Church and politics – should we just be quiet where we disagree?
Now that I have your attention… 
I was just reading an article about the most recent deaths in Iraq. Currently our Congress is in a heated debate about how to stop the death count in that war-torn country. We seem to be divided into those who believe that the United States should pull out immediately to save lives and those who believe that we have a responsibility to stabilize the country first. Both viewpoints are based on important considerations, and if we only spend time with those who agree with us, we may never hear the other side’s argument and heart-felt concerns.
Some churches are filled with like-minded individuals. The pastor proclaims the party line from the pulpit. Everyone’s bumper stickers match.
Trinity is not like that.
We have a wide variety of perspectives. Prayers in our worship service often include prayers for the safety of our troops and also a desire for peace and safety for those who live in Iraq and Afghanistan. God is not a Democrat. God is also not a Republican. And God’s people often disagree about the best way to live and the best way to interact with the world around us.
I believe that part of our strength as a congregation lies in the broad range of perspectives and understandings of the world that we bring to the table. And the more we can learn to embrace our differences and share our perspectives freely and respectfully, the more effective we can be in accomplishing our common goals in our community and in the world.
The same is true of preferred worship styles, our areas of passion in ministry, the parts of the Bible that touch us most, the people we communicate best with, our areas of giftedness, our varied cultures and backgrounds, our ages, our levels of formal education, our work experience, our areas of struggle… We are stronger when we better reflect the diversity of the people of God as we were intended to be. We can come up with more creative and more effective solutions to our problems too.
As we grow and change as a church family, we will be called upon to stretch a bit. Some of us may be frustrated because others around us are not as excited about something new. Others of us may be frustrated because there’s too much change happening at once. The challenge will be to reach out in love to those who disagree with us as we seek to follow Jesus Christ together. We need each other. And there is so much more that we share in common than that which divides us. We are the people of God. Somos el pueblo de Dios. We have Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We are called to love our God and love our neighbor. We are guided by God’s Word. We have the Holy Spirit within us. With those things binding us together, what can keep us apart?
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.
- Galatians 3:28
We do not always agree, nor should we always agree. But we are one in Christ Jesus.
One in Christ with You,
Pastor Steve