I have heard many Christians say, “I don’t want to hear politics in the church!”
Churchgoers who make such a statement might not want to hear partisan politics in the church. Partisan politics is political activity that advocates for or against a particular party or person.
Merriam-Webster defines “partisan” as “feeling, showing or deriving from strong and sometimes blind adherence to a particular party, faction, cause or person.” Using the same source for definition, “politics” is defined as “of or relating to government, a government or the conduct of government.”
Alan Rudnick
As you can see, there is a difference, although related, in adherence to an organization of political activity (partisan) and the actual governing process (politics).
Scripture refers to the process of governing people from the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, Joseph was a wise and trusted governmental official who helped Pharaoh govern and make decisions. Later, Israel was oppressed under enslavement of Egypt’s government. Samuel became the first ruler of Israel, and many kings came after, establishing Israel’s government.
St. Paul wrote in Romans 13 that God ordains all authority on earth: kings, rulers and leaders. Seeing how the Bible ascribes and describes politics, both good and bad, through the actions of God’s people shows that politics (relating to the governing process) has a place in the church. Politics is not inherently wrong or immoral (politics can involve either) but is the process by which we choose to govern ourselves.
During October, our church, DeWitt Community Church just outside Syracuse, N.Y., held a Wednesday speaker series titled “Politics and Faith.” Each week, I invited the congregation to listen to perspectives and not to defend a political party or engage in partisan politics. Through this speaker series, I learned three things that helped me have a political conversation in the church, and there were no knock-down-drag-out arguments or fistfights.
The non-use of a pulpit provided a relaxed and more fruitful environment of faith and political perspectives. Many pastors and churches use the pulpit as the primary vehicle for communicating how Christians ought to approach politics. Preachers who deliver a message that involves politics have a one-way conversation with the congregation. Sometimes, sitting through a 20- or 30-minute sermon creates a captive audience who may not be interested in a one-way political sermon.
Instead, during our faith and politics Wednesday night series, I acted as the moderator for the speaker and supplied questions ahead of time to help shape the discussion depending on the speaker’s background, expertise or experience. I asked questions that sought to learn more about the person speaking, their hopes, dreams, concerns and how their faith informed their perspective.
“The non-use of a pulpit provided a relaxed and more fruitful environment of faith and political perspectives.”
After the speaker’s chat with me, we opened the floor to questions from the participants, which were curious and thoughtful. Many who attended never had experienced a political dialogue in a church before, and they were surprised how well each week informed their political perspectives.
An invitation around a community meal brought down barriers for people to listen. I was surprised that congregants brought their family, friends and neighbors to enjoy a meal and consider what each speaker had to say. We were talking about politics in the church!
Jesus was a master at bringing people around a table to share commonality. It was through a table that Jesus welcomed tax collectors, Pharisees, disciples and people on the margins.
Each week, I prefaced our time together as an experiment in listening. I cautioned attendees to engage in what I call “The Sorting Hat Syndrome.”
In the Harry Potter books and movies, a magic sorting hat groups students into houses, which are seen as adversarial toward one another based on each house’s history, gossip and prejudices. Likewise, by refusing to group people into political groups based on buzzwords or misconceptions, I asked attendees not to sort people into political or faith categories. By sharing a common meal, attendees started to learn each other’s names, share stories and engage in friendship with one another.
Diverse speakers allowed us to meet the people we read about in the news or know of in the community who we might not ordinarily meet. We heard from a Syracuse University dean, a religion professor, a local town board member and African-American pastor, the county executive, and a director of an interfaith organization.
This led to 70 to 90 people meeting and listening weekly to people who affirmed, challenged or informed their opinions on a political topic or community leader. Each week, I reminded attendees how it was essential to go directly to the source for information rather than reading a news article or watching a political commentator espouse political ideas. People are creatures of habit; sometimes, we do not go outside our “tribe” to listen to someone who does not share our political affinity.
This Wednesday night series allowed people to interface with a complete spectrum of faith and political thought.
Proverbs 18:15 states, “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” As Jesus followers, we seek the knowledge and wisdom to help inform our votes at the ballot box. By following these three discoveries, I hope you, too, can have a fruitful and productive conversation about faith and politics in your congregation.
Alan Rudnick is an American Baptist minister, author and senior minister at DeWitt Community Church, DeWitt, N,Y. He is a former member of the board of directors for American Baptist Home Mission Societies, Board of General Ministries and Mission Council of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.