WAIT, THE QUESTION ISN'T WHO WOULD JESUS HATE?:

[A]t this moment in the life of our nation and our democracy, I believe these are the questions that should root us as we seek to find a way forward together. To sum up those eight Jesus questions that will take us deeper than the polarized politics all around us. 

The Neighbor Question: In an environment where the question of whether we will love or hate our neighbor is dangerously at stake, Jesus told us what it means to love our neighbor, which includes, according to Jesus' definition, those who are different from us. "Who is my neighbor?" is the gospel question that underlies everything now in American politics.

The Image Question: When people face constant attack for their racial background, gender identity, who they are, how they pray, or who they love, Jesus reminds us that he was present at the universe's creation, when all human beings were made in God's image and likeness. If we love and honor Jesus, we will acknowledge that every human being is a child of God and must be treated accordingly. Who is valuable and who is not is at the core of our political decisions.

The Truth Question: When the number of official lies told becomes legion to the point that people doubt the existence of truth anymore, Jesus says, "You will know the truth and the truth will make you free." Our very freedom is vitally connected to the truth. Whether the facts and the truth matter anymore in America, in the Congress, in the media -- and even in the churches -- will be a defining question.

The Power Question: When leadership becomes utterly defined by power, and by winning and losing, Jesus says leadership is about service and washing each other's feet. "Who is the greatest?" cuts to the core of how a society is led, and by whom. Where do we see or long for public "service" to prevail over private political aggrandizement?

The Fear Question: When people don't just fear the things that are reasonable to be concerned about, but are now living in the "spirit of fear," Jesus repeats this phrase more than almost any other: "Be not afraid." When political leaders run on fear, we must learn to break free of it and dispel it.

The Caesar Question: When the "Caesar test" is being defined by strongmen who say everything is about them, Jesus instructs his followers to render to Caesar only the limited things that belong to him; and to God, everything else.

The Peacemaker Question: When accusation, slander, and attack become the norms of public discourse, Jesus says that those who are the peacemakers, the conflict resolvers, will be called "the children of God."

The Discipleship Question: When wealth and power become the definitions of society and politics, Jesus makes the extraordinary judgment that the ultimate measure of our lives, including God's evaluation of the kings of the nations, is what we have done for "the least of these," which was Jesus' final discipleship test.

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