1. Politics is not salvation
If there was ever a reminder we needed during this election season - and they seem to become longer and more obnoxious each cycle - it's this fact. Your political leader will not save you, and your political enemy will not damn you. So don't treat them like the Savior (or the devil).
2. The gospel transcends all cultural barriers
The more we realize that the death of Christ is absolutely sufficient to cover the depths of even our worse sins, the more that the differences between us don't become deal-breakers. We can have unity over the most important thing, and differences over less important things. The greatest challenge to the modern church is not to let the cultural and political trends divide us (as MLK said, Sunday morning is the most segregated hour of the week). The church is at its best when it "makes purple", because the glorious grace of Jesus Christ loosens our grips upon cultural biases.
3. The church is not partisan
This does not mean that Christianity doesn't apply to politics, but it does mean that two Christians can be, for example, just as devoted to obeying Jesus' command to care for the poor, and yet take opposite political approaches to accomplishing that through the civil state. The way that the church becomes a tool of one political party is offensive to the gospel, the power of the church's witness, and the God it worships. God is not a means to our agenda.
4. We all have blind spots
In this age of cable television and internet news sources, we become increasingly insulated from our blind spots, but the most intriguing stories are often those where we engage with real people who are different from us, and they reveal something about us we never considered. If we can somehow get outside of our silos, we could build real compassion and humility.
5. We can learn from our enemy's desires
Even if we think the proposed solutions are totally bonkers, the problems they seek to address are often worth considering. If someone is afraid of losing a bygone way of life, even if that life was, say, small and hateful, it also gets to the fact that they're afraid of losing their identity and can't imagine their life in another way. Take that fear seriously before you mock it's angry reaction.
6. We take ourselves too seriously
Anger can stem from fear, but it can also stem from simply over-estimating our importance. This happens to me with road rage - when I remember that my 5 minutes are not actually as valuable as my anger implies, I become much more capable of handling some traffic. Ultimately, God calls us to lose our entire lives for Christ's sake, which in the least means taking ourselves less seriously, and in the most living our lives with a completely open hand because it is not our own. Salvation in Christ is not our doing, relax!
7. Homogeneity is boring
It's easy and comfortable, it reinforces stereotypes, but it inhibits growth, challenge, and dynamic change. Homogeneity basically leaves us in charge, creating a community in our own image; rather than seeking one in God's image. The less we can act like the consumer - where we choose whatever suits us and our preferences - the more we will develop character, perspective, and the ability to truly love our neighbor and our enemy.