Keep non-church politics out of church

The Standard August 5, 2023

Perhaps you’ve heard a denomination described as “a group of Republicans who gather for worship” or another as a bunch of Democrats doing the same thing. How regrettable! If a denomination or church operates like a political party with a little Jesus thrown in, we have missed the point completely.

Some in the US say we should not legislate morality and that such issues have no place within the government. Others conclude that helping the poor, protecting human life, offering high quality age-appropriate public education, safeguarding human rights, giving incentives for children to be raised by their parents and not by the state, and providing a safety net for the young and the elderly are some of the very reasons governments exist.

I attended a regional church event which saddened me by its political undertones. Two speakers seemed to suggest that I could tell a lot about a person merely by looking at their outward appearance and that they could do the same for me. As if I could have one inkling of the pain they had or had not suffered, the challenges they had or had not faced or what made them tick, simply from seeing their physical characteristics!  Could the complexity of any single one of us be reduced on any meaningful level by how we look? Of course not! Each of us has been shaped by a myriad of experiences, talents, challenges, physical realities and more.

Having an accurate label of Christ-follower by my name is astronomically more important than having a D or an R. Having a sign in my yard spelling out truths important to me dims in comparison to living a life which shows I believe those things. Using words on the ever-changing list of trendy terms and phrases to suggest that I am a caring person is no substitute for actually doing the hard work to help those who need it.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus teaches us we must first judge ourselves and remove the huge plank from our own eye before trying to remove the speck from the eye of our sister or brother. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your sibling’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother or sister, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your sibling’s eye.” (Matthew 7: 1-5) It is a good reminder that when we are pointing a finger, we have three fingers pointing back at ourselves.

In what is essentially a two-party system in the US, we hear many of the same questions voiced on both sides, pointing fingers at the other. Why do they support war? Why don’t they protect life? Why are they so quick to gloss over the obvious lack of ethics of their leaders? Why do they think the rules don’t apply to them? Why don’t they believe science? Why do they promote racial stereotypes? Why don’t they protect free speech? Why do their policies hurt the working class? Why do they protect the interests of their wealthy donors? Why don’t they do something about failing schools in the poorest communities? Don’t they care? Why don’t their actions align with their words?

The pendulum swinging throughout history shows there is no one anti-war party, no one pro-working-class party, no one free speech party and no one party of science. There is no one party that aligns completely with God’s priorities. Sin is real. It is in every single one of us. No individual, no party, no community, no race and no gender is immune from the influence of our fallen natures. Impugning bad motives on those from “the other” party is dangerous and wrong. It takes intentionality to make a somewhat objective conclusion after digging deeper than the sound bites frequently offered in the media. Facts need to be examined in context with tough questions asked. It’s often hard to get past the spin to find the facts. We should vote according to our conscience, without an air of superiority that we know everything. We don’t.

In Christ we are family. Read how Jesus treated others. Model that. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you. Stand up for what is fair. Make friends with people who don’t look or think like you. Listen. Volunteer in a struggling school. Feed others who could use a hot meal. Foster. Adopt. Welcome. Sit with an elderly neighbor. Pay workers well. Take the short end of the stick. Hold fast to biblical truth. Clean the inside of your cup. Please God. Don’t worry about pleasing people. Love.

“So, in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29)