Hateful Politics Isn't Christian

 The hatred and vitriol I hear from people who confess Christ as Lord is appalling.

Do you want to know why so many people in America today claim no faith? One big explanation is “Christians.”

Fellow Christians: Jesus has given us a great commission, proclaiming the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus to save sinners like us for life with God, today in this imperfect world and eternally in the resurrection. “Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel to all people,” He says, {because] whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 17:15-16)

Jesus hasn’t told us to insult, dehumanize, or be cruel to others.

He hasn’t told us to vie for power. In fact, we follow a Savior Who said HIS kingdom is not of this world. The apostle Peter picks up on this when he tells Christians: “I appeal to you, my friends, as strangers and refugees in this world! Do not give in to bodily passions, which are always at war against the soul.” (1 Peter 2:12, GNT) Venting your spleen about this or that political topic may make you feel good momentarily, but it’s really just worldly self-indulgence.

Be good neighbors. That includes being good citizens.

Be informed.

Serve others.

Pay your taxes.

Participate in the political arena in whatever ways you are called to.

Pray for those in power.

(These are all things the Bible calls us to do as His people.)

But remember that the philosophies of the world, including political philosophies, will never help people face life or death with peace, confidence, or hope.

Only Christ can do that. Your neighbor needs to hear that from you and see that in you way more than they need your angry denouncements or enthusiastic endorsements.

Just like you, your neighbor needs Christ. Our call is to get out of Christ’s way, letting others see Him.

For Christ and the Gospel, the Church and Clergy need to stay out of politics

I tweeted this about an hour ago:

“Now, at long last, will my fellow Christian clergy get out of politics? Instead of playing for worldly power and dirtying the Church’s reputation, let’s do our job: proclaim Christ and make disciples!”

I speak as one who, thirteen years ago, made the mistake of running for public office while serving as a pastor. While I was always quick to say that I was not a “Christian candidate” or that I knew what God’s politics (I don’t believe there is such a thing) was, running was a terrible risk.

Why was it a risk?

Because it risked alienating people from Christ, the Gospel, and the Church when people heard a pastor advocating particular political ideas.

No political idea is worth losing the chance to commend Christ’s saving gospel, which is the only way to forgiveness of sins and life with God. Nothing is important as that.

If I’m going to offend people, I want to do it by lovingly lifting up Christ, “the way, and the life, and the truth” (John 14:6).

I've written before that there are exceptional circumstances when the Church and its clergy will feel called to speak up about political issues. This applies especially when one feels that injustices are being committed. But such speaking should never be done in the service a political party or candidate, so as to avoid subordinating the gospel message to a human message or a human being.

To subordinate anyone or anything to Christ and His gospel is to engage in idolatry, a violation of God's First Commandment: "You shall have no other gods before Me."

I pray fellow clergy and church bodies, both politically right and left, will stop playing politics and instead proclaim Jesus Christ!

[I'm the pastor of Living Water Lutheran Church in Centerville, Ohio.]

Note to Self

Note to self: For the glory of God and the love of neighbor, pray more, opine less; share Christ, not my puny thoughts; strive to show God's love, not my alleged smarts.

That's because "...the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight," (1 Corinthians 3:19) including my own supposed wisdom.

The world doesn't need another fool's version of wisdom. It needs Jesus Christ. He is where life and wisdom are found. With the apostle Paul, I've resolved "...to know nothing...except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2).

[Blogger Mark Daniels is pastor of Living Water Lutheran Church in Centerville, Ohio.]

Politics-free zone

I posted this simple update on my Facebook timeline last night:

As a service, this post is designed to ensure that, at least in the space it takes up, you will see nothing political. You're welcome.

So far, it's gotten 44 "likes." Are you as sick of this election year as those 44 are?

More on the importance of pastors staying out of politics

I wrote here that I think that pastors need to refrain from talking about politics.

Yesterday, Pastor Eric Swensson posted a link on his Facebook timeline to this blog piece that makes much the same argument, although the author claims that pastors should speak out on gay marriage and abortion.

