Bottom line up front: Unity in and for the truth is a good thing; disunity for the sake of truth is also a good thing, because it demonstrates that truth is worth fighting for and preserving; but tribalism for the sake of identity politics is folly on steroids.

Scripture: The Bible has much to say about the beauty of unity in the truth:

• In the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus told His followers to be sanctified “in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).
• Earlier in John’s gospel, Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and, and you will know the truth, and truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).
• In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul wrote, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).
• Later in the same passage, Paul wrote, “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another” (Ephesians 4:25).

Questions: Do we see that God always links unity and peace to truth? Division in evil goes back to the very beginning. Most conservative scholars claim the Garden of Eden was somewhere near present-day Iraq. As one soldier among thousands of other military members who has served there, it’s by no means an Eden today, but quite fallen indeed.

“A truthful witness saves lives, but one who breathes out lies is deceitful” (Proverbs 14:25).

Satan is portrayed as a whisperer, a tempter, a liar, and one whose insidiousness is linked to his pride. His love is self.

Remember how he’s portrayed in Matthew 4? “And the tempter [Satan] came and said to him [Jesus], “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread” (Matthew 4:3).

Same tactic in Genesis: “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made” (Genesis 3:1). Crafty. That’s Satan’s method of operation. He’s a whisperer; he’s crafty; he’s sneaky; he sows lies in the hearts and ears of the undiscerning.

Takeaway: When I survey my nation, I see the possibility that tribalism may be winning. Undiscerning people are putting pet preferences over tried and true wisdom. In my view, that does not bode well. If people are shouting at each other and name-calling rather than engaging in respectful exchange in the marketplace of ideas, we’ve crossed a perilous threshold. I’m all for unity, but it must be unity in the truth. That is a far different thing than enforced compliance by an untethered state of paganism.

It’ll be Christ or chaos. As for me, I am with the Lamb of God who gave Himself for sinners. Because the other way lies only the madness of crowds and their guidon bearer, the father of lies.