Welcome to another Bonus Edition of the MTB podcast - a segment of the weekly episode that I call Afterthoughts! This is one of my favorite parts of these weekly presentations because it gives us a chance to dig a little deeper, connect the dots, and really challenge ourselves to think critically about what we discussed during the main episode.
In the main presentation, we talked about separating people from their actions—how we can recognize someone’s humanity without excusing their worst choices. We talked about being careful in choosing role models because no one—no one—is perfect. And we talked about striving for compassion and forgiveness, even when it feels like that’s the hardest thing to do.
And yet… here we are, watching people who claim to follow Jesus throw their support behind someone whose behavior is the exact opposite of what they say they believe in. How do we even begin to make sense of that? How can people who were raised on values like honesty, humility, and kindness suddenly justify corruption, cruelty, and authoritarianism?
Now, I know it’s tempting to just shake our heads in disgust and write them off as brainwashed or hypocritical or racist or just hateful and ignorant. But that doesn’t actually help us understand what’s going on. And if we don’t understand it, we can’t effectively push back against it.
That’s why, in this Afterthoughts episode, I’m going to try not to just vent my frustrations. Instead, I’m going to break this down—psychologically, socially, and even historically—to figure out why people justify supporting leaders who contradict their values, and more importantly, how we can respond in ways that might actually make a difference.
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