Disciples, Apostles, and Saints!
As we approach another election day for the United States, Indiana, county, township, and city, we are again invited to attend to the way our society is ordered, primarily through the election of specific persons to offices and in direct ballot initiatives. This is so often a season of great hope and anxiousness—and I have found both eagerness and trepidation from people hoping to turn to the church during this season. Some long for the church to be a place of safety, prayer, and commitment to the needs of people. And some long for it to be silent, emotionally absent from the tempest—not merely a refuge from the tempest, but a place truly unaffected by it. I find this latter expectation difficult to square with the nature of Jesus, who, while facing the tempest, allowed himself to be consumed by it to ultimately transform it.
Paul famously wrote that we are to claim “Jesus is Lord!” which is in direct contrast to the Roman directive to claim “Caesar is Lord!” It is a fundamentally political act. As is shunning wealth, giving to the poor, showing mercy to the penitent, and walking the way of peace. We are called to be politically active in our world.
What we often mean by political, however, is partisan, which is not the same thing. Engaging the politics of the gospel does not lead to nonpartisan outcomes, however. Because the politics of Jesus and the gospel demand we behave in ways that often invite comparisons to liberals and to conservatives. Therefore, we embody the gospel when we engage in the ordering of our world with great faith, hope, and profound love for the Kin-dom of God.
With love,
Drew
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If you find yourself asking “What can we do?” here is one way to respond to what has stirred within us to ask that question.
And if you want more on the way we use the word political in less than helpful ways, here is more discussion on the ways churches can be political for good.