Everywhere you look today the facade of unity is being draped over divisiveness. We pretend to hide hostilities in feigned group hugs. We're all just one big happy family, despite the fact that our ever-increasing differences are not only antithetical, but also increasingly adversarial. Never mind that capitalists and communists, Jews and antisemites, Christians and antichrists, the law-abiding and the anarchist, as well as patriots and traitors are incapable of coexistence, we're still suppose to pretend that diversity, even in the form of irreconcilable differences, is what unites us, not what is really tearing us apart.

The Bible teaches that two cannot walk together unless they be agreed (Amos 3:3). Yet, in today's America, we are condemned for being disagreeable and divisive if we decline to walk with those with whom we not only have irreconcilable differences, but who are also devoted to our destruction. Indeed, we cannot even be critical of their malicious hatred of us without being excoriated for being a hate-monger ourselves. In light of this, is there any wonder that our disastrous divisiveness is daily becoming more and more destructive? After all, it can neither be addressed nor attended to, but only veneered over and venerated rather than vilified.

Contrary to popular opinion, our Lord, who will soon come again to bring peace on earth, did not come the first time to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34-36). According to Jesus, His coming into this world divided it between saints and ain'ts, so much so that it has set people at variance with one another, not just in our homeland, but also in our own households. Division, therefore, is an inevitable reality in this fallen world, which cannot be gullibly glossed over as though it is a fine or frivolous thing.

While there are many nonessential things that we can certainly disagree about agreeably, such as one's favorite color, there are some essential things that we must be willing to fight for, since they are far more important than unity or peace! The late Alexander Haig understood this, as the story below clearly shows.

In January of 1981, the Senate held a confirmation hearing for President Ronald Reagan's nominee for Secretary of State, Alexander Haig. Democrats opposed Haig's nomination, because of their fear that Haig's military background made him more of a warmonger than a diplomat. Thanks to this Democrat disquiet over Haig, an extraordinary moment occurred during Haig's confirmation hearing. Pressed by Democrats to promise that he would never push for war under any circumstances, Haig resiliently refused to make such a pledge, insisting instead that "Somethings are more important than peace!"