Pastor Devin Strong

Spirit of Peace Lutheran Church

By my count today marks 33 days until the election. I am no political pundit. My job is to reflect theologically about what is happening in the world, but this gets dicey whenever the church and politics mix. 

There are white evangelical churches that are quite vocal about advocating for conservative candidates and black churches who are equally vocal about advocating for progressive candidates. Most people in the middle argue that especially because of our tax-exempt status, churches have no business tipping the scales for any one politician over another. I reside squarely in this camp.

In my role as pastor, I will never be partisan from the pulpit or in print.

Still, politics is about making choices, and in that sense, Jesus was decidedly political, He consistently stood on the side of the poor and the sick, the outcast and the forgotten, More than that, our faith and our understanding of God’s values should have a deep impact on how we live in the world. What else is our faith for, if not to guide us in the decisions that we make?!

It is not for me to tell anyone else who to vote for, but I want to persuade everyone that I can to vote. Bring your Jesus-inspired values into the public square. Engage. Learn about the candidates up and down the ballot. Study the issues, and live your faith in your politics. As a Christian, you have no more right than anyone else to say what American policies should be on the border, the economy, abortion, or foreign aid but no less right, either. A vote is a prayer for the kind of world that you want to live in. Make yours heard.

My profound hope for the church is that our Christian communities can be places where genuine relationships flourish, where we can respect and love people of diverse political opinions.

In the Lutheran Church, we strive to be “communities of moral deliberation,” but I fear that we are not doing a great job at this. The history of Christianity is largely that when a group of Christians disagrees with another group of believers over any significant social issue, they pick up their marbles and form a new church. Among congregations that stay together, most tend to lean noticeably either red or blue, and in order to maintain the peace with those on the opposite side, we avoid politics like the plague! Is this the best that we can do?

I have heard of secular projects that bring a mix of Democrats and Republicans together in dinner groups to listen to one another, a retreat ministry that brings liberals and conservatives together to live side by side for an entire weekend, and even a rafting club whose mission is to put red and blue folks in the same boat without drowning each other. Wouldn’t it be great if Christians could be leaders in such bridge-building ideas?!

All of us who follow the Lamb must remember that our Christian mission to love and serve our neighbors does not stop with those who are more interested in either the donkey or the elephant. The time to live our faith is now.