I would agree that the Scriptures are clear on the value of human life, so abortion is an issue I have felt free to comment on. I consider the Bible to be pro-life. And that includes compassionate understanding of the tragic circumstances under which abortion may be indicated. Historically, most Protestant Christians have recognized that abortion is warranted in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is threatened. (My own birth was difficult for my mother and it appeared at one point that my parents would have to choose between saving my mother's life and saving mine. My father was clear, and I think that he was right, that if it came to that, he would opt to save my mom's life.)

And while I believe that marriage in the eyes of God is a covenant involving God, a woman, and a man, that there is no Biblical warrant nor any suggestion from Jesus that He had changed the definition of marriage from the Old Testament understanding, as a Christian pastor I was able to accept the US Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage as a civil covenant. I talked about that here. So, this is another issue on which I wish the Church and pastors--whether "liberal" or "conservative"--would remain mum.

The article's author essentially agrees with me about the importance of pastors not getting involved with politics.

A few lines:

We need to remember...that many of the hotly debated issues today fall squarely in the area of Christian freedom. As Christians, we can honestly disagree on immigration, the economy, gun control and the like. The Bible does not say whether you should be allowed to own a gun or not. The Bible does not advocate or condemn socialism. The Bible does not tell us the best way to protect our borders. 

Faithful Christians can fall on both sides of the aisle.

When posting the link, Eric asked for others' opinions. This is what I wrote:

I believe that pastors should steer clear of advocating particular political positions or particular candidates. As ministers of Word and Sacrament, our call is to patiently plant the seeds of the Gospel, trusting Christ to build His Church, make disciples, and transform minds.

You cannot achieve Christian ends and you can't make disciples through the coercive tools of government, as essential and God-ordained as governments and their coercive tools are.

People become disciples of Christ and are transformed as people as they are wooed by the Holy Spirit unleashed in God's Word.

That, in turn, can transform the ways we think, act, live, and vote, though God is clearly not a Republican or Democrat, not a Libertarian or Communist or Fascist. God is God.

Political engagement from the pulpit or from denominational bodies is almost always a worldly way to force God's Kingdom on people rather than trusting in God to bring His kingdom to people by the power of the Word and the activity of the Holy Spirit. Doing so expresses a lack of faith in God's method for transforming people, replacing God's wisdom with our own. Not good!

There are exceptional circumstances under which it may be necessary for the Church or its pastors to speak on public policy, but only if governments command its citizens to do things contrary to the will of God. Romans 12 and 13 give us good guidelines on this: Don't be conformed to this world; but be transformed by the renewing of your minds in Christ. AND honor the emperor.

The bottom line is this, to me. First, the world is not waiting to hear what we have to say about political issues. Second, the moment we advocate for one position over another, we lose the chance to give witness for Jesus and make disciples with those who disagree with us or who rightly understand that opining politically is not our job!

Quite frankly, I feel that pastors and denominational bodies who have pressed their personal political views on the world, selling them as derived from God, which they are clearly not, have made the Gospel message of Jesus Christ odious and offensive to people who otherwise be reached. The Gospel, with its call to repentance and surrender to Christ, is offensive enough to we human beings, something the New Testament talks about frankly.

But political pastors, right and left, have done more to harm the spiritual welfare of the United States in recent years than any other group I can name. It's tragic.

What do you think?

Pastors: People Need Christ, Not Our Political Opinions

It saddens me to see so many Facebook and Twitter posts about politics by pastors.*

We Christian pastors have a much more important message to share with the world than our political opinions, no matter how righteous we may feel our opinions are.

And what's our more important message?

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." (John 3:16-18)

We're to lift Christ up to the world--not a candidate, not a party, not a philosophy.

Jesus alone can deliver hope, peace, purpose, grace, forgiveness, justice, and life.

And when Jesus gives us these things, they come without defect, adulteration, strings, or term limits.

They're free gifts that belong to all who seek to turn from sin and trust in Jesus Christ each day--who believe in or trust in Him--here in this imperfect world with all its challenges and beyond death in a perfect eternity with the crucified and risen Jesus.

That's the message. And it never gets old. It's one of which we all need to be constantly reminded. And it can change the way we think, the way we raise our kids, the way we treat our neighbors, the ways we face life and death, and the way we live as citizens.

