Sunday
09/20/15 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s
Sermon Title: “Politics in the pulpit”
Old Testament
Lesson: Proverbs 31:10-31
New Testament
Scripture: James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
Gospel Lesson: Mark
9:30-37
Brothers and sisters, friends, welcome once again on this
the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost. Seventeen Sundays after we celebrated
that day that the Holy Spirit moved like a mighty wind. On that day so long
ago, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they went forth
preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. They went forth changing and transforming
the world. Today, nearly two-thousand years later, we continue that mission
that the disciples and the early Christians began on Pentecost. We continue the
mission of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we continue the mission of
changing and transforming the world around us.
This morning though, I am going to talk about “Politics in
the Pulpit.” Since I was asked to give this sermon, I am deviating from what
would have been week three of my series from the Book of Proverbs. So since the
title of today’s sermon is “Politics in the Pulpit,” I have decided to connect
this sermon, in part, to our reading from the Book of James, from this morning.
Before I get into the scripture from the Book of James, and
the heart of this sermon though, I want to talk about what this sermon is not. I
also want to lay the foundation for my beliefs. This sermon is also not a
politicized argument by me, of why one set of political beliefs are better than
the other.
Do
many of us have strong political leanings and opinions? Sure, many of us do.
This sermon for me however, is a model of what I believe is the way that the church
should engage politics. Yet this model is not the same model for all churches,
but it is more of a general model for me, in approaching this topic. It is also
important to remember to, that all pastors are different.
So with that, one of my favorite historical figures is the
Irish Statesman, Sir Edmund Burke. Sir Edmund Burke had some great quotes that
many of us have heard, such as, “Those who don't
know history are destined to repeat it,” and “The only thing necessary for the
triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” In the way of religion, Sir
Edmund Burke said, “politics and the pulpit are terms that have little
agreement. No sound ought to be heard in the church but the healing voice of
Christian charity.”
You see, we live in my opinion, in one of the most politically
polarized environments that we have ever had in the history of this country. While
there are politics in the church, and while the church speaks out over social
issues, and some political issues, imagine if our church looked as politically polarized
as our culture? Imagine what that reality would do us as a church? Imagine how
we could begin to fight and squabble with each other, all the time? Imagine how
in doing that, we could lose Jesus Christ in the process?
In
President George Washington’s Farewell Address, he discussed political parties.
This is what President Washington said, “However
[political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in
the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning,
ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the
people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying
afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion” (http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/washing.asp).
George Washington, the first present of our country, warned in his farewell address,
to not form political parties. He said, they would destroy us. Luckily he was
wrong right!
Some churches however, are quite political. Some churches
have always been somewhat political, but in this present era, we seem to have more
churches in my opinion, that are very political. Some churches in the present
era formally endorse a candidate for president. Some churches identify as being
on the far right politically, or the far left politically. Yet if we are trying
to build a church for everyone, how can we do that when everyone is not
welcomed? How can we do that when only some are welcomed, based upon in this
case, there politics?
Now as I said, we have some politics in the church, and we will
always will. What I am proposing however, is that if the church becomes highly embroiled
in politics, we could very well pay a high price for it. Some churches in this
category, have lost a lot of church members, and sometimes fighting and arguing
has ensued. Yet our mission as a United Methodist Church is to first foremost, “To
Make disciples of Jesus Christ, for the transformation of the world.” This
means that as a church, we need to be focused on Jesus Christ.
Instead of the culture changing the church then, the church
is charged with changing the culture. We as the church should create a model
for how we as Christians, and all people, can live together, while having political
differences. For in this church we have some Democrats and some Republicans, some
people with other party affiliations, or some with none, yet we all love each
other, don’t we.
Well in modeling this sermon for this morning, in part, from
our reading from the Book of James, let’s look at that scripture. The reading
begins by saying, “Are any of you wise and understanding? Show that your
actions are good with a humble lifestyle that comes from wisdom” (James 3:13,
CEB). It is hard to do this though, when we are completely politically divided,
and are fighting.
The Book of James goes on to say, “However, if you have
bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, then stop bragging and
living in ways that deny the truth” (James 3:14, CEB). Politics my brothers and
sisters, can destroy us.
The Book of James then says, “This is not the wisdom that
comes down from above. Instead, it is from the earth, natural and demonic.
Wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and everything
that it is evil” (James 3:15-16, CEB).
The Book of James reading then says, “What of the wisdom
from above? First, it is pure, and then peaceful, gentle, obedient, filled with
mercy and good actions, fair, and genuine. Those who make peace sow the seeds
of justice by their peaceful acts” (James 3:17-18, CEB). So we are called to
justice, but how do we accomplish that justice? How political, do we make the
church? Can politics destroy the church?
Now the next verses from this Book of James reading are
somewhat piercing for me. They say, “What is the source of conflict among you?
What is the source of your disputes? Don’t they come from your cravings that
are at war in your own lives? You long for something you don’t have, so you commit
murder. You are jealous for something you can’t get, so you struggle and fight”
(James 4:1-2b, CEB).
The Book of James reading then says, “You don’t have
because you don’t ask. You ask and don’t have because you ask with evil
intentions, to waste it on your own cravings” (James 4:2c-3, CEB).
The Book of James reading then concludes by saying, “Therefore,
submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you. Come near to
God, and he will come near to you” (James 4:7-8a, CEB).
