Dr. Dennis Hall addresses the climate of this dislike, distrust, and hatred that exists in American society. He reviews the gradual movement of Democrats and Republicans along urban/rural and liberal/conservative lines, noting a large percentage of evangelical Christians have aligned with the Republican party. He notes that 40 years ago Democrats and Republicans felt okay about the opposing political party, but for the last four decades, political partisans have increasingly turned against each other. Leaders in both parties accuse the others of destroying our democracy and demeaning name-calling is commonplace among politicians. A discussion of how Christians have been caught up in this atmosphere of hate, being referred to as bigoted homophobic misogynistic xenophobic hatemongers who through their antiabortion activities wage a war on women. He points out that there is no comparison between the horrors of genocide against Christians around the world, but there is a quiet persecution of believers in the West. The question of, “Why are Christians hated so much?” is analyzed. Dr. Hall concludes that just like Jesus Christians of today make others uncomfortable due to their moral high ground. The podcast outlines Dr. Michael A. Milton’s article, “3 Real Ways Christians Can Love Their Enemies.” Lesson one – Remember the concept of enemy is not a permanent state but a temporary position. Many who curse God today will be preaching his word tomorrow. Lesson two – We must realize that we, too, were once enemies of God. Lesson three – We love our enemies so that we might please the God who loved us. The podcast ends by reminding the listeners that Jesus is showing us how to love our enemies and teaching us why we must love them. Can also be seen on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/4GGp7ohlz-I
