ON HOW THE CHURCH IS POLITICAL

My Top 3

In the midst of another presidential election season, I have been wondering of late what it truly means for the church to be a political alternative to the world. How does the church as alternative look in the midst of the rough-and-tumble of election year politics. In this post, the reader will no doubt see that I do not have it figured out by any stretch of the imagination, so I will be long on the problem and short on the answers; but I do not think most Christians on the political scene have this figured out either. So, with few answers and an arsenal filled with critique, allow me to think out loud and hopefully not ramble too much.

By way of setting the context, I must reveal where I stand, at the moment, on the candidates and the two “Christian” options that appear to be given to those of us who follow Jesus.

First, I greatly respect both Senators McCain and Obama. I think that they are good and decent men who desire what is best for the country. I know that neither man is perfect. Each has made decisions and statements for the sake of political expediency, each man has his imperfections; and each man has views with which I agree and with which I do not. As I have said in previous posts, it is arrogant to attack someone’s character because his or her politics does not line up with mine. I try my best not to attach ulterior motives to either candidate. I will leave that to the partisan hacks on both extremes.

Second, I also have great respect for those on so-called “Religious Right” and the “Religious Left.” I believe that by-and-large they want what is best for the church community and the country as a whole. There is no doubt that the “Religious Right” has had its shortcomings and has rightly deserved a fair amount of the harsh critique it has received. At the same time, however, the “Right” has not been entirely wrong in its politics and has furthered the discussion in a way that is difficult to comprehend without their presence. One wonders if the so-called “Religious Left” could now be involved in the political realm in the way that it is without the trailblazing of the “Religious Right.”

This leads me to the so-called “Religious Left,” who avoid the term because they want to appear as truly being an alternative to the politics of the nation-state; but like the “Religious Right” one can rightly wonder if they can be such an alternative, when it is clear they line up, for the most part, with the Democratic Party. I must confess that as I have read and reflected on the views of the Religious Left, there is no doubt that they offer an alternative to the “Religious Right,” but it is by no means clear that they offer a kind of politics that can faithfully embody that polity known as “Church.” Nevertheless, they are not wrong on everything, and they have highlighted important issues that have been neglected by the “Religious Right.”