What was extreme about the president’s speech? What controversial issues did he present to children as being unassailable? I understand that there were some poorly-worded lesson plan suggestions that were offered on the White House website, but even those were corrected several days before the actual speech. I saw very little objectionable in the President’s address yesterday, and I think it honestly made his opponents’ vitriolic opposition to him look very silly.

The thing that is troubling to me is that it seems that many Christians have become so entangled with the “rules” of normal political wrestling that we’ve forgotten how to extend any grace to our opponents. Although I think there may be some things to oppose in the President’s agenda, I’m more concerned that we maintain our integrity as disciples of Jesus. I think that Christians should be demonstrating better how to debate in good faith. Love for our enemies, in this context, should mean assuming that our opponents are people of goodwill, who want to see good results, even if we disagree with their means. We should not assume the worst about the “other side,” even when we oppose them on ideological grounds. And we should be the first to proclaim the truth, and shun half-truths and exaggerations, even when it means our opponents look better than we wish they did. These strategies may not win us elections, or stem the tide of legislation we oppose, but I believe this would be a good example of the character, integrity, and love we want to demonstrate as followers of Christ.