It started with a simple response to a less than charitable tweet, but it turned into a revelation of just how dark even politically conservative-minded persons can be. It is a bit of a rare thing to find a celebrity that holds a conservative political stance, mostly because Hollywood unashamedly blacklists them for not towing the liberal line. So when I stumble across one, I will occasionally give them a follow on Twitter. Such was the case with Kristy Swanson, the actress best known for the comedic movie role of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (not to be confused with the television series character played by Sarah Michelle Geller). Ms. Swanson proves to be rather direct, blunt, and even confrontational in her pro-conservative values tweets. In fact, there are times I somewhat cringe at her language. However, she has been somewhat entertaining to follow, so I left her in my news feed.

On December 17, 2018, Ms. Swanson posted a meme involving a Christmas tree. Her statement was “just gonna nicely set this down right here…” The meme read, “if the offends you GO **** YOURSELF” (only there were no asterisks, I’ll not fill in the foul word that was posted). I confess, it shocked me. It wasn’t that Ms. Swanson was a rather brash conservative, I’d already seen more than enough evidence of that. It was the fact that, if a person found Christmas celebrations and decorations to be offensive, she felt entirely justified in telling that person, in the foulest language imaginable, to buzz off. She said this regarding Christmas. The season that, at least ostensibly, is supposed to be about the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Savior. The One who died to take the penalty for sinners that they may be made righteous. The One whom we are commanded to tell the world about that they might bow the knee in repentance and faith because of the great love He demonstrated by dying for sinners. That celebration. And she told them to fornicate themselves for not liking it. Now that is hubris.

I left a simple response for Ms. Swanson. I simply suggested that she consider that she was not likely to win anyone to her argument by treating them so disrespectfully. I never considered I would get a response from her. I would not expect a person with so many followers to have the time. I simply wanted her to stop and think about what she had done. That’s all. And, no she didn’t respond. But it was the other followers who did respond that got my attention. In fact, it is their posts that this article is about.

Several followers of Ms. Swanson took umbrage with my statement. One suggested that there was no way to win an argument with people who hate Christmas so much that they placed a statue of Satan next to a Christmas display (yes, that actually happened). Another claimed that you have to speak the same language as the liberal to even communicate to them. Yet another claimed that “silence is acceptance” and “we don’t want them to think we accept their ideology.” Finally, the one that really got my attention was the person who said “the time for being PC is OVER,” and that it was “time to fight fire with fire.” This is a person whose Twitter account appears to suggest they are at least a professing Christian. And they are supporting the idea that it is not only acceptable but appropriate to tell a person who is offended by Christmas to buzz off with vile and filthy language. This is also the person who later blocked my account for disagreeing with her and suggesting Christmas ought to be a time we share the miracle of the gospel with people. But I digress.

So why is this a topic worth blogging about? Is it so I can take out a pound of flesh with those who dared disagree with me? No. In fact, I have deliberately not posted links of the people I interacted with. I only share that the original post came from Ms. Swanson for context. This is not specifically about them and I have no desire to send the online Christian community on witch hunts. So, I ask my readers please do not go seek out these tweets and engage them with a rhetorical tirade. Rather, this is about an attitude I have seen growing within American culture, one that has even entered the ranks of the Christian church. It is the “Us vs. Them” mentality. The one that suggests that “Them” (whoever “them” is) is so wrong, so depraved in their thinking that there is absolutely no reasoning with them. Rather than seek to have debate and discourse, instead of seeking to win over their way of thinking, we ought to simply defeat and destroy them. It doesn’t seem to matter if they are convinced they are wrong and we are right, it only matters if they either capitulate or are vanquished. Such behavior demonstrates that they are concerned with glorifying themselves and their view of culture above all others.

For the Christian, this ought never to be our line of thinking. Sure, it seems to make sense on the surface. Leftists and anti-God revilers have been systematically attacking the very foundations of our country. They have sought to deny conservative minded, family values oriented, and specifically Christian, persons from having any voice in the public square. It is beyond clear that their intent is the total destruction of the Judeo-Christian worldview which is responsible for much of the foundations on which America was built. That is not even in question. So, it seems entirely a natural response to go on the assault, using the same tactics our opponents use. If they are not playing by a rulebook, why should we? Right? Wrong.

The Christian has two citizenships. The first and primary citizenship is in the Celestial City. We are under the direct authority of King Jesus. No other citizenship or earthly ruler trumps (no pun intended) our loyalty to Him and His realm. That means we are beholden to Him and His commands above all else.

Secondly, we are citizens of this world. Specifically, we are citizens in whatever earthly kingdom God has placed us. While there, we are to live and work, with loyalty and respect to those in authority over us. We have no allowance from God to rebel against those authorities unless they command us to sin against our Sovereign Lord. There we must draw the line and receive whatever consequences come our way.

