By Heather McGeachy
I’m sure it’s much to your delight that the Capital Fellow interning at the Center for Christianity and Public Life—a non-profit that works in the intersection of faith and politics—has been scheduled to write the blog during election week. The two forbidden dinner table topics! I struggled to decide whether or not to write about the election, feeling I would be doing a disservice to my work at the CCPL not to acknowledge the elephant in the room (no political pun intended). So, I decided to share a story from a couple of weeks ago that taught me a lot about how to think faithfully.
Recently, I had the opportunity to join a panel on being a Christian in divided times, part of a series for the MPC high schoolers called “Tough Topics.” At first, I thought it must be a joke. I’ve only lived in the D.C. metro area for a little over a month, and I’d be willing to bet some of the high schoolers are more seasoned in politics than I am. But I really started sweating when my fellow panelists gave their introductions…
"Hello… I worked as a CIA operative and Navy SEAL.”
“Hello… I am a Major General in the Army and now work at the Pentagon.”
By the time the mic got to me, I figured I ought to say, “Hi, my name is Heather. I moved here about a month ago, and I’m not exactly sure why I’m up here.”
The high schoolers submitted anonymous questions, many about how to engage with friends who hold political beliefs that seem contrary to biblical truths. Their questions were strikingly similar to those I’ve been grappling with myself, given the especially tense nature of this election cycle.
As many high schoolers are beginning to take ownership of their faith, most of their questions were about navigating the world as a Christian for the first time. How do I start God-honoring conversations around explosive issues? How do I navigate being a Christian in a largely secular nation? How do I love my neighbor when we agree on very few things?
In response, I remembered my college pastor saying when we find ourselves in conflict, “we don’t have the right to cast out the fruits of the Spirit for the sake of truth.” No matter how important or how devastating something is to me, I don’t have the right to forsake the fruits of the spirit in pleading for its cause, regardless of how righteous a cause it may seem. That was really the best advice I could offer, because at 22, I don’t have particularly concrete political convictions, nor do I have especially eloquent answers to these high schoolers’ questions. My question quickly became similar to theirs: where do I start?
G.K. Chesterton wrote in his book Orthodoxy, “Men did not love Rome because she was great. She was great because she was loved.”
Just as we love because Christ first loved us**, things are made true, good, and beautiful because they are loved first, not loved because they are beautiful. For the first time, I found myself seeing my nation, my neighbors, and my government as things to love and care for first–often before they are “easy to love.” In loving first—in being long-suffering, patient, kind, gentle—something great arises. Now, I’m working on bearing all things, believing all things, and enduring all things*—and let me tell you, it’s not my strong suit. I’m much more skilled as a critic and cynic. I’m learning to love first, not to scarcely dole out love to that which is most “deserving.”
As a Capital Fellow, I am a professional first-timer, meaning I have plenty of opportunities to love first. This year has been filled with firsts: my first real job, first seminary classes, first time living in D.C., first time not being a full-time student, first time living with a host family. I’m learning more each day about how to start well by loving first.
*1 Corinthians 13 ESV
**1 John 4:9 ESV
Ecclesiastes 2 ESV
Chesterton, G. K. (1908). Orthodoxy. New York, John Lane Company
Heather McGeachy is a member of the Capital Fellows class of 2024-25. She is from Tampa, FL, and is a graduate of the University of Florida. This year, she is working at The Center for Christianity and Public Life.
Pictures From The Week
The Capital Fellows at a Halloween party!
Virginia with her pumpkin-shaped pumpkin bread
Sarah and Dasha’s legendary white chicken chili at Capital Commons
Fellows fall party bonfire!
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About Capital Fellows. Capital Fellows is an advanced leadership and discipleship program for recent college graduates. Through graduate courses, a paid internship, one-on-one mentoring, and many leadership and community service opportunities, fellows develop and apply their gifts in real-world situations while learning to integrate a Christian worldview into all areas of life. Capital Fellows is a unique opportunity to live and work in the Washington DC area and to be an active member of a supportive community that seeks to serve the city with the love of Christ. It is also a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience in the workplace while deeply exploring God’s design for us as workers and contributors to human flourishing.
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