I’m too political to be a pastor.
I hear that from time to time from my friends.
I often get it on my Facebook wall.
Heck, sometimes, in my weaker moments, I even believe that myself.
But then I remember that we’re all wrong: I’m actually not political at all. In fact, I’m militantly non-political, and there’s the rub.
A former Facebook Friend once said to me, “John, you’re an awesome pastor, and I love the work you do with students, and your heart for Jesus, but I just don’t like your political views“, to which I responded, “I don’t have political views, I have moral views; I have theological views.”
It sounds a little snarky, but I swear that it’s what I believe in my very core. To think “politically”, is to automatically shrink whatever issue you’re talking about. As someone who seeks to follow Christ, I try to make my daily life faith-centric; to, as much as I am able, align myself, not with a political group or a voting block, but with Jesus.
(And I’m happy to inform you, that Jesus wouldn’t vote straight-ticket for any party).
Most of us who claim Christ as adults, can remember that we existed before our understanding of the political process did; that God had begun shaping us, and renovating us, and molding us, without the assistance or consent of anyone in Washington, D.C.
Long before I ever heard of a political party, I had deep, personal beliefs about life. Before I had watched one second of a Presidential debate, or heard a minute of talk radio, or knew about donkeys and elephants, Republicans and Democrats, Rush Limbaugh and Rachel Maddow, I had opinions about the world and about people, about justice and goodness, and peace and prayer.
I bet you did, too.
Growing-up, I was taught that God created me; that He had a plan for my life, and that Jesus was at the center of that plan. My identity, if I were to truly uncover it, would come through Him, and through His words. Many of you, who would say that you are Christians, probably had that same understanding as young people; that life was found through a “personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”
You + God. That’s the equation of life. At least, for a while it is.
As we get older, though, we somehow lose the ability to have a free agent faith anymore. As we enter into adult community, at school and work, and especially in a local congregation, we form allegiances, we make alliances, we compromise for the sake of fitting-in, and we soften our convictions to stay on the inside. And in the process, we begin gradually taking this massive, uncontainable, Creation-breathing God, and we start cramming him into a tiny little box; one that He was never meant to live within.
Christian friends, if your faith can fit neatly into an American political party, either your God is too small, or your politics have become too large in your life.
For the believer, every issue is a faith issue.
In five years on social media, and in the two of writing this blog, I have never once singled out a political party. I have never named one as the enemy, or claimed another as the solution, (because I don’t believe that), so I always get rather amused when people criticize me for being so politically charged in my writing.
When I challenge them to show me exactly where I am being too political, they often say something like, “Well, you talk about guns a lot. You hate guns.”
They’re right, I do, on both counts, but since when does that (or any other) conviction, belong to anyone but myself? My understanding of the Gospels, and my desire to reflect the character of Christ, have lead me to this very personal place. Isn’t that far more important, than what group this seems to put me at odds with, or in alignment with?
You can call me too religious, but never too political.
When a Christian on the opposite side of an issue, (like guns, or gays, or abortion, or the environment), calls you “too political”, they are invariably confessing to you, that the issue itself, has become their religion. They are unable to separate themselves from the party line. Their faith is now secondary to their politics.
Our calling here, is to be Christ-followers, not club members.
And the truth is, when church people say they don’t want their pastors to be political, they’re usually lying to you or to themselves.
Most Christians want their pastors to be extremely political, as long as those political leanings align with their own. Sadly, many religious people would rather have their spiritual leaders agree with them, then to have strong personal views, based on their understanding of God and study of Scripture; the very things they claim to value them for in the first place.
One of the greatest sicknesses in the American Church, is that we have allowed our political affiliations to trump our religious convictions.
Our faith communities are often buildings we visit once a week, to have our current beliefs and practices blessed and affirmed, not to have those beliefs and practices challenged or questioned.
If you’re a Christian, I couldn’t care less what party you align yourself with, and at the end of the day, you shouldn’t really either. Ultimately, what matters is not any club you’re a member of, or campaign you support, or bumper sticker you sport. What matters is who or what you worship.
Our faith should inform our politics.
Our politics should never dictate our faith.
Welcome to The Jesus Party.
Non-partisanly Yours,
John