In America, we are somewhat unique in that, on the surface at least, we live in a representative government. This gives us the opportunity to be self-governed insomuch as we elect representatives to pass and enforce laws on our behalf. Given that we are in a diverse society, this means a diversity of worldviews and the likelihood that laws will be passed with which we may well have a serious disagreement. As such, Christians are to be informed by Scripture and their God-given consciences during the elections and the use of our Constitutional rights to make appeals to our government. We have a unique opportunity to influence the path of our nation by instilling God informed voting and legislation. And we must use it wisely.

Yet, we also have a higher command from God. We are to represent Him to a Christ-rejecting world. We are to be His messengers, proclaiming His gospel to the lost and perishing. More important than the state of the nation is the state of the souls of the citizens in the nation. Someday, America will cease to exist. Perhaps it will be through the erosion of our Constitution, or maybe it will happen through warfare. But even if America were to exist till the end of days, God will one day destroy this world and all that is in it. America will not even be a memory in the new heavens and new earth. We who have been granted eternal life will not even care that it is gone. We will forever be in the presence of our Savior, worshipping the One who redeemed us. But for those who are not in Christ, there is only one fate and that is eternal death in the lake of fire. They will not care if America is gone either, for they will forever be weeping and gnashing their teeth.

Therefore, I ask my fellow Christians, is it appropriate to use the debate surrounding the Christmas holiday as yet another way to stick it to the Leftists who have been so unkind to us? I would answer a resounding “No!” First off, it is a terrible witness it is to take the time in which we commemorate the birth of Christ to use vulgar and hateful language to drive a further wedge between us and them. Yes, much of Christmas in America has little to do with Christ (which always makes me chuckle when Leftists attack Christmas trees). Yet, the Christ-rejecting world knows Christmas is really about Jesus. This is why they hate it so much, even the trappings that have nothing to do with Him. So, how does it make sense to violate Ephesians 4:29 by using the vilest words of filth so as to tear down and vanquish those who oppose Christ. Rather, we ought to use our words to reveal the true Christ to them, either that they might repent and believe in Him, or reject the true Christ and further bring condemnation on themselves. But to use our words in such a low way reveals we care far more about our cultural standing than the souls of the lost.

Secondly, by dropping into the gutter with the heathen, we play their game and lose before we even begin. Those who hate Christ know that we serve a transcendent and holy God. Their consciences bear witness against them that are rebels deserving of His judgment. Thus, it is their aim to bring Christians low that they might blaspheme our Lord all the more. If Christians truly act and speak as those who have been given a new nature, then we are a constant reminder of their sin and the coming judgment. But if they can bring us to their level, the heathen, wrongly, believes there is no difference between us. And if we are no better than they are, then why submit to God? How great and holy can this God be if His people can act in such a foul and immoral manner. We are not dealing them a great blow to their worldview when we speak vilely, we are actually becoming the very thing we think we are defeating. We become the enemy we seek to vanquish.

Lastly, in playing the “Us vs. Them” game, we reveal that our hearts are set on an idol and not on our Savior. Ask yourself, what are we truly hoping to accomplish. To hear those who responded to my Twitter post, it is the salvation of our nation. They simply care more about winning America back to a 1950-ish, “Father Knows Best” era in which we all believed in God, lived moral lifestyles, were well off financially and were considered the toughest country in the world. In other words, they want to make America into something it never really has been, but we all think it was in our imaginations. When Christians buy into this idea, they reveal that what they are worshipping is not God, but an idealized “heaven on earth” where they can be happy and comfortable all of their days. Certainly, there is nothing wrong with seeking to establish a godly culture while we are here. And there are many ways that can be pursued. But when we believe we can achieve this by treating others in vile and loathsome ways, we are saying that we do not have to believe those who oppose us are created in the image and likeness of God. They are subhuman, worthy of only being stepped on until we achieve our goal of a perfect society. As such, we deny the God who made them for He has commanded us not to show unrighteous judgment and anger. This reveals we care far more about our ideal nation than the God who has commanded us to speak the truth in love to those who outside his salvation.

Brethren, there are many times in which we must stand firm on the Word of God without apology. We cannot and must not ever capitulate to the culture when it comes to denying what His Word clearly teaches. And that may mean, like Paul, like John the Baptist, and like Jesus Himself, that we use strong language to reveal the true hearts of men. That in calling them to repentance, we clearly state what they are, unregenerate rebels who seek to tear God off His throne. But we must show wisdom. Not every encounter demands we call people a “brood of vipers.” In many cases, we may well need to show patient compassion in order to help people see that we genuinely love them and want to see them saved. But never is there a place for course, vile, and vulgar language such as some would suggest we use in order to defeat those who disagree with us. And for goodness sake, never, ever use Christmas as an excuse to do so. How ridiculous can you get?

With the Christmas season upon us, let me simply suggest that we have a fantastic opportunity to share the gospel message with any and everyone. Let your words be about the forgiveness found in Christ, not in asserting our moral dominance over a heathen culture. Brethren, what better time can there be to speak about the incarnate Son of God than the time when we celebrate His birth. Let’s be busy about our Father’s business instead of seeking to vanquish the lost.