the other person" would destroy them, and some believed it.

Secondly, this is a religious triumph or failure. Their “god” died, or was resurrected. They don't have another haven for their hope, so it was entirely vested in Harris or Trump. C.S. Lewis once wrote that when people deny the God of the Bible, it isn’t that they'll worship nothing—they’ll worship anything. That includes political figureheads.

Finally, there are people who use political causes as an opportunity to be cruel. There is pent-up hatred in the hearts of some people, and political causes often feel like a socially approved venue to unleash it.

Our True Source of Hope

As followers of Jesus, we stand against these temptations by holding onto one core thought: Jesus is King. His Lordship surpasses the power of any Red Wave. His sovereignty is greater than any hoped-for blue resurgence. The same Jesus who frustrated the Jewish religious authorities and Roman rulers is the Jesus enthroned today.

He calls us to love our enemies. He calls us to faithful gentleness. He leads us into a ministry of reconciliation.

Let’s follow Him. He’s the only place where we can truly find hope.

In His Grip;
Pastor Tim