Ponderings

For the next month, there is one place safe from the fray, your local 12 Step group. The 10th Tradition in AA (and all of the related groups) is a clear mandate to steer clear: “Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.” Refusing to enter the debate, refusing to entertain even a sharing of perspectives, local groups are able to remain safe space for everyone and focus on the business of healing.

The welcome reprieve of such safe space leaves me wondering about the role of the church. Last weekend churches in 20 states participated in an event organized by the Alliance Defense Fund called “Freedom in the Pulpit” in which their pastors delivered sermons admonishing votes for particular candidates. The event was intended to highlight their opposition to the 1954 law that links a church’s tax exempt status to their neutrality regarding political candidates. Churches can of course discuss issues without jeopardizing their tax status, and many ministers use the pulpit to endorse issues that are candidate specific.

Most of us abhor the notion that any pastor would deign to claim God’s choice during an election. It is therefore tempting to suggest that the church, like our 12 step programs, ought to steer clear of politics. Unfortunately, I am not convinced that our mission allows us that choice. Though not overtly partisan, the gospel is inherently political. Invariably those who are serious about following Jesus find themselves immersed in the issues of the day. As our culture wars have raged, the neutrality of the church has crumbled and the role of the church using pivotal wedge issues cannot be underestimated.

Our mission at Evangelical UCC is: “Following the God made known in the life and teachings of Jesus, we gather as an Open and Affirming community, to worship, learn and serve.” Committed to being Open and Affirming, we cannot turn a deaf ear to the cries for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage (found in the Republican Party Platform). Gathered to worship, learn and serve, we cannot turn a blind eye to the urban battlefields of our abandoned drug war in the name of being “tough on crime” (found in the Democratic Party Platform). Believing Jesus, we cannot pretend that any candidate or party or even nation-state is divine. To embody our mission is to have conversations that engage the issues of our current day, conversations that foster the dawning of the God’s peace and justice.

As we enter these waters, we are wise to be cautious. The undertow is strong and the current rapid. We are tempted to stay on the shore or cling to that which appears to be buoyant. Wedge issues appear deceptively like life boats, but beware. Their sharp edges gouge with wicked fury. If we decide to play in the water, we should do so with intentionality and humility. Perhaps if we remember no other commandments, we would do well to repeat the first one daily: “You shall have no other Gods.” Certainly elephants and donkeys are idols that have no place in our churches. But beyond the idols, a life of faith is lived in a real world that calls us into voting booths on November 4th. Gathered as a community, we need to practice talking about what these means for our faith.

Before coming to church, though, we might want to attend a 12 Step meeting.