The Ostrich Effect: Finding Jesus’ Politics Beyond the Party Lines
I am an ostrich. Don’t they notoriously bury their head in the sand, imagining that if they can’t see the danger it’s not really there? Yeah, that’s me right now. I listen to a couple minutes of news on the radio and think gosh, this feels too hard. Then I flip to an audiobook for escape, switch on some music or pick up my phone to scroll through more cute dog videos.
I googled “Do ostriches actually put their head in the sand to hide from danger?” The question auto populated as soon as I got past “ost.” Apparently, I am not the only one who wondered this. Turns out, it’s not true. They bury their eggs in the sand and will bend down to rotate them with their beaks. They aren’t actually putting their head in the sand. That would suffocate them. Not sure why I needed AI to tell me that, but here we are. It might be nice for us to come up with a new analogy for deliberate oblivious avoidance and salvage the poor ostrich’s reputation.
I am currently writing from Glen Margaret, Nova Scotia, Canada. The water outside my window is calm, the church across the street is cute and healthcare is affordable. I can almost imagine that everything is just fine.
I try not to be one of those “the sky is falling” kind of people. But if I listen to the news for too long, I start to wonder if the world as we know it is ending.
The truth is, I have never experienced deep suffering. I do occasionally get migraine headaches and spent 4 and a half years in a well-paying job I didn’t like. Poor me, right? Despite a few lows, like most upper-middle class white Americans, my life has been pretty great. And, other than higher prices at the gas pump, the war in Iran has cost me very little.
I looked up the number of Iranians killed or wounded in action. The number has been hard to pin down, but current estimates are between 3,000 and 10,000. That’s not counting the folks that died in Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and the Persian Gulf.
Meanwhile, I sleep peacefully, cuddled with my husband and two dogs without fear of danger.
I have a hard time imagining the terror of war, but I know it’s real. I know it’s happening. I just feel powerless to do anything about it.
It’s hard to miss the upcoming mid-term election, even if, like me, the news makes you want to suck your thumb in the fetal position. Political ads are everywhere. We commoners, speaking for all of us who don’t give millions to super-PACs, really hate being bombarded with “the other guy sucks, so vote for me” messages. Seriously, does anyone want more flyers in the mail? Is this not an issue we all agree on? We the people should rise up in support of campaign spending limits. Did you know that in the UK candidates are only allowed to campaign for 5 weeks and political TV and radio ads are banned? Can we please make this our next soap box issue? Can I get an “Amen!”?
Yes, I have gotten off track. Pardon my caveat, but the amount of money spent on election campaigns is ridiculously out of control. Anyway…
Since around the 80s, white Christians have been stereotyped as conservative Republicans. That was how I grew up. My dad held Republican caucus meetings in our living room. We all voted for George W. Key issues were government overreach and spending, the threat of godless communism and of course, high taxes. This is understandable because really, who wants higher taxes?
Exit polls for the Presidential election in 2024 had Christians voting for Trump at even higher rates than in 2020—up to 63% vs 60%. The issues most important? The economy, the border, abortion and transgender issues were at the top of the list.[1]
There is still the threat of godless communism, but it’s been renamed socialism. Higher income taxes, meanwhile, are still universally disliked by the people who pay them. A major problem if you’re my husband. A necessary evil associated with living in the developed world if you are me.
During this election cycle there are a growing number of Democratic candidates who are talking openly about their Christian faith. One of them is my pastor, Adam Hamilton, who decided to run for Kansas US Senator. He is not alone. Candidates like James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for US Senate in Texas or Frederick Haynes, a Baptist pastor (gasp!), also from Texas.[2]
These candidates are talking about how their faith influences their politics. They focus on Jesus’ command to care for the poor, love your enemies and my personal favorite, the repeated command to care for the widows, orphans and the foreigner living among you.
So as Christians, what should we be? Republican or Democrat?
I was reminded this week by Rev. Winnie Varghese that no one political party contains a Christian agenda. Also, there’s no rule that says we even have to pick one. Well, I guess if you want to run for office it does help your chances if you fall into one camp or the other, but for most of us we can be free agents.
