Common

The book of Proverbs has plenty to say about acquiring knowledge and applying Godly wisdom. When we have God's heart on a matter, we can work toward solutions for ourselves and the communities to which God has called us. Proverbs 18 says:
12 Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor is humility.
13 He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him.

So, there is a certain demeanor that we are to possess, consistent with the presence of Christ in us - and we should be seeking His face, as we see later in the chapter:
15 The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16 A man's gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men.

God will open doors for us - perhaps there is a dilemma that someone or a group of people is facing and we recognize we have been placed there to help craft a solution.  You know, in a sense, we have called to be problem solvers.  Too often, though, people become problem perpetuators - we focus on the negative and are not as dedicated as perhaps we should be to helping people come together - in unity in order to accomplish positive change for the world around them.

+++++

We may find ourselves in the position to inject Biblically-based knowledge into a situation, so that others may benefit. Hosea 4 states:
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

Just because people are spiritually and ideologically different doesn't mean that we can't work together to impact civic actions.  While politicians call for unity and yet engage in divisive action, there are actually areas where people of different backgrounds can agree and even work together for the good of our nation.

George Barna of the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University has released a survey about some of these "common ground" elements.  You might be a bit surprised that its not a faith-related survey, per se, but it does illustrate how differences don't have to be the death knell for beneficial policies.

The Christian Post released a story on the survey. Those areas, which are supported regardless of how someone voted in the previous election, are: "supporting school choice, restoring the nation's infrastructure, bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., making Social Security and Medicare financially solvent, reducing federal debt, and lowering federal income taxes.

In fact, the unity in these areas is quite stunning, really.  Here are some examples of the numbers:

Nearly three-fourths of Americans — 75% of Trump voters and 72% of Biden voters — want parents to have more say in the education of their children, desiring greater school choice.

Over 80% of Americans surveyed back heavy investment in restoring infrastructure, 83% of Trump voters and 84% of Biden voters.

Another issue bringing Americans together is increasing manufacturing jobs domestically, with 87% of Trump supporters and 84% of Biden supporters favoring policies geared toward that goal.

And, almost three-quarters of those surveyed expressed a desire for lower federal taxes, split between 79% Trump voters and 72% Biden voters.  The Christian Post article also pointed out:

In addition to the six major policies that have overwhelming support both from Trump and Biden voters, the CRC research found that four other issues enjoy support from a majority of Trump and Biden voters, though a significant gap exists between the percentages in the two groups.

Some 87% of Biden voters and 62% of Trump voters support reducing racial discrimination through legal means. Additionally, 85% of those who backed Biden and 53% of Trump voters support developing more stringent environmental standards.

Regarding immigration, 84% of Trump voters and 54% of Biden voters report wanting strict enforcement of existing immigration laws. Seventy-four percent of Trump voters and 58% of Biden voters also support substantially reducing federal regulations.

George Barna states: “There is a clear path to unity and healing in these common-ground issues."

The input of people of faith should be respected in crafting ideas for good laws.  In certain areas there is little or no room for agreement...for instance, on the very divisive gambling issue, there is certainly not agreement - Christians have long been vocal opponents of the expansion of gambling, yet it seems as if there is an uphill battle year after year. Now, with this study commission appointed by the governor releasing their report, advocating an all-of-the-above approach, it places a greater burden on churches, already negatively impacted by the pandemic to spend time and resources in fighting it.  

But, it's an effort worth fighting, when you consider the social costs of expanding this harmful activity. There are other issues, such as life, marriage, and religious liberty, where we encounter opposition, yet we have to be diligent to keep fighting because it is consistent with Scripture.

One area where a significant number of House members has drawn a line in the sand is over the issues of taxpayer-funded abortion.  The Daily Signal reports that Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, who formerly worked at Focus on the Family and now heads the Republican Study Committee "sent a letter Tuesday to congressional leaders pledging to oppose any legislation eliminating or weakening the Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of federal funds for abortions. Biden has repeatedly promised to repeal the amendment should he become president of the United States."

But, the topic of a healthy economy is an area where you might find more agreement, according to Barna. The Christian Post reported: "The CRC survey found that making Social Security and Medicare financially solvent and reducing the federal government's debt are also supported on a broad bipartisan basis."  The principle of the government spending more than it takes in is a violation of its responsibility, not to mention a violation of Biblical principles.  Excessive taxes also place a burden on families.  The good news is that there is agreement regardless of the political stripe, it seems.  These are examples of areas where people can work together to achieve positive results for our communities.  

The reality is that there are going to be issues about which we have deep convictions, which will motivate us to speak boldly on behalf of a Biblical point of view. Now, that doesn't mean we have to hunker down and have a fighting spirit all the time - sometimes it will be necessary to hold fast to our convictions, and even then we have to continue to strive to be a good witness for Christ.  There are also areas where we can continue to hold to our Biblical standards, but where we can find agreement with others of different ideological or religious perspectives.  This can certainly result in progress for the common good.

Compromise doesn't always have to be bad - when people sit down at a table, figuratively or even virtually, they can seek to find solutions that will benefit a significant number of people - this operates in government, in the Church, on a school PTA, or other sort of community council.  We just have to recognize that we can negotiate, if you will, without compromising our Biblical convictions - and that is certainly a worthy goal.  And, if we disagree, we can do that in a civil manner. So, when Barna talks about "common ground" issues, you can be assured that these are areas where you have a starting point in the positive column and that people of faith can come on board and help to facilitate meaningful change.