Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 7
The speaker criticizes political narratives that “put a halo on one side and a devil and horns on the other,” saying neither party encapsulates the Bible; where have you noticed yourself consuming information that trains you to demonize, and what practices would it take to stop letting politics disciple your moral imagination?
Another way to ask: Where have you taken in news or social media that trains you to see one side as all good and the other as evil? What would you need to change so politics stops shaping how you think about right and wrong?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Based on the speaker’s critique, demonizing narratives come from absorbing partisan “lies” that oversimplify good and evil, and resisting them requires stepping back from that stream and re-centering judgment in the “way of Christ” rather than party slogans.
- David describes the distortion: “You put a halo on one side and a devil and horns on the other, and it’s just not that simple.”
- He calls these narratives “lies” that reshape perception and loyalty.
- He says both parties are morally mixed: “It is a mixture of evil and good, and you can’t get involved with either party without getting involved in that mixture.”
- Dean models a practice for recalibration: ask, “What would you think Jesus would answer to that would be? What would be some verses…?”
- Dean highlights how party habit can replace moral thinking: his father would “click the R lever… no matter who it is or what the agenda is.”