Preaching and Politics
Could there possibly be a more toxic mix? A clash of right and wrong, yin and yang, good and evil?
Very often preachers will get chastised for being too political or accused of using the pulpit for political reasons. It often comes out something like, “Just stick to the Bible preacher. I didn’t come to church to hear about politics.” I suspect that the disdain comes from a difference of opinion.
Here’s the problem with that take: The Bible is political. Yes, you read that correctly.
Throughout the First Testament the people of God are reminded repeatedly: To take care of the widow, the orphan, and the alien in your land. Prophets are constantly sent to speak to the kings, to speak truth to power and remind those political figures that they are not leading as God intends.
In the New Testament, Jesus confronts the powers of the empire on a regular basis, and it eventually leads to his crucifixion. He shared many parables. Welcomed people excluded from society's power structures. Even dared to share table fellowship with them.
Recently in worship we looked at two scriptures:
Amos 7:7-17
In those verses Amos holds up God’s plumb line to check God’s people and finds them lacking. Out of plumb. How can the people of God stand when they are out of plumb. Leaning walls fall.
And in Luke 10:25-37
Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan defining who our neighbors are. You want to guess who the hero of the story is? Yep. The Samaritan. (It is important to know that first century Jews and Samaritans didn’t get along.) As Jesus tells the story, two paragons of Jewish virtue, a priest and a Levite ignore the man laying near death in the ditch. The Samaritan takes care of the man and even provides for his ongoing healthcare. (I mentioned in my sermon that the original audience would have gasped at that turn of events.)
If we want to apply the Bible to the world today, here are two scriptures that we should be paying attention to. Are we plumb? And who is our neighbor? How we treat our neighbor might indicate if we are plumb.
The point is that these are both political statements. Where the preacher must be careful is walking the line between politics and partisanship. I will at times be political, but I will do my very best not to be partisan. I will tell you that you have a duty as a citizen to vote. In fact, I will encourage you to vote. I will also tell you that as a follower of Jesus, you have a duty to do your homework and vote for candidates that uphold the same values as – Jesus.
What I will not do is to stand in the pulpit and tell you who to vote for or endorse any candidate from the pulpit. That’s partisanship.
There is a rumor floating about on the internet that some want to make it legal for churches to endorse candidates and keep their tax-exempt status. I still won’t do it, because as soon as we, the church, begin endorsing candidates, giving into that lucrative power, we can no longer hold up the plumb line and speak truth to power. We must always remember that we are called to speak truth to power when the empire strays from the ways of God.
Who is my neighbor?
Who is being treated unjustly?
Who is feeding us false hate?
These are the questions that should concern us. And yes, they are political questions. The Bible is full of politics and people of faith - like the prophets of old- are called to pull out the plumb line.
Take the politics of the Bible to the streets.
Defend our neighbors. Take care of the widow, the orphan, and the alien in our land.
Follow the way of Jesus! Stay plumb!
Peace,
Pastor Dave
Thanks to my editor Joyce for helping me put these thoughts together!