Proverbs 29:11 A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise person holds it in check.
Tribalism according to the dictionary: The behavior and attitudes that stem from strong loyalty to one’s own tribe, party, or social group.
The religion of tribalism is flourishing. The world’s population is merging into different camps of belief that are available to those who want to take part in something they can relate to. There does not have to be any logic, common sense, or even an altruistic purpose within the movements of these tribal structures. The fact is, that these tribal entities exist and are available to be joined by anyone.
At this time in North America, we have the tribes of the far left and distant right political parties fulminating on every sentence being spoken. We also have the vaccinated versus the not vaccinated pointing out each other’s false claims. Plus, the no masks demonstraters versus those wearing masks have squared off in bitter arguments, separating friends and families. Our ability to control our emotions is becoming no better than the thugs who break everything and fight after the loss of an international soccer game. We are bringing this spirit into our homes, neighbourhoods, and churches. All because we want to give someone an angry piece of our mind. Prov. 29:11a A fool gives full vent to his anger.
Some tribal members are picking battles that are lost before they start, and yet, they put their whole souls into the fight. A few boisterous souls are fighting for their belief that the world is flat. To me, this seems to be a battle that will just go round in circles. Thank God that members of The Flat Earth Tribe do not work for NASA, at least I don’t think they do. What is causing people to drop their guard and become advocates for nonsense and are expressing personal rage to fight for absolute foolishness? 2Tim. 4:3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear.
There is nothing new here. The Apostle Paul had the same problems to deal with. The political parties of his day maintained a religious port-folio that was daily present to the people. The Herodians were members of Herod’s government watchdogs making sure taxes were paid, and insurrections did not take place. Judaism was represented by the Scribes and Pharisees who hung out with the Herodians to find out what the ruling class was up to. Circumcision had become a sharp divisive argument among those who were doing church in a new way. Lost in all of it, was the love for God, and the eternal love that God has for mankind.
Paul had to address the dangers of tribalism slipping into the church. There were those who felt their tribe was more significant because they had been led to the Lord by Paul, where others had only been led to the Lord by some of the other leaders. Thus creating a tribal instinct that had to be quashed within the hearts of the new Christians. 1Cor. 3:4 For whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not acting like mere humans? 5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given.
The enemy of our soul has been dividing people from the first day that man was created. We who are in Christ have to realize that people will have different persuasions that they will feel comfortable with throughout their life. However, we are not to make these sidebar ideologies our gods. The Apostle Paul had a solution for the differences he was coming up against. He remained in Christ while reaching out to the people and bringing Jesus into the belief that some were so passionately expressing. 1Cor. 9:20a When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
Paul did not get overwhelmed by all the different trains of thought, but rather, he brought Christ into the person’s belief, thereby allowing Jesus to deal will all the fears, uncertainties, political views, and even the nonsense of the day that the person was living in. When Jesus is the Lord of our life, stuff will get straightened out in our life. Jesus was and still is the answer for dealing with the wars and conflicts within people’s hearts. If we would allow the Lord to straighten out our doctrines and beliefs, we would not get suckered into arguing about all the narratives going on around us that Satan continually promotes. Real peace would be our guide, and we would leave the bitterness caused by all the vitriol to the trolls who sow all manner of discourse.
It might be time to leave the tribe you have been foolheartedly speaking for. If we have to identify as a tribe, then let us become full citizens within God’s kingdom where there is no doubt who the King of kings and Lord of lords is. The light of our Lord, can stab any darkness and rip apart the gloom that has enveloped a heart or mind. Jesus makes us one by His Spirit. We can extend the hand of fellowship with patience toward those who are grappling with their maturity in Christ. We all need to be extra patient with each other because God is not finished with us. We are all an ongoing project in God’s salvation plan. Jude 1:24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into His glorious presence without a single fault. Let us receive our peace through Christ for the day we are living in. Amen and amen!
Thank you Norm for addressing such a relevant subject, it is so sad to see good people being side-tracked from the truth. I am so glad that we can experience God's peace at this time.