Politics in the Pulpit: Pastor, are you Listening?

Should the public messaging of Christians include politics? That’s the question I’d like to put on the table, not just for others, but for me.

I’m not officially a pastor, but I lead a ministry flock. And I show up in the world as a faith- and biblically-based teacher of mental and spiritual health. I try to speak to relevant issues without becoming politically partisan. I want to lift up Jesus. I want Him to draw us gently past the walls that divide us. I know that this world’s problems will not be solved by politics, but God. Still, we must face the problems and do our best to influence society toward justice and peace. So, I teach moral and spiritual principles, hoping to be salt in the earth.

In the great commission, Jesus commanded believers to make disciples, “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20, NIV). Moral teaching is part of preaching the gospel to the world. This necessitates making clear moral statements on hotly debated issues across the political spectrum such as gay marriage, abortion, transgenderism, the treatment of foreigners, racism, and law and order. We should avoid preaching political things, but we may be called to preach things that have been politicized.

We should render to Caesar the things that are Ceasar’s—the secular, civic authority—and to God the things that are God’s—Who is our spiritual authority. We should cooperate and comply where possible unless it violates our conscience. Then, we must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).

Our Appeal to Preachers

Some of us vote left, others vote right, others weave back and forth, and still others don’t even vote. We’re a varied mix. What would us pew-sitting, church-attending, Jesus-followers like to say to preachers about politics in the pulpit? I thought of the following. Tell me what you’d add.

Lift up Jesus. We come hungry, grasping for something to sustain us. We come broken, hoping for a healing touch. We come lonely, hoping for a warm embrace. We come confused, hoping for clarity. You can’t provide these things, but Jesus can. Lift Him up.

Be fair and balanced. For example, enjoin compassionate treatment of immigrants (a mostly left-wing concern) while still acknowledging the need for law and order in immigration (a mostly right-wing concern). Moral principles cross party lines.

Talk to us. Preach to your congregation, not to your president in front of your congregation. They’re listening. He’s not. The pulpit is not a place from which you broadcast your position or opinion, but a sacred space from which you feed the flock.

Virtue signal for Jesus. Armchair social justice warriors abound. Even if God calls us to sound off on human rights issues, we must watch our hearts, lest they be caught up in scoring points with our peers on social media.

Give us action steps. We’re all trying to untangle our feet from the thicket of moral dilemmas. Help us! Tell us how we can help a man seeking to immigrate to our beautiful country, a woman in a crisis pregnancy, a minority person suffering racism at work, or a mother trying to decide whether to attend her daughter’s wedding to a woman.

Preach the truth. Media stories are very slanted. The more dramatic the story, the more likely it has been sensationalized. This is especially true when addressing a controversy. The algorithms want to keep our emotions at a high pitch because anger, hate, and strife are good for business. We get bias all week. Give us a break from that.

I end with this quote from an inspired pen, written many years ago.

“Those teachers in the church or in the school who distinguish themselves by their zeal in politics, should be relieved of their work and responsibilities without delay; for the Lord will not cooperate with them. The tithe should not be used to pay any one for speechifying on political questions. Every teacher, minister, or leader in our ranks who is stirred with a desire to ventilate his opinions on political questions, should be converted by a belief in the truth, or give up his work. His influence must tell as a laborer together with God in winning souls to Christ, or his credentials must be taken from him. If he does not change, he will do harm, and only harm.” Gospel Workers, p. 393

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