I’m sure many of you are losing sleep trying discern how to navigate these unprecedented times in our country. Our President has ushered in a level of public rhetoric that is vitriolic and hateful. Any argument for moral leadership has been lost and the cascading impact of his words are catalyzing a frenzy of support leading to public chants that are antithetical to the gospel (not to mention the values of the United States). History tells us that this kind of language normalized by those representing a diverse population leads to destructive ends…especially to minorities and the most vulnerable.
And, in the midst of it all, you may have elder boards, congregants and donors who are likely more committed to partisan fidelity than fidelity to the Kingdom inaugurated and embodied in Jesus. The stakes are high. Which is why how we lead in this moment is so critical…not to our partisan politics, but our collective witness as the Church.
I’ve met, led alongside and taught in your pulpits and lecture halls for most of my adult life. You’ve resonated with and celebrated a message I often share about the need to disciple our communities toward an unwavering allegiance to the Kingdom of God (and it’s values) above and beyond any kind of allegiance to our nation-state. And also to take seriously our responsibility to leverage our citizenship in the United States on behalf of those on the underside of power. We must embrace a conflicted allegiance.
It’s one thing to agree with this message, it’s a whole other to live into it with our actions and words.
What is our invitation in this moment?
I’m not inviting you to be partisan, but I am inviting you to be political. The Greek word “polis” can simply be defined as “the ordering of society.” Jesus was NOT partisan, but everything about his teachings, life, death and resurrection was political. It was about ordering society in light of the Kingdom of God. A kingdom where the first will be last and the last first. Where there are no longer lines of exclusion based on religiosity. Where one’s hope isn’t found in the empire/nation-state, but in the resurrected Jesus. Our country is becoming increasing dis-ordered and we can’t collectively stick our heads in the sand to appease elder boards, donors or family members.
The term “Christian” in the United States has been compromised by pseudo leaders hungry for power propagating a campaign of fear. We need to stop inviting our congregants to be this kind of “Christian” and invite them to follow Jesus.
What does that look like?
- An uncompromised allegiance to the kingdom of God. Not a partisan politic.
- Lives that reflect the Fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control)
Few things can intoxicate and inoculate Christians like partisan politics driven by fear and a hunger for power. It’s time to disciple our communities in the way of Jesus over and beyond the ways they are discipled nightly by Fox News and MSNBC. It’s time to give your community footholds for navigating this complex and costly moment. It’s time we liberate our collective energies for the work of seeking justice, caring for the vulnerable, walking humbling before God (and neighbor) and participating in God’s mission of restoration.
While this is a critical moment of retaining our faithful witness in the face of hatred, it is not unique to the history of the Church. Whether the early church in Rome, the radical reformers of the 16th century, the church in Nazi Germany (think Bonhoeffer) or the church standing against racism with Dr. King in the civil rights era, we have worthy shoulders to stand on as tangible guides.
With the prophets of old, we pray, “Wake up, O Sleeper!” “Rise up! Rise up!” (Isaiah 51/52)
You are leaders. We are in it together. It’s time we lead as part of an alternative economy.
An economy outlined on a hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee and embodied on a cross at the hands of a compromised, nationalistic religion.
This isn’t the end. In fact, it’s likely just the beginning. We can’t be silent. We can’t be held captive to success metrics of attendance and funding. May we have the hard conversations with those of influence. May we stand with our neighbors on the receiving end of the rhetoric. May we create environments where dissent isn’t demonized, but learned from and listened to. May we leverage the influence we’ve been given for the benefit of the vulnerable. May we transcend the toxic binaries of “left” and “right.” May we follow the Jesus we talk about and invite our communities to do the same.
We don’t need to all agree on every policy, but I pray we can agree on our shared hope and give everything we’ve got to make it real in our conflicted world.
Your voice matters. Your actions matter. Your leadership matters.
Let’s get to it together.