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Sunday "Religion and Politics: Wrestling with the Snake" Hebrews 5:7-10 Mark 10:35-45 |
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While visiting a parishioner last week, I was told “I love your sermons. But please stay away from politics.” That was on my mind when I read a recent article by Garrison Keillor. After the passage of the President’s revised anti-terror legislation, he penned a blistering attack entitled “A Shameful Retreat from American Values.” Keillor writes:
If the government can round up someone and never be required to explain why, then it's no longer the United States of America as you and I always understood it. Our enemies have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. They have made us become like them.
I got some insight last week into who supports torture when I went down to Dallas to speak at Highland Park Methodist Church. It was spooky. I walked in, was met by two burly security men with walkie-talkies, and within 10 minutes was told by three people that this was the Bushes' church and that it would be better if I didn't talk about politics. I was there on a book tour for "Homegrown Democrat," but they thought it better if I didn't mention it. So I tried to make light of it: I told the audience, "I don't need to talk politics. I have no need even to be interested in politics -- I'm a citizen, I have plenty of money and my grandsons are at least 12 years away from being eligible for military service." And the audience applauded! Those were their sentiments exactly. We've got ours, and who cares?...If you can't trust a Methodist with absolute power to arrest people and not have to say why, then whom can you trust?
Mahatma Gandhi wrote:
For me, politics bereft of religion are absolute dirt, ever to be shunned. Politics concern nations and that which concerns the welfare of nations must be one of the concerns of a man who is religiously inclined, in other words, a seeker after God and Truth. For me, God and Truth are convertible terms, and if anyone told me that God was a god of untruth or a god of torture, I would decline to worship Him. Therefore, in politics also we have to establish the kingdom of Heaven…The politician in me has never dominated a single decision of mine, and if I seem to take part in politics, it is only because politics encircle us today like the coil of a snake from which one cannot get out, no matter how much one tries. I wish, therefore, to wrestle with the snake…
Gandhi became the embodiment of the dynamic inter-action of religion and politics in the twentieth century. In some ways he succeeded brilliantly; and in other ways he failed, such as having to accept the partition of India and Pakistan. And, as has been pointed out, his struggles on behalf of the poor and oppressed, at least in his days in South Africa, were very selective – notably for his not including black Africans in his efforts. So his life represents the successes, failures, risks, ambiguities, and even blind-spots that confront those who seek to put religious faith and political action into dialogue. But Gandhi was right – whether we like it or not, politics encircles us like the coils of a snake and therefore has to be taken seriously. Let me make a couple of points.
First, politics and religion, especially in worship do make us uncomfortable. Religion is somehow about finding at least a few minutes of peace and centeredness with God. Worship is about letting go of the worries that beset our daily lives. Religion is about stressing what unites us, not divides us. Church should be a place where people, who in other settings might be passionately arguing some political position, are encouraged to lay their differences at the door, and find the grace to simply be at peace with one another. We come here to find peace and not to be upset. At the heart of religion is reconciliation and understanding and accepting the peace that Jesus has brought us, for he has broken down the dividing wall of hostility. This yearning for religion as a comfort zone and worship as a time of recharging is certainly understandable.But the problem is that religion really isn’t, in the end, about comfort. It is about being awake, becoming aware. The goal of our dominant culture is to keep us all asleep. We are encouraged to sit endlessly glued to a TV or PC, we drink too much, eat too much, engage in non-stop shopping, fret about the details of endless projects, and worry constantly. We are an obsessive-compulsive society. The false gods are determined to keep our eyes off the ball. But the goal of true religion is to keep us awake, alive, and aware of what is happening at any moment, how we feel about it, and how God feels about it. Where is the ball? As biblical people, being alive means an awareness of our inter-connectedness, alert to injustice and exclusion, sin that is both personal and social. To be awake means is to be aware that the coils of the snake of politics are wrapped around you, whether you like it or not. Either you ignore it or you wrestle with it.
Second, mixing religion and politics, always carries the danger of not getting it right. Whether you are of the political left, political right, or political center – it is very risky to claim God’s blessing on your party, candidate, or political agenda. In this, our United States Constitution and the doctrine of the separation of church and state play a vitally important role. The Rev. Barry Lynn, a UCC minister who directs Americans United for Separation of Church and State has for years served as a watchdog on attempts to breach that barrier. Any religious non-profit organization risks losing its tax exempt status if particular candidates are endorsed from the pulpit or in the official publications of the organization, or seemingly preferential treatment is given to any party or organization that uses its space. This is the way it should be. The leadership of this congregation, I can assure you, pays very close attention to this – by keeping abreast of the law and making sure our policies and procedures are in accord.At the same time, since the founding of our republic and before, the churches have been centers for political discourse and dialogue, including strong prophetic pronouncements in the pulpit. I have a special place in my heart for the founding pastor of the Norwich Congregational Church in Vermont where I served. The Rev. Peter Powers was chased all over northern New England by British soldiers during the Revolutionary War. There was a price on his head for preaching that King George III was the Anti-Christ. They never caught him.
Today preachers and congregations cannot be legally prevented from speaking out on issues. But even so, when we do, we are wrestling with the coils of the snake. There is a potential for division and misunderstanding and hurt. Such preaching and activities do test the limits of a community to live with the discomfort of disagreement. There is no easy answer. And we must remember that political solutions are always partial solutions. Politics is always about power and who gets it and who loses it. When Jesus says to James and John that they should not be like the Gentiles, he was really saying, don’t practice your faith like worldly politics are practiced. Last week, David Kuo, a religious evangelical who served as deputy-director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, published a book in which he states that religious conservatives have been hood-winked by the political agenda of the current administration. Instead of becoming a vast “army of the compassionate,” they have been used to further other agendas. Kuo says:I feel a pressing spiritual need to say what I think is important. And I really think that what is important is to be able to warn Christians about politics, because they’re being used, and it will not answer the problems, and it corrupts the name of the god we’re trying to serve.
Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven can never be reduced to the goals of the party precinct worker. But still, the overall vision of Jesus and the Kingdom, must somehow always be present in our minds as we address local and national issues. That vision is one of justice, peace, compassion, and inclusion. Those goals can never be fully embodied in any set of projects or policies. And yet, at the same time, the Kingdom will never become a reality unless it comes project by project, policy by policy. And that, in my view, leaves us with no choice but to keep our eyes on the ball and wrestle with the snake of politics – wisely and carefully.
And, finally, what about the character and quality of our elected officials and those who run for office? Do we simply quote Abraham Lincoln who said, “You can’t dip clear water out of a muddy stream”? Or are there standards that go beyond partisan politics and religious sectarianism? Remember Gene Autry, the Singing Cowboy? He advocated something called the “Cowboy Code” (sometimes called the “Cowboy Commandments”). This code has gone through a number of versions to make them more gender inclusive and gun-centered. But somehow the original version speaks to me. On reflection, I think they make pretty good rules, especially for our male leaders and candidates to consider. Here they are:1. The Cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage.
2. He must never go back on his word, or a trust confided in him.
3. He must always tell the truth.
4. He must be gentle with children, the elderly, and animals.
5. He must not advocate or possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas.
6. He must help people in distress.
7. He must be a good worker.
8. He must keep himself clean in thought, speech, action, and personal habits.
9. He must respect women, parents, and his nation's laws.
10. The Cowboy is a patriot.
Not such bad rules for leaders to live by in a dangerous world.
AMEN.
