broken
It is not only because of the problems that would arise with our IRS non-profit and tax status that discussions around the church tend to avoid politics, but that, too, is an important reason. We also avoid "political" conversation because the spiritual conversation, or our spiritual lives, necessarily supersedes particular politics; in other words, a healthy spiritual life should shape our response to the needs of the world around us, and that response can sometimes take the form of one political action or another, no matter our particular political leanings.
It is my opinion that real reason we avoid conversation around politics in the church is that (in the best scenario) churches tend to be a mixture of people from different political leanings, and the conversation between people of divergent views has become so broken down that any mention of issues from the political arena quickly become heated. This, I believe, is shaped by our quest for entertainment on television: Reasoned, civil, and respectful conversation does not sell as much commercial time as raised voices, myoptic perspectives, and embattled shouting matches. We like to watch people fight. We learn by watching that fighting is the language of politics now, and we imitate what we see and hear either consciously or unconsciously. We may be afraid to have meaningful conversation because we expect a shouting match, "as seen on T.V."
The breakdown in civil conversation is hurting us; all of us. It is dividing people and families, and perhaps churches. It drives us to spend our time only with people who think like we do. Thomas Merton, one of my favorite authors, wrote, "How glad, how grateful [people] are when they can learn from one another what they have already determined, in their hearts, to believe for themselves." (from Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander.) The truth of his statement is that we seek in others what we are ourselves. Even worse, we may believe that God holds our opinion, or should hold our opinion. It can quickly become a form of idolatry which is, according to St. Paul, the primary sin that leads to all the others.
One of the things I have been taught by learning and practice is that no matter how different the political, perspective of a person sitting next to me in the pew, we are all fed at Christ's Table. When it comes to our relationship with God, it about receiving grace. We are all flawed in our own ways, so of course our political systems are flawed. That was one of the assumptions of the founders (as "School House Rock Jr. Live" recently reminded me!)
Soon after I arrived in Port Aransas, I was at a dinner, and the conversation turned to politics. I listened, but did not say much. Then someone at my table turned to me and said, "Can you tell we are trying to figure out if you are a democrat or a republican?" I replied, "Well, you can keep trying to figure it out, but it really shouldn't matter." Then I said that I believe that the church's role in the political arena, is about healing divisions. The work of the church is the work of Christ: Reconciliation. It is about healing the wounds of separation from God and separation from one another. We do that not by working out which political party is correct, but by remembering, as a member of either party (or none) that God is God, and we are not. If we believe that, as God's creatures, we are made in the Image of God, (imago dei) then we should seek to honor the Holy Spirit's voice working in ourselves, and in others. It is in hearing the diversity of perspectives of others (God is so Creative!) that we might draw closer to a fuller understanding. Instead of looking for our own opinion given back to us, we might consider that as we "respect the dignity of every human being," and truly listening to one another that we might have greater clarity. This is not initially an easy task: it requires a softened heart and a loving ear. Most of all, it requires trust that God is at work in the midst of our relationships.
Originally published in the South Jetty
It is my opinion that real reason we avoid conversation around politics in the church is that (in the best scenario) churches tend to be a mixture of people from different political leanings, and the conversation between people of divergent views has become so broken down that any mention of issues from the political arena quickly become heated. This, I believe, is shaped by our quest for entertainment on television: Reasoned, civil, and respectful conversation does not sell as much commercial time as raised voices, myoptic perspectives, and embattled shouting matches. We like to watch people fight. We learn by watching that fighting is the language of politics now, and we imitate what we see and hear either consciously or unconsciously. We may be afraid to have meaningful conversation because we expect a shouting match, "as seen on T.V."
The breakdown in civil conversation is hurting us; all of us. It is dividing people and families, and perhaps churches. It drives us to spend our time only with people who think like we do. Thomas Merton, one of my favorite authors, wrote, "How glad, how grateful [people] are when they can learn from one another what they have already determined, in their hearts, to believe for themselves." (from Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander.) The truth of his statement is that we seek in others what we are ourselves. Even worse, we may believe that God holds our opinion, or should hold our opinion. It can quickly become a form of idolatry which is, according to St. Paul, the primary sin that leads to all the others.
One of the things I have been taught by learning and practice is that no matter how different the political, perspective of a person sitting next to me in the pew, we are all fed at Christ's Table. When it comes to our relationship with God, it about receiving grace. We are all flawed in our own ways, so of course our political systems are flawed. That was one of the assumptions of the founders (as "School House Rock Jr. Live" recently reminded me!)
Soon after I arrived in Port Aransas, I was at a dinner, and the conversation turned to politics. I listened, but did not say much. Then someone at my table turned to me and said, "Can you tell we are trying to figure out if you are a democrat or a republican?" I replied, "Well, you can keep trying to figure it out, but it really shouldn't matter." Then I said that I believe that the church's role in the political arena, is about healing divisions. The work of the church is the work of Christ: Reconciliation. It is about healing the wounds of separation from God and separation from one another. We do that not by working out which political party is correct, but by remembering, as a member of either party (or none) that God is God, and we are not. If we believe that, as God's creatures, we are made in the Image of God, (imago dei) then we should seek to honor the Holy Spirit's voice working in ourselves, and in others. It is in hearing the diversity of perspectives of others (God is so Creative!) that we might draw closer to a fuller understanding. Instead of looking for our own opinion given back to us, we might consider that as we "respect the dignity of every human being," and truly listening to one another that we might have greater clarity. This is not initially an easy task: it requires a softened heart and a loving ear. Most of all, it requires trust that God is at work in the midst of our relationships.
For pathways forward, visit instituteforcivility.org and onbeing.org
Originally published in the South Jetty
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