This time has me reflecting on our religious history. There are some distinct patterns. Folks get off track, forget to be decent humans and then comes the prophet to call them back to faithfulness. One of my favorite prophets is John the Baptist. He prepared the way for Jesus by calling the Jews to repentance and reminding them of who they were.
Read some of the Old Testament prophets. Amos, for example, condemns the Israelites by calling affluent people fat cows for ignoring the needs of the poor.
John Wesley, Martin Luther, John Calvin… all reformers. They were the prophetic voice of their generation, reminding folks of what it means to be the people of God.
Unfortunately, some of the loudest Christian voices in recent history have done us a disservice. I suppose that’s a part of Christian history too—discerning the false prophet from the true is really difficult sometimes.
I’m thinking of figures like Kenneth Copeland or Joel Osteen. They talk only of God’s blessings. You simply have to believe and it will happen. Certainly their rhetoric must work because both have built immense wealth.
Genuine as he was, Billy Graham taught us that getting people to say the sinner’s prayer was the goal. Unfortunately, asking Jesus into your heart as it has been recently practiced, isn’t true to the Bible either. “Getting saved” is more reflective of the individualist philosophy that characterized American culture for the last 100 years or so than the teachings of Jesus.[3]
The good news of Jesus is neither myopic nor self-centered. He didn’t tell people to say a simple prayer or ask, “If you die tonight, do you know where you’ll go?” Instead the invitation was much simpler. “Come, follow me.”
What exactly does that mean?
At the beginning of his ministry, quoting the prophet Isaiah, Jesus said,
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”[4]
That’s what Jesus came to do. This is the gospel message, and it’s a good summary of what it means to be his follower.
Jesus said things like, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” And “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” He never promised prosperity, but expected that you’d be insulted, persecuted and lied about for joining his group.[5]
Way to sell it Jesus.
I’m afraid that in the quest to be “seeker sensitive,” we’ve misplaced prophetic voices. My own church tries to be inclusive of everyone while still holding true to the way of Christ. But unfortunately, according to Jesus, if someone isn’t offended, you might not be doing it right. I guess with the number of Christians decrying UMC LGBTQ inclusion, we might have actually nailed that one.
I am very thankful that I don’t know what it’s like to suffer for my faith or otherwise. I’ve had some years where finances were tight, but I never missed a meal or lacked a soft place to lay my head. Because of that I can easily be blind to the suffering of others.
I am reading through Luke 6, the Sermon on the Plain and I find Jesus’ words compelling.
“But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort.
Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
I’m not sure what dollar amount constitutes “rich” but I am certainly comfortable and well fed. And people do like me…
Ok, I think the point here isn’t that rich people are bad, but there is an implication that the well-to-do often ignore those who are not so fortunate.
Jesus keeps going:
But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.[6]
Listen, I don’t think this approach would work for nation building or international policy, but if we want to follow Jesus, we have to take his words seriously.
Which brings me back to the unknown thousands of people killed in Iran. I don’t pretend to understand the geopolitics of the area, but Jesus says I have to love and do good to these people. How can we not be moved by the loss of life and utter destruction? Are these lives less precious than ours? And yet, most of us are more upset about high gas prices than bloodshed.
So what then shall we do?
Here is the heart of the problem: a lot of us feel powerless.
First, regardless of our circumstances, we have the power to practice gratitude. I am not happy with our government right now and I am concerned about the future, but I’m also grateful that I live in this country. I hate that gas prices are high, but I’m grateful that I have a reliable car to drive. There is truly a lot to be grateful for if we stop ruminating on what’s wrong and look for the good.
Second, we are reminded over and over in scripture, do not ignore the needs of the poor. While my family is making some budget cuts because of higher prices, I know that there are families who were barely making it before this mess started.
It’s a lot easier to turn down the noise of a sensationalized broadcast than to wrestle with the hard things that our neighbors are going through. I’m not suggesting that consuming more news media is going to help. In fact, most of the news is unlikely to compel us to live out Christ-likeness.