As a Christian, I want people to know and follow Jesus so that they can have life with Him now and in eternity.

As a pastor I don't want my personal political opinions--which could, after all, be wrong--to get in the way of that eternity-changing message getting through.

*In the interest of full disclosure, I have not always been so reticent about expressing myself politically. I even ran for the Ohio House of Representatives. I wish that I never had. Although there were no negative ramifications of my run of which I'm aware, as I've matured in my faith and as a pastor, I've concluded it was a wrong move. I do occasionally talk about the politics of politics and the history of politics--I've been a student my entire life and majored in Social Studies Education at Ohio State, I haven't publicly shared my opinions on issues, parties, or candidates for some time.

Vote!

If you haven't voted yet and are registered, I hope that you'll take the time to vote today.

(If you have voted, like me, then don't vote again; that would be illegal. Thought I would just point that out.)

In case you're uncertain about where your assigned polling station is or about the candidates and issues in your community, this site can help you.

The Bible is clear that Christians are to be good citizens and honor those who are in authority. So, for us anyway, voting is more than a right, it's a responsibility...to God, to neighbor, to country, and to the world. 

You might want to check out this piece called, Are Governments Necessary? (The answer is yes, by the way.)

The Deal-Making with Pennsylvania pols...

that made Abraham Lincoln president.

Our Great Philadelphia Adventure (Part 3)

Funny moments and other stuff...

During the tour of Independence Hall, our guide, an informative and enthusiastic National Park Service ranger, pointed out that in that place in 1776, with the Declaration of Independence, and in 1787, with the Constitution, men from different backgrounds who had little previous experience with one another, found ways to compromise and iron things out to form and perfect a nation. A man called out from the crowd, "Do you think that we could get those guys back here today?"

During a bus tour of the city, we passed an anti-war demonstration. One protester, hat firmly pushed down overhead, bandanna tied to conceal face, held a sign that asked, "I want Congress to bail me out of my student loans."

There was a mix-up on the charge for our room at the hotel where we stayed. The clerk on duty took care of things. I noticed that he had a Phillies shirt, reflecting the excitement we saw in everyone there about the National League playoff series beginning the night of our arrival. I told him that, as a fan of the Cincinnati Reds, which hasn't won a World Series since 1990 and has pretty much lived in the cellar for the past two decades, I envied his excitement. It was pointed out to me that though the guy had worked miracles with our bill, he could do nothing about the Reds!

Philadelphia has one of the most vibrant central cities I've ever seen. On Friday, we were baffled to see so many cars leaving downtown as we breezed along on the Interstate to Independence Park at the center of town. We later found out that more people commute from the central city to the 'burbs in Philly than in any other town in the country. As we walked around the central city exploring, we saw tons of downtown area housing, something that's virtually non-existent in other big US cities. We also met people who live downtown and work downtown, enabling them to walk and bike to work each day.

Of course, it isn't all nirvana, either. We decided to take a surface road, Ridge Avenue, from downtown to our hotel in Plymouth Meeting, a suburb. Poverty is much in evidence. Jesus did say that the poor would always be with us. But He didn't say that to excuse inaction or indifference in the face of poverty. Widespread poverty in places like Philadelphia, the birthplace of the American experiment, should always be unacceptable to us, whatever our party. We can do better!

One bright spot of this part of our tour: There was a gas war happening in Roxbourough, initiated by the owner of a newly-reopened filling station. We found gas for $3.05 a gallon! (Today somewhere in Pennsylvania, we found it for $2.99 a gallon, all of which is reflective of the recent decrease in gas prices generally.)

A bright spot of the entire trip: In spite of the recent financial crisis, all the restaurants we visited were packed and travel on the Interstate and state routes was brisk. A major freight carrier had a huge banner in front of its corporate offices so that travelers on the Interstate could see. The banner announced that the company's employees had just received the largest pay increase in company history.

No Politics from the Pulpit...or From Preachers

Two really intelligent people I've gotten to know over on Facebook, supporters of Senator Hillary Clinton, have assumed that because of some of what I've written about Clinton's fading prospects for the presidency that I'm a supporter of Senator Barack Obama.

