Should a Pastor Preach on Politics?
I had a conversation yesterday with someone who had read my blog and was a bit horrified that as a pastor I've taken a public stance in support of a given candidate, and include visible propaganda inviting folks to vote for Obama. I don't find it a problem because: 1) I don't preach it during worship gatherings at the church I serve, 2) my blog is my blog not the church's that I serve as pastor, 3) I try to talk in a way that invites to dialogue, or is at least funny, and 4) aren't my personal politics already indirectly obvious from my blogging and public presence? I'm not going to end a sermon with a drive to register voters instead of with an altar call. I don't expect everyone to vote like I do. (Someone has to be wrong. Otherwise who would I blame?). I also think we should think about politics and faith. Jesus was hyper-political. They didn't kill him because he kept saying things that should go on precious moments greeting cards. He pissed people off as he challenged the authorities and pushed his community to actively live their faith in the way that they lived with each other. Isn't that what preaching is all about?
CNN posted a interesting video on the question regarding the anti-IRS-unconstitutional preaching of politics that undoubtedly took place across the country today. (If you preach politics by endorsing a candidate in the pulpit you can lose your non-profit status with the IRS as a church). Here's an embedded version of it.
At the same time - if you're on facebook there are some really interesting things going on in terms of faith, politics and clergy. There's a clergy for Obama group and a blog at clergy4obama.wordpress.com. YES - I'm being one-sided, because in the religiously-ignorant-country I call home most folks assume all Christian clergy are Republicans. And yes it shouldn't be so one sided, mostly because I'm not one of them :)
Part of our problem - both in and outside of the church - is that we still operate on two assumptions: 1) all pastors are old white guys, and 2) all churches communicate, relate and do ministry for older adults who have a 1950s world-view. Back then - and for many still today - you shouldn't pronounce your political views because folks might feel obligated to follow them to the letter., but we do actually live in a different world today where people - even those in my church (all except 1 person - there always has to be somebody right?) do actually want to hear what I think politically. Of course there is a time and a place for any and everything. An interesting article written by PC(USA) Pastor Carol Howard Merrit on the clergy4obama site is worth the read. So is her blog at tribalchurch.org.
So what do you think? Should a pastor preach on politics during church? Why not? If so how should they? and how much?
7 comments:
Thanks for the link! Spread the word!
CLERGY4OBAMA.ORG
I don't know about church because I don't go. I don't know the protocol. But the blog world, I know. Your blog's name is Monteskewed. THat is the theme. Readers are forewarned. Enter at your own risk. Why do they criticize you for blog content? It says right on the top what is going to happen in the entries. Somehow because you are a pastor, they think you are fair game to criticize? What about me? What about the local garbage collection professional? Why differentiate? Of course you can talk about politics on your blog. I love your widgets. Church? I have no clue though. Don't go and I see more and more why I would not fit in. Maybe because I see no reason not to talk about politics in church. Don't really understand these fabricated rules build on a house of cards. bah
I thought about whether to write the Clergy4Obama post. Since we're in D.C., I preach about political issues a lot, but I don't usually support one candidate in public. And I would never support one candidate in the pulpit. I like the separation of church and state too much.
Plus... I guess I want to make sure that I have the ability to criticize a person or party when I need to, and you can't always do that when you're aligned closely with someone. We've all seen times when the religious right ought to be speaking against something, but they're all tangled up in that web of power....
Anyways, I decided to do it because I didn't want to give up my personal rights as a citizen. This race is too big, there's so much on the line. In a time of war and economic turmoil, I couldn't sit this one out, letting so many people think Christian=Republican.
Corn Dog,
I think part, ok a big part of the thing, is that the person I spoke of isn't American, but rather French. Much of their response was cultural. Horrified that someone could speak so openly about something so - at least for them culturally speaking - "taboo." So I think it's more about culture than the way we choose to live faith in Christian Community or personal faith. Even in the church there is a wide spectrum of approaches, beliefs and thoughts. I think that it comes down to culture, which world-view belongs to.
It is true though what you say....visitors have been warned...my goal is to skew folks to my (I mean the right) world view. So I guess I'll just keep skewing. I think there's something about control and the fear or losing it...if everyone is sharing their perspective, putting it out there, than do we lose control of stability; discussion or dialogue? I don't think so. In fact I think putting it out there enables more dialogue....but then again I'm not afraid, or into control.
yeah..I seem to remember that Jesus was executed by the state and it was all pretty political. Not only am I a pastor for Obama but I am also a pastor who says NO to proposition 8. While I still believe we shouldn't tell people how to vote from the pulpit I think it's important that we do not feel that following Jesus means political castration. Quite the opposite.
yeah..I seem to remember that Jesus was executed by the state and it was all pretty political. Not only am I a pastor for Obama but I am also a pastor who says NO to proposition 8. While I still believe we shouldn't tell people how to vote from the pulpit I think it's important that we do not feel that following Jesus means political castration. Quite the opposite.
I resonate with what you both say Carol & Matt. I suspect that we tend to confuse being political with being partisan, taking a position versus shoving our position down other people's throats.
Jesus calls us - me - to be political: to be actively, thoughtfully and even pre-emptively involved in the issues facing and emerging from our life in community (in all its parameters). We seem to have a tweaked version in our culture - and maybe specifically in the diverse community circles that we call the church - that we have to choose between sticking our heads in the sand or cramming someone (usually who disagrees with us) into the mud. We have to move through and beyond such paralyzing polarization if we have any hope of dialoguing and collaborating as a community of equals, participants and mutual partners.
I think that vocation is exactly what Jesus calls us to be(come) as followers of his way and teachings. So it should be preached on (regularly) in Christian worship gatherings.
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