I’ll speak for myself here. I don’t need more news, I need to be more engaged in the needs of others. When I hear about bombings and deaths, I want to be moved to compassion rather than looking for a way to redirect my attention. When I hear about a new round of tariffs, maybe my first thought is oh crap, how am I going to afford groceries? But my next thought needs to be wow, there are a lot of people already struggling and this could push them over the edge.
Third, we have to do something.
One of my pastor friends hosts a food pantry out of the church basement. The district leadership recently expressed concern that she wasn’t using the church’s resources to win people to Jesus. Feeding the hungry, apparently, isn’t part of the church’s ministry to get people saved.
Why would they do that? Well, for one thing, that’s the message they heard through evangelists like Billy Graham. It could be that they don’t come into contact with people in need. It may be that they expect other organizations to take care of them. Plenty of food banks in the city. Those folks will be fine.
Whatever the reason, they need a reminder of Jesus’ call to follow.
Jesus doesn’t say care for those in need so that they will become my disciples. No! We are to care for those in need because we are disciples. This is who we are and what we are called to do.
Furthermore, we don’t give because there’s a promised return on investment. We give because we are generous people, a reflection of our generous God.
Those of us with means should give generously. I think there may be something in the Bible about this.[7] It’s easy to get hung up on trying to find the exact right cause. Unfortunately, many of our churches’ finances don’t reflect the gospel message either and we may need to do some research to find opportunities to give more directly to those in need. But that shouldn’t stop us from sharing our wealth. Some people call that socialism. I call it being Christian.
I don’t feel like I need a caveat here for people who don’t have financial means. I would remind you of the story of the widows mite that Jesus told in Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 21:1-4. The point of that story isn’t that those in need should give their last pennies to the church. The point is that if she can do that, surely those of us who buy $6 lattes can give something to those in need. Also, shame on the religious leaders who accepted her last pennies and didn’t do anything to improve her situation. Jesus is deep.
We should also give generously of our time and talents. I could do more of this. I’m coming out of a season where I worked a full time job, a part time job and started a business. But I recently quit my day job, so it’s about time I get off my ass and do some actual work. More on this later.
You get it, right? Be generous.
Lastly, there are some things that are bigger than we can handle individually and require government intervention. The government isn’t the only answer, but there are some problems that we have to tackle collectively. Healthcare, for example, is something that other developed countries in the world have made available to its citizens. Immigration policy, tariffs and military conflict, also not within our control and require a large scale solution.
For this reason, we have to be civically engaged. I am grateful for the voices of progressive Christians running for office. It’s time to kill the stereotype and recognize that Christ followers don’t belong to any one political party. We need a politic that reflects our commitment to follow Jesus. Even then, we won’t all agree on how to get it done and that’s a good thing. We need different viewpoints and ideas to work on some of these really hard problems.
None of us can predict what happens next. There could be disaster ahead, but people of faith have persevered through much worse. In fact, there are people of faith persisting through much more difficult political situations right now. Things might get worse. But there might also be relief. Things can get better. In fact, we can be part of making things better.
When I am tempted to stew over what’s going on in government and the world, I find it helpful to remember that my hope isn’t in the government. My hope is in God. Not just for eternity, but for right here and now. We are called to be salt and light in the world.
Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”[8]
People of God, it’s time to start shinning.
[1] “Why did so many Christian voters support Donald Trump?” by Calvin Cockrill https://christianchronicle.org/trumpvoters2024/
[2] “These Democrats are making Christianity a centerpiece of their midterm campaigns” by Jason DeRose https://www.npr.org/2026/09/27/nx-s1-5979946/these-democrats-are-running-for-congress-on-christian-faith-will-it-pay-off
[3] This is an interesting idea that is explored in Kristin Kobes Du Mez’s recent book Life Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made
[4] Luke 4:18-19
[5] Matthew 5:1-12
[6]Luke 6:27-31
[7] Here’s a place you can find encouragement for the rich to be generous – 1 Timothy 6:17-16
[8] Matthew 5:14-16
