Politics!
Jul 7th, 2008 |
This letter is a resonse from an onging email exchange. I am sharing it is (in my opinion) I good example of open and honest communication producing better understanding.
It also gives me a chance to explain the way I think we should do church.
Dear X,
Regarding political statements, I hear you completely. Please allow me to explain how I approach the subject:
Neither I, nor the congregation as a whole, will ever speak for or against a candidate and/or political party.
There may be times when political issues may need to be addressed. The great failure of the German church was that it did not speak out against the holocaust because it did not want to discuss “politics.”
That being said, few issues rise to that level. On most issues, I will not take a specific position, but instead speak on Biblical principals that can then be applied politically. For example: in this past sermon I stated that God values life. Few Christians would disagree with this statement. But it gets applied differently in regards to abortion, war, the death penalty, etc. I will rarely, if ever, speak directly to those issues, but I will speak on the principals that should guide our thinking about said issues. On most issues, people of faith can and will disagree, and I respect the fact that people with similar principals can reach different conclusions about applying these principals.
I will never encourage anybody specifically to speak politically, but I believe that politics is one of many realms in which we are called to live out our faith, so I won’t forbid it, either. When a person DOES speak on a political issue, I will do my best to remind others that we can disagree and still be faithful, and I will make room for those who disagree to respond (respectfully, of course).
I also need to remind people that political solutions are always temporary at best. Our hope is in God, not in any person, party, or country.
The goal of our time in worship is not to advocate for any particular position, but to hear and faithfully respond to the word of God.
Thanks again for obliging my request. I will do my best to focus our reflections on scripture in light of the goal outlined above.
I look forward to seeing you on Sunday–or sooner!
Drew