As a follow-up to the meeting one of the pastors sent an email invitation to all of the clergy asking us to attend a meeting next month with our state senator. I'm not sure that I will attend, but only because the meeting falls on my sabbath day, a day I try to reserve for rest and recreation. Having told the other pastor I might not attend, I did not think any more about it.
I was surprised the next day to read an email from yet another pastor declining the invitation because one characteristic of her denominations covenant of ordination is that pastors will not be involved in politics or use the pulpit to endorse political candidates or directions. This surprises me not because of the commitment of a pastor to stay out of politics but because I do not see the meeting with the state senator as involvement in politics or endorsing a politician. For me, this is a way for clergy to stay connected to the systems of power in our state that influence the lives of our congregations and our members.
My intention is not to be critical. I respect this pastor's feelings and I agree completely that clergy should not make political endorsements (the IRS would agree with this, also!). I bring this up because it raises questions for me about the role of the church in society.
- Is there a difference between involvement in politics and partnership with political leaders to explore and deal with systemic issues?
- Am I being political if I speak out against injustice?
- Can I effectively proclaim the presence of the reign of God in the world without engaging political processes?
- Does the separation of church and state mean that the church needs to stay out of the state or does it mean that the state is supposed to give the church freedom to express and live out its beliefs and values?
- Is it truly possible to separate religion and politics?
I am not a particularly political person. I don't participate in campaigns and I don't endorse candidates. Although I am a registered Democrat that is only because I want to vote in primaries. I prefer to think of myself as an independent. I don't encourage people to vote one way or the other for candidates or issues. I would never preach a sermon that endorses any one person or issue.
For many years I believed that clergy should be pastoral, not political. But over the past few years I've come to a new perspective. I believe that congregations need to work for a purpose larger than themselves, for a common good that impacts the needs of society as a whole. This mission would be impossible if we failed to participate in conversations and actions in the political realm?
We are called not simply to announce God's reign. Christians are called to embody it as Jesus did. Is it possible to be the Body of Christ in the world without being political? Isn't being political really about how we interact with power and authority to bring about justice? Are we not called to meet that power and authority with compassion, grace, peace, and love?
Every denomination, every congregation, and every pastor needs to answer these questions as seems best for them. It is not my place to say which answer are right and which are wrong. As an Episcopalian whose denomination has a long tradition of bridging the religious and the political worlds, I believe we must participate in the political conversation. The church can not stay silent in the face of hunger, poverty, homelessness, and other issues of injustice in our world. Religion can not be a purely private endeavor in a world that yearns for meaning, compassion, and wholeness.
Sabbath day or not, perhaps I'll participate in that meeting next month. I want to make sure I'm a part of the conversation.
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