Faith and Politics – Part II

Yesterday, we began to reflect on faith and politics. No doubt, dangerous waters! It would be easier to try to keep the two separate, or just not talk about it.  However, as followers of Christ, we can’t just throw up our hands and say, I’m not going to engage.   

I think about how beautiful it is to read about churches that stood up against slavery. But to do that they had to bring their faith into the political arena. They had to stand up and say, we think selling human beings is wrong.

I remember my friend Rev. Herb Meza telling me that back in the late 1950’s he published an article called, “The Agony of a Southern Preacher.” The agony was that as a pastor, he felt strongly that God created and loved all humans equally without regard to race. And in his heart, he knew how vital it was for the church to push the culture, and to push our country to move towards civil rights. And yet, when he preached on it, many in his congregation said, “Hey – you’re preaching politics. Keep the politics out of the pulpit.”  But he preached anyway… And people threatened his life.

Sometimes the church has done this really well. And other times, we have to admit, we have not had that great a witness.  Part of the complication is that there are times when just don’t agree with one another – and we come down in different places on the same issue.

Even some of the most basic tenants can cause friction. For example, while most Christians would agree that central to our faith is caring for the poorest most vulnerable members of our society – Jesus said whatever you have done to the least of these – the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, the foreigner – you have done it to me. However, we just don’t always agree on how to go about that.

And then what about some of the more controversial issues? Capital punishment, abortion, just war, gun legislation, and on and on… Good, honest, faithful people – people who know their Bible, who know their theology – who love the Lord somehow end up interpreting the scriptures in different ways – and ultimately end up with different convictions. 

Why is that, God? What do we do with that? 

I’ll continue the reflections over the next few days. For now, I leave you with this prayer…

Let us pray: Let us pray: We pray O God, for our country in this election year. In spite of our political differences help us to listen deeply to one another, help us listen deeply to you. Where we disagree with one another – may we do so in a spirit of love. May we, who seek to follow you, be the salt and the levain and the light that reflects your gospel. By the way that we live, by the way that we speak, by the way that we work and play and interact – use our very lives to bring hope and mercy and joy to a world desperately in need. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.