As one of the tens of millions of Americans who log in to social media every day, I’ve been seeing posts about President Trump for over 3 years. Rarely do any of these posts strike a balance down the middle. Though I suspect most Americans are somewhere in the middle, there is a large number of people occupying the two ends of the spectrum in his favor and against him.

Brothers and sisters, you have to realize the polarization and alienation that comes from vocally taking a side.

Given the extreme distance between his fans and his critics, he’s one of the most polarizing figures in American history. His most passionate supporters look upon anyone who disagrees with him as stupid or evil, and the same is true in reverse when it comes to his most passionate critics. Both sides view any who disagree with them as adversaries to be defeated rather than fellow humans to be loved despite the differences of opinion.

What troubles me is that there are plenty of Christians who know how divisive the discussion around the President is and yet persist in broadcasting their opinions of praise or hatred anyway. It is a horrific embarrassment to the church any time a Christian shares one of those posts along the lines of, “If you don’t like my opinion of the President, remove me from your friends list.”

In what universe is that attitude compatible with “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9)? How is that compliant with the command, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men” (Romans 12:18)?

And to what end? All that comes of it is that those who agree will continue to agree, and those who disagree will be driven away, meaning we’ll never have the opportunity to love and serve them in the ways Jesus called us to do.

That’s why I’m asking you to think twice before your next post about President Trump. I’m not writing this to tell you who to vote for, vote against, agree with, disagree with, support, or oppose. I’m writing to ask you to weigh your social media posting against our Lord’s desire for us to be peacemakers. Regardless of which side you may fall on, intentionally and proudly alienating friends and family over our opinions on the President is patently unchristlike.