i got to go hear Obama speak during the primaries. i have to admit, i was surely taken by him and still feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand when he speaks of hope and change.
however....
i have had a new revelation in my life about politics and being a pastor. i have people around me who are really passionate about Obama and about McCain. i think that's great, i love hearing them talk and voice their heart about their candidate. but as a pastor i feel its very dangerous to tow ANY line. i heard someone say the other day that they like Obama, then someone else at the institution in which i work yelled out, "i hate that guy, if he's elected, that's the worst thing that could happen." hate.
hate.
really? i hear pastors do the same thing, they get so passionate about who they are backing and they at some times, go overboard.
so what happens when their candidate loses?
do you have to swallow your words?
do you have to make excuses?
do you look foolish?
do you have to start supporting that which you adamantly spoke out against?
maybe its just our jobs as pastors to support and love and be there for people. if they have to pay higher taxes, if their sons and daughters go to war, if they get poor medical aid...whatever...its my job to be there in the midst of whatever else is going on and love people and show them Jesus.
so for this guy...for this pastor...i bow out. i know who i like and will talk about it to my wife and close friends....but other than that....i don't have a pick.
3 comments:
I've been wrestling with this issue throughout this election. I think pastor's need to be VERY careful - it is definitely an ethical (and legal) problem to endorse any candidate from my position as a pastor. But of course I do discuss my thoughts and feelings with friends - even a few in my church, although not many - but they know me well enough to separate my views from my position as a pastor.
At the same time, when you list issues like taxes, war and medical care, I'm not sure that we can say "whatever". Poverty, war, and the way we care for others are issues that God seems concerned about in the Bible - so how can we not be concerned about them? How can we not talk about them in church? So the balance I'm trying to find is how to talk about those issues from a biblical perspective - realizing that they are highly politicized issues today, and that Christians will come to different political conclusions. But I can't abdicate talking about such issues when I believe the Bible has something to say about them, and that it is my responsibility to help the people in my congregation think biblically about all areas of life. But I'll admit that its hard to do without getting too "political", and I'm still not completely sure how to go about it.
sell out
your lucky. I can't avoid discussion on political views. I hate it. I have never been big on politics. I feel like its just stoking an already burning fire. I think it is great to have a view and belief that you are steadfast on. When it gets to the point where you are being upfront and enforcing your beliefs on someone else, its just all bullshit. I have seen this pretty regularly, my parents (business owners) favor the republican views because it is what is best for their business, however my Aunt and Uncle favor the democrat side because they are both editors of a large news paper. The media plays up the liberal side more. My father often gets into arguments with my Aunt who is die-hard liberal, and she always tries to point everything into making us vote democrat. I hate politics because I have witnessed dinners completely ruined by these arguments, its terrible to watch a family ripped up because of something in the end they don't have a say over, its the electoral college that has the final say. I just hate it now because I come from a republican home where we like our taxes not being raised for the middle class, we like paying for our privet health care, and we LOVE our guns hehe, and now I am in a very liberal school where almost every one of my teachers talks about politics. They try to give positive and negative views of both candidates but it really is dominant democrat, and I believe that is because it represents their views the most.
I guess I say your lucky, maybe you want to talk about it, I just don't really care what everyone else's stance is on politics. I think that its a personal decision and it should be influenced by what you want.
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