Spiritual Realities in the Left-Right Divide

The Sheep Guide

Sheep and Goat Confusion

The Left-Right divide in the United States can be easily seen in our politics and our churches. In politics today, most on the Left vote Democrat, and most on the right vote Republican. Someone who is Left-leaning in their politics also tends to be Left-leaning in their faith; and someone who is Conservative in their politics, tends to also be Conservative in their faith. This makes it fairly easy for pollsters to track trends in the Left-Right divisions within our politics and our churches. However, observing the spiritual realities hiding beneath the surface can be a bit more complicated.

Most Christians on the Right believe that they are the sheep and those on the Left are the goats. Not surprisingly, most on the Left believe that they are the sheep and those on the Right are the goats. The reality is that there are sheep and goats on both sides of the divide, and nearly all of them think that those on their side are saved and that the other side is not. How can this be? There may be several factors at play: conflicting salvation views, the Dunning–Kruger effect, over-generalization, and self-deception.

Conflicting Salvation Views

A person’s view of who is saved and who is not can have a lot to do with which church they attend. Different churches teach very different things regarding salvation, and many of these teachings contradict each other in method and scope. Concerning method, is one saved by baptism? By praying a sinner’s prayer? By observing certain rituals? By repentance? By obedience? By faith alone? By giving money? Or by some other means? Concerning scope, will only a few be saved or will everyone be saved? Is salvation equally accessible to everyone, or are only the elect able to respond to the gospel?

Despite the unlikelihood that the many dissimilar salvation methods could all be correct, those holding to and teaching the various methods seem fully confident in their views, each believing that their view is right, and the others are wrong. Considering the differences in what people are being taught, it should come as no surprise that different people would come away with very different views concerning who is saved and who is lost.

The Dunning–Kruger Effect

When people display a seemingly unmerited confidence in the correctness of their view, the Dunning–Kruger effect may be at least partially responsible. Most goats, regardless of where they are on the Left-Right continuum, have probably never read the Bible in its entirety. And it’s quite possible that the few who have read it were unable to understand it. To make matters worse, most on the Left tend to deny the inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of Scripture. This leaves most goats, especially those on the Left, without an adequate knowledge of Scripture that would allow them to understand the God who revealed Himself in Scripture. And not knowing how God thinks, it is quite natural for these goats to assume that God thinks the same way they do, and that their view of good and evil is the same as God’s view.

Sheep, on the other hand, informed by the revelation of God under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, have an entirely different worldview and thought process than the goats. Sheep take God’s Word seriously and believe that what God calls sin is indeed sin. They judge their views according to God’s Word.

Goats take the opposite approach. They judge God’s Word according to their views and only accept the portions of God’s Word that aligns with their views. To the extent that they accept the concept of sin at all, they define sin based on their own personal views of good and evil. And because of the Dunning-Kruger effect, the goats’ lack of Scriptural knowledge actually causes them to be more confident rather than less confident in their doctrines and beliefs. They simply don’t know enough to be aware of their lack of knowledge. This puts the goats in a very dangerous situation. Not only have they rejected the evidence that might alert them to their errors, but because of their over-confidence, they refuse to even consider that there might be a problem with their thinking.

Over-Generalization

Another factor is a tendency for some goats to over-generalize and to assume that everyone on the Left is basically the same and everyone on the Right is basically the same, and that everyone on their side is as good as the best example, and that everyone on the other side is as bad as the worst example. Many don’t seem to realize that both sheep and goats, saved and unsaved, good and bad, can be found everywhere along the Left-Right spectrum, with lost sheep and immature sheep hanging out on the Left, and some pragmatic goats hanging out on the Right. This means that while the relative sizes of the Left and Right may be fairly easy to distinguish, trying to identify the sheep and goats in each group can be much more challenging.

On the right, goats can be difficult to spot as it is rather easy for someone to learn to talk the talk while hiding the walk. And on the Left, lost sheep may be virtually indistinguishable from goats. Many may have spent their entire lives hanging out with goats, and will have learned the goats’ worldview and culture, including their values, beliefs, practices, customs, habits, pastimes, desires, and manner of speaking. In their unregenerate state, they may think, talk, and act almost exactly like a goat. This may continue for a time even after they’re saved. When a lost sheep responds to the gospel, they are given a new heart and a new disposition, but their long-established pattern of thinking doesn’t instantly change. Everything they’ve learned from the goats has to be unlearned, and they need to be taught the ways of the kingdom. This takes time. The full transition from living as a goat to living as a sheep is often a gradual one.

Self-Deception

Finally, one should not underestimate the role of self-deception in convincing both sides that they are right and that they hold the moral high ground on every issue. Self-deception is exceedingly dangerous because, by definition, when someone is self-deceived, they don’t know it. Here, the Left is at far greater risk than the Right, because while both sides are capable of being wrong, the Right is able to receive correction from the Scriptures. The Left, having mostly rejected the inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of Scripture, lacks this key safeguard.

Conclusion

As sheep, it is not our job to pass final judgment on others. But it is our job to be observant and discerning so we can protect our families and churches from false teachings, avoid falling into self-deception ourselves, and recognize every opportunity for witnessing. We must always remember that not everyone who appears to be a goat is a goat. Some are lost sheep who need to hear the gospel, and others are immature sheep who need to hear God’s truth clearly presented.

So, how do we know which is which? We don’t. So, rather than interacting with them based on knowing whether they are a sheep or a goat, we respond to them based on their words, their actions, and the situation.

• Do they talk like a goat? Respond with caution.

• Do they act like a goat? Exercise even more caution.

• If they seem goat-like, might this be a witnessing opportunity? Are they coming as a student desiring to learn? Treat them like they might be lost or immature sheep.

• Are they wanting to teach others? Exercise great caution.

◦ If they walk and talk like a goat, consider them to be a goat, and do what you can to limit their influence.

◦ If they walk and talk like a sheep, consider them tentatively to be a sheep, but keep an eye on them until they have proven themselves.

We may not be able to know for certain whether someone is a sheep or a goat, but we can observe whether they talk and act like a sheep or a goat and respond accordingly. Jesus said we can recognize them by their fruit (Matt 7:15-20). That’s good enough for me.

Until next time, follow the Good Shepherd, and don’t let the goats get you down!