The fact is that while I am intensely interested in politics, I've come to believe it's morally wrong for pastors to get involved in partisan politicking.

As I've said many times, God is not a Republican, God is not a Democrat, and God is not an American.

It's impossible to draw a straight line between one's faith and a political party or a political candidate. Attempts to do so, it seems to me, result in putting God in a box and making idols of ideologies or political figures. God is bigger than all of politics and preachers who get involved in politics--something I did four years ago when, concerned about the funding of public education in Ohio, I ran for the state House of Representatives, an effort I now regret--risk sending the wrong signals about God and the message of the Gospel.

Politics is an abiding interest of mine, as is history. I majored in Social Studies at Ohio State, worked as volunteer coordinator for a 1976 congressional campaign, and worked for the Ohio House of Representatives. As an avocation, as one always interested in history, current events, and the political process, I do write about politics from those vantage points.

But unless the voice of Scripture is, to my satisfaction, unambiguous, I never advocate policy positions here. And certainly never do so from the pulpit. I never endorse candidates. And so long as I am under call as a pastor of Christ's Church, I never will.

By the way, it's my view that pastors who get into endorsing political candidates or policy positions from the pulpit are doing a great disservice to our Lord. We all sin and are imperfect, of course. But I hope that, absent the kinds of clear Scriptural imperatives I've mentioned, all pastors will refrain from political activism.

Here are links to a few past discussions of these and related matters...

A Pledge I Wish Every Christian Leader Would Make
Jesus is Not a Republican. Jesus is Also Not a Democrat.
Who is the 'Values Voter'?
"Do religious ideas undermine democratic discourse?"
Dr. Dobson, Stop Playing This Dangerous Game!
Politics Endorsed by a Church? I Don't Think So!
Why Separation of Church and State is Best for the Church and Its Cause
Iraq, the Church, and 'Christian' Political Commentary

Preachers and Politics

[I write a column for the Community Press newspapers. This is the column version of this post.]

A new book recounts incidents from evangelist Billy Graham's experience as pastor to U.S. Presidents and their families.

The book reveals that Graham has done more than provide spiritual counsel to the eleven presidents he's known. He's offered political and policy counsel.

When the depths of Richard Nixon's unethical conduct came out, Graham was shocked into a new stance toward politics and politicians. Graham resolved to always provide pastoral counsel and care to those White House families who sought him out, but not to be a policy advisor or presidential cheerleader. "We [preachers] have to stand in the middle," Graham declared in 1981, "to preach to all the people, right and left."

Like Billy Graham, I'm a political junkie. Three years ago, in what I think was a mistake for me as a pastor, I ran for the State House of Representatives myself. I'm glad that I lost. Had I been elected, I might have forfeited my ability to reach out "to all the people, right and left..."

I encourage Christians to be involved in the political process. But it's almost never the job of a pastor or of the Church to express political opinions. I don't know what God thinks about the War in Iraq, immigration reform, or health care. I don't know any preacher who does.

A big part of my job as a preacher is to echo Jesus' call, recorded in the New Testament book of Mark, "Repent, and believe in the good news" (Mark 1:15). Jesus summarized that Good News in His famous words to Nicodemus, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life" (John 3:16).

If I mix my political preferences in with my proclamation about Jesus, it confuses people about the true content of God's message for us and, most dangerously, may unnecessarily alienate some people from Christ. Jesus' call for human beings to admit that God is bigger than them and to then surrender to God alienates some people anyway. The preacher who adds a political requirement to having a relationship with God changes the Good News and becomes no better than a peddler of cults.

Graham's example suggests that preachers should stick to preaching the Good News. It also suggests that preachers pastorally befriend politicians.

I try to do that. A few months ago, I had lunch with a Clermont County pol who has become a friend. Before we ate, I prayed. I thanked God for our food and our time together and then I asked God to bless and guide my friend in his important work. After we'd said, "Amen," I saw him dabbing his eyes. "I just can't get used to it," he said. "I'm always so moved and humbled when people pray for me. Thank you."

Praying for politicians of both parties is one of the best things anyone can do. After all, politicians are people too. Through prayer, preachers and others can ask God to offer leaders His counsel. And they need God's counsel far more than they need ours!