So brothers and sisters, “Politics in the Pulpit.” How do
we handle such things? How do we address social, economic, and political
issues, without talking about them? Well, I think we do need to talk about them,
but I also think that we need to be careful that our own agendas, that own ambitions,
and that our own desires don’t take over the church. While the church is about
Jesus Christ, and while the church is called to change the world, while it’s
called to do justice, many of us are called by God to do this differently.
Many of us are concerned about issues like the economy, the
lack of high paying jobs, the cost of college education, high taxes, terrorist
groups like ISIS, our national defense, and etc. and etc. Where we disagree
though, is over how to address these particular issues and problems. When the
church then takes a strong stand one side, they can in effect isolate those
good and loving people, who see things differently.
If we truly have a church that loves and accepts all
people, that means we have to love and accept people with different beliefs.
Otherwise, we will have a church that is “Hijacked.”
In the book “Hijacked: Responding to the Partisan Church
Divide,” written by Rev. Mike Slaughter, and Rev. Charles E. Gutenson, this
issue of politically polarized churches is discussed. In this book the authors
say this about the church, “As followers of Jesus we are not to define nor are
we to divide ourselves according to the ideologies and platforms of Caesar. The
two extremes of rigid conservative and relativistic liberalism can destroy
Christ’s mission in the world though his church” (Hijacked, 31).
The authors of this book then say this about “Politics in
the Pulpit.” They say, “Unity in Christ will not mean an end to differences.
The Democrats and Republicans in our pews will still disagree over the issues and
people governing our nation. But if our common mission as disciples takes
precedence over our partisan political views, we can live and work for good
peaceable together in Jesus’ name” (Hijacked, 108).
In the Gospel of Mark reading from this morning, Jesus
said, “Whoever welcomes one of these children in my name welcomes me; and
whoever welcomes me isn’t actually welcoming me but rather the one who sent me”
(Mark 9:37, CEB). Jesus didn’t say Republican children, or Democrat children.
Instead, he just said children. We have to love all people, while still having
our differences.
So with this said, I am going to be really political for a
minute and talk about Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders. Recently, Bernie
Sanders, who is a senator from the State of Vermont, and a presidential
candidate, went to speak at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Now for
those of you that don’t know, Liberty University is an extremely conservative
and evangelical Christian University. Yet they asked the democratic-socialist,
Bernie Sanders to speak there. When I first heard this, I was perplexed that
Liberty University would ask Bernie Sanders to come speak to the University, as
Mr. Sanders has vastly different political views than much of the University.
To me, it would be the equivalency of Hillary Clinton being asked to speak at
an NRA event.
So I watched Bernie Sander’s speech at Liberty University. Bernie
Sanders, a Jew, a democratic-socialist, quoted the Book of Amos, and the Gospel
of Matthew. He then passionately talked about how Christians and all people
should treat each other. He talked about our moral and ethical responsibilities
to one another. After he was done, one of the leaders of Liberty University
then offered to pray for him, his family, and his campaign. Now I am quite
confident that much of that university will not plan on voting for Mr. Sanders.
Yet common ground was found. People heard him, and received him. A conversation
was had.
Further, I don’t believe that it is always bad when politics
invade the pulpit. Examples of this, where when women were pushing for the right
to vote in the early 1900’s, or when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pushed for
civil rights for African Americans. Is “Politics in the Pulpit,” always wrong
then? No, I don’t think so? Yet I think that the church should follow God’s
leading around “Politics in the Pulpit.” We need to be very careful about “Politics
in the Pulpit.”
I would like to close this morning with a comparison.
Specifically, I want to talk about the faiths of two specific American
presidents. While I am doing this, I would ask that you try to look at these
two men as people, not as a Republican or a Democrat.
The first president that I want to talk about is President
Jimmy Carter. Jimmy Carter, I would argue is probably one of the most devote
Christian Presidents that we ever had. Did and do everyone agree with his
politics and his social views? No, some differ. Can we argue though, that
President Jimmy Carter isn’t a devout follower of Jesus Christ? Can we deny all
he has done with Habitat for Humanity, for peace in the Middle East, and in general?
We might not think that he was a great president, but do we honestly doubt his
faith?
The next president that I want to talk about is President
Ronald Reagan. A president who was vastly different than President Jimmy
Carter. Yet Ronald Reagan often talked about his faith. We have scores of speeches,
whether video or text, where Ronald Reagan talks about his faith in God. Now in
the same way, you might not think that Ronald Reagan was a great president. You
might not have liked Ronald Reagan’s politics, but can you say that he didn’t
believe in Jesus Christ? That he didn’t have faith in God?
I give these two examples of United States presidents, to
make this point, there are Christians on all sides of the political map. We
might debate with them, and ask them how on earth they could hold the social
view that they do? Yet, can we deny that there are Christians on all sides of
the political map?
I believe that if a church is moved by the Holy Spirit to
so, they can get political, as it has worked in the past. It worked to end
slavery, it worked to get women the right to vote, it worked to get civil
rights, but I still think that “Politics in the Pulpit” is something that we
should take very seriously.
What I try to do then, is constantly look at the mission of
the United Methodist Church, which again says, “To Make disciples of Jesus
Christ, for the transformation of the world.” First and foremost then, I think
we need to make sure that we are focusing on Jesus Christ. If politics then coincide
with Jesus Christ, then that can work, but may the God Lord help us if our churches
ever become politically divided, divisive, and “Hijacked.” “Politics in the
Pulpit” is something then that we should always consider through a lens of
Jesus Christ. The one who died for everyone, with no exceptions. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment