A Different Way in a Divided World
Our culture feels increasingly divided, hostile, and hopeless. A quick look at the news or social media reveals a constant stream of frustration, fear, and anger.
As Christian commentator Glen Scrivener recently noted, the unspoken motto of social media seems to be: “If it enrages, it engages.” Tech companies have learned that anger drives clicks, and clicks drive profit. The result? Headlines, posts, and videos designed to provoke outrage and pull people deeper into a spiral of hostility.
Too often, the Church responds by retreating. We bury our heads in the sand, live as though “ignorance is bliss,” or hope the chaos will somehow pass us by. But that is not the way of Jesus. We are called to be a beacon of hope in a world clouded by despair, a light shining into the darkness.
The issues we see online are no longer confined to the digital world; they are spilling over into our neighbourhoods, workplaces, schools, and communities.
This weekend, our own city experienced this firsthand with an anti-immigration march and a counter-protest. In London, over 100,000 people recently marched over the same issue. Immigration has become a flashpoint for division. But my point here isn’t to debate the topic itself. Rather, it is to highlight a deeper problem: we have been conditioned to see anyone who disagrees with us as the enemy.
We have lost the art of healthy disagreement. It is no longer enough to simply hold differing opinions. Instead, debates turn into battlegrounds where the goal is not understanding, but winning—proving we are right and others are wrong.
And yet, into this culture of outrage, Jesus calls His Church to live differently.
We are not called to blend in but to stand out. We are called to live as “aliens and sojourners,” set apart by Christ, transformed by the renewing of our minds. Now, more than ever, the Church must rise to live out Christ’s counter-cultural call and shine the light of the Gospel into a dark and divided world.
Romans 12:9–11
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord.
On the very same day our city witnessed two groups opposing each other in anger, another group quietly embodied a different way. Volunteers from The City Church faithfully served at Chartham Something for Nothing—showing compassion, valuing dignity, and meeting practical needs.
They did not point fingers; they extended hands.
They did not seek to win arguments; they demonstrated love in action.
This is not a call for a select few. It is an invitation for every follower of Christ. The narrow road of mercy, holiness, and grace is the path Jesus walked, and the one He calls us to follow.
This is the Jesus who did not come to condemn but to save.
The One who could have pointed out every sin, but instead pointed people to the love of God.
The One who could have turned away from His enemies, but stretched out His arms on the cross, taking their sins upon Himself so they might know forgiveness, acceptance, and love.
In an age of outrage, division, and hatred, the Church must rise up. We are called to proclaim the good news of Jesus and live as the hope of the world, even in our weakness and brokenness.
Let us live out our identity as one new humanity in Christ—rejoicing in our diversity, reflecting the beautiful character of our Creator, and delighting in the unity only Jesus can bring.
A unity the world cannot replicate, but every heart longs for.