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What's the solution?

First, "red" Christians must reach out to "blue" Christians and vice versa. Ideology must not divide believers. Second, Christians are not seeking political power, so we're not out to "destroy" perceived political enemies. Nor do we line up for the victor's spoils, as if we were just one more special-interest group. Instead, we need to graciously contend (and demonstrate) that Christian truth is good for the right ordering of our lives, individually and collectively, and manifest our commitment to the common good by doing the things Christians do best: creating strong families, restoring relationships, helping the poor, working for human rights.

Christians are in a unique position to bring common grace to a deeply divided nation and offer something more than brief periods of peace between outbreaks of mortal combat every election cycle. In rejecting ideology and putting the common good first, we offer hope to America's warring factions.

Copyright © 2005 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Our full election coverage and more Politics & Law is available online.

Other recent Christianity Today coverage following the election includes:

Same Song, Second Term | It is a unique political moment for Christian conservatives—or is it?—A Christianity Today editorial (Jan. 10, 2005)

Full Court Pressure | The battle for marriage shifts from voters to lawyers and lobbyists. (Dec. 30, 2004)

Dobson on the Gay Marriage Battle | The Nov. 2 election was the first step in a long fight for traditional marriage. (Dec. 30, 2004)

'Moral Values' Tops Voters' Concerns—But What Does It Mean? | Sexual morality probably trumped social justice concerns, say observers. (Nov. 04, 2004)

Evangelicals' Political Power: From Question Mark to Exclamation Mark | Activists say same-sex marriage ban, abortion limits, and judicial appointments top agenda. (Nov. 04, 2004)

Recent Charles Colson columns for Christianity Today include:

The Moral Home Front | America's increasing decadence is giving aid and comfort to Muslim terrorists. (Sept. 23, 04)

Reclaiming Occupied Territory | The Great Commission and the cultural commission are not in competition. (July 21, 2004)

Societal Suicide | Legalizing gay marriage will lead to more family breakdown and crime. (May 24, 2004)

Evangelical Drift | Outsiders say we're the status quo. Our call is to prove them wrong. (March 29, 2004)

Confronting Moral Horror | It's a witness even the most jaded find impressive. (Feb. 04, 2004)

The Postmodern Crackup | From soccer moms to college campuses, signs of the end. (Dec. 09, 2003)

Sowing Confusion | One small ruling for Texas; one giant leap into a cultural abyss. (Oct. 03, 2003)

Being Here | Why we should sink our roots in the places we call home. (July, 28, 2003)

Beyond Condoms | To alleviate AIDS, we must sharpen our moral vision. (June 10, 2003)

Taming Beasts | Raising the moral status of dogs has created a breed of snarling, dangerous humans. (April 3, 2003)

Faith vs. Statistics | Beware of doing ethics by crunching numbers. (Jan. 28, 2003)

Just War in Iraq | Sometimes going to war is the charitable thing to do. (Dec. 10, 2002)

A Clan of One's Own | Hacking through the jungle of identity politics. (Oct. 9, 2002)

Undaunted | Bioethics challenges are huge. But so is God. (July 31, 2002)

The Wages of Secularism | New laws won't prevent another Enron. (June 4, 2002)

More Doctrine, Not Less | We need to proclaim truth to a truth-impaired generation. (April 15, 2001)

Post-Truth Society | The recent trend of lying is no accident. (March 4, 2002)

Drawing the Battle Lines | We need to be informed and discerning about the Islamic worldview. (Jan. 9, 2002)

Wake-up Call | If September 11 was a divine warning, it's God's people who are being warned. (Nov. 5, 2001)

The New Tyranny | Biotechnology threatens to turn humanity into raw material. (Oct. 5, 2001)

Merchants of Cool | We should be angry that the media hawks violence and that parents allow it. (June 6, 2001)

Slouching into Sloth | The XFL is but the latest sign of the coarsening of our culture. (Apr. 17, 2001)

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February 2005, Vol. 49, No. 2