From Pastor Gordon: I worked with Pastor Jill and Pastor Beth in writing this article and we are signing it together, as this message is one we all want to share with you.
In April of this year I wrote this in my and finally article, mindful of the upcoming election:
“To be a church is to be a very political place, but is not to be a partisan place. I reject any characterization of faith as non-political, since gospel issues of justice, compassion and peace have much to do with how political power is carried out. But I also reject the idea that faith is explicitly linked to or against a particular party or politician. It is both the challenge and the responsibility of a Christian community to engage the political realm passionately while not engaging in partisan divisions. This is not always easy, but it is always essential.”
It is after the November 8 election now, and I believe those words more strongly than ever. Here’s why.
I am writing this on December 11 having just attended a community forum sponsored by the Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance with Hope Church as a supporting partner of the event. Many Hope Church members were there including Pastor Beth and Pastor Jill. This was a fairly quickly organized event, but about 250 people showed up on a frigid Tuesday evening, packing into Herrick Library to learn about and organize around community issues: the environment, religious tolerance, racial justice, LGBTQ issues, immigration and refugees, women’s rights, school bullying and hate crimes. I do not want to be coy: it was clear that many of those present were concerned about the election, and the issues addressed were seen as areas put at risk by the political climate put forward by the election result. But what I experienced at the gathering was not a partisan spirit or mean-spiritedness, but rather a strong desire to be politically involved and engaged constructively in our community. And even more to the point, I heard from many a fervent desire for people of faith to be engaged in the political process.
- I heard a mom from Zeeland (born and raised there) who is a Muslim, and she pleaded for those who are Christians to use their citizenship and their congregations to influence the political process toward laws and policies that promote religious acceptance and freedom.
- I heard from non-white residents who asked white Christians to use their individual and congregational influence to steer the political landscape toward recognizing bias and implementing justice.
- I heard from people who experience the church as being unconcerned with the poor, uninterested in speaking against injustice, intolerant of other religions and unwilling to face racial prejudice; and I heard a deep desire for the church to prove them wrong.
- I heard from neighbors who are LGBTQ that there is a need for religious communities to advocate for laws that protect and promote their rights, since Christian influence is often used in the political realm instead as a means to marginalize LGBTQ people.
- I heard about residents who are immigrants, people in our workplaces and schools and neighborhoods, who want a chance to be considered with dignity and fairness, rather than demonized or devalued.
- I heard the need for religious communities to be involved in protecting and caring for God’s creation.
- I heard stories of people threatened and harassed due to religious, ethnic and social bias, and the need for people of faith to shape laws and institutions that promote diversity within a thriving community.
All of these are matters of politics. All of these are matters of faith. It is part of our challenge as a community of faith in this political season to discern how to carry out our faith in ways that brings our values of justice, reconciliation and unity into the political realm, both individually and as a congregation.
I’ve promised to keep you updated on my Doctor of Ministry courses at McCormick Seminary in Chicago. Part of my current reading addresses the reality that Protestant, primarily white, primarily middle-class, congregations (that sounds a lot like Hope Church!) tend to shy away from political issues and emphasize a more private expression of faith. Why? Because they can, as many of the issues affect them less directly. I believe that Hope Church is called beyond simply our own interests toward a solidarity with those who are impacted more directly by the political, economic and social powers of our community. This solidarity takes us into turbulent political waters, but a faithful course is guided by this deep rudder: “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” Our community is asking us to engage in the political issues we face, and by God’s grace we look forward to Hope Church navigating a faithful course together.
~Pastor Gordon, Pastor Jill, & Pastor Beth