This teaching session explores the intersection of faith and politics, addressing how Christians can engage in civic discourse while maintaining unity in Christ. The pastors establish frameworks for communication and debate, distinguishing between issues worth dying for, dividing over, debating about, or simply deciding on. They challenge binary thinking that divides people into "us versus them" categories and examine controversial concepts like patriotism versus nationalism. The session emphasizes that Christians' primary identity is in Christ, transcending political affiliations, and warns against over-realized eschatology that attempts to force prophetic fulfillment through political action. The teaching encourages believers to communicate with clarity, define terms carefully, and resist the cultural pressure to choose political tribes over Christian unity.Key Points:- The Four D's framework: Die for, Divide for, Debate for, and Decide for issues help categorize the importance of various topics- Three types of communication: Facts, Opinions, and Feelings must be distinguished to have productive conversations- Binary thinking creates false either/or scenarios and puts people in boxes based on single opinions- The "orchard analogy" illustrates how political left tends to focus on unhealthy trees (marginalized groups) while the right focuses on overall orchard health- Christians are neither left nor right but united in Christ, transcending political divisions- Patriotism (love of country) differs from nationalism (prioritizing one's nation at the expense of others)- Christian nationalism can arise from over-realized eschatology, attempting to fulfill prophecy through human effort- The significance of silence in the EFCA denomination allows unity on essential doctrines while permitting disagreement on secondary issues- Tribal trenches develop when groups feel threatened, leading to blame, defensiveness, and eventual conflict- Definitions matter greatly in political discourse, and ambiguous terms are often weaponized to divide peopleScripture Reference:- Mark 9:38-41 (Jesus teaching about not stopping those doing good in His name)- Galatians 3:28 (There is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female in Christ)- Colossians 3:11 (No Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, but Christ is all)- 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat)- Zechariah 7:9-10 (Do not oppress the widow, fatherless, sojourner, or poor)