conjectural navel gazing; jesus in lint form

political pulpit?

This quote makes all the difference.

Lowe said he usually votes Democratic, while his wife votes Republican. But Chandler "says my political views support abortion and homosexuality, therefore that would be enough to turn me out of the church," Lowe said. "I am not -- positively not -- for either one."

Many have been following the story about the NC pastor who expelled members of his congregation for not voting for Bush. You can go to Cliff's blog (here, here and here) or Justin's for more ideas or opinions. I think this case is very important. It speaks to the varying ways that Christians of the same mindset and opinion on one issue (Two? Homosexuality and abortion are mentioned in the quote.) can differ on others. This difference may compel the casting of a different vote come November. How we Christians prioritize our concerns matters greatly.

I think the good pastor in North Carolina forgot that for a moment and has generated no end of grief for himself. It troubles me on many levels. Let me say that I do not know this man's thinking and can only speculate what he envisioned or desired. So, as a good Baptist myself, I will only speak of my own experience.

When I stood before the congregation at North Shore to seek approval for ordination, many people asked me difficult theological questions. One question was this: "Will you preach politics from the pulpit?" Now, in the North Shore context, this means a lot of things. In my time there I did rattle some cages about our nation's participation in the war with Iraq. I am a pacifist. This does not make me particularly popular some Sundays at North Shore, but they understand that there are differing opinions about the issue of Christian non-violence. So, I preach what I preach, they think what they think, and all of us can come back and depend upon one another when our lives fall apart. As long at the congregation knows the pastor will be there when the %$@* hits the fan, they will allow you to say pretty much anything in the pulpit. This suggests a great deal of trust between pastror and congregation.

My answer to the question was this: "I will not back a candidate and preach that platform from the pulpit. I will, however, share how my faith informs my understanding of how our nation behaves. But I would never use the pulpit to back a particular person or party. Nor would I judge you for voting differently than I do." (Loverly paraphrasing.)

This was an honest answer and what they wanted to hear. I have been in a congregation where an openly homosexual person voted Republican. Why? He was a retired Navy officer, not a pacifist. If he can vote for W because of his own personal prioritizing of issues, why cannot I, a pro-life (modified ala Sojourners) Christian vote for Kerry? Why cannot our friends in North Carolina speak to the same political complications? This I simply do not know.

I think that the pastor broke a sacred trust by being as specific as he was. He probably would have had a much better reception if he had challenged people to reprioritize their political issues to put abortion at the top. This may have even been his intent, but instead it appears that he made an idol of W. Not good.

Here is the full article from the American Baptist Press.

N.C. church removes members for political views, deacon says

By Steve DeVane and Greg Warner

WAYNESVILLE, N.C. (ABP) -- A Baptist deacon says he and eight other
members of a North Carolina church were removed from membership because they disagreed with the pastor's political views.

Frank Lowe said he had been a member of the 400-member East Waynesville Baptist Church for 43 years before he and the others were voted out May 3 for not agreeing with the conservative political views of pastor Chan Chandler.

In October, one month prior to the November 2004 presidential election, Chandler announced in a sermon that anyone who was supporting John Kerry should repent or resign from the church, Lowe said, and then the pastor offered to hold the door for them to leave.

The controversy at the church reached a climax Monday, May 2, when the pastor invited all church members to a deacons meeting. At the beginning of the meeting, according to Lowe, the pastor said anyone who didn't agree with his political views should leave the meeting.

Lowe said he and eight others, including his wife, Thelma, left. The
pastor then called the church into a business session and the congregation voted to terminate the memberships of those who left, Lowe said. Among those dismissed were three deacons, he said.

The pastor's apparent endorsement of a candidate for president prior to an election could endanger East Waynesville's tax-exempt status. Federal law prevents churches and other charities organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the tax code from officially endorsing political candidates or parties.

Chandler, the pastor, could not be reached for comment. WLOS-TV in
nearby Asheville reported that Chandler declined an interview but said "the actions were not politically motivated."

Janet Webb, a church member who was at the meeting, declined to say what happened during the meeting but said that Chandler is "a man of God who only preaches against sin and to win people to Jesus Christ."

Lowe said he usually votes Democratic, while his wife votes Republican. But Chandler "says my political views support abortion and homosexuality, therefore that would be enough to turn me out of the church," Lowe said. "I am not -- positively not -- for either one."

If indeed Chandler's pulpit statement was made before the November
election and did not indicate he was speaking only for himself, it would be a "pretty clear" violation of Internal Revenue Service rules against political endorsements by churches, said Brent Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. That could lead the IRS to revoke East Waynesville Baptist Church's tax-exempt status.

Ralph Neas, president of the People for the American Way Foundation,
called the report about the church's actions "terribly sad." "What have we come to when the doors of a church are closed to longtime members because of their political beliefs, when a pastor equates political support for the 'wrong' candidate with a sin before God?" he asked in a statement.

"Men and women of faith have every right to advocate for their political beliefs," Neas continued. "While churches, of course, can set their own membership standards, no one should punish people of faith for their political beliefs."

A North Carolina congressman has introduced legislation that would lift restrictions on political speech in churches. The Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act, introduced by Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), is supported by many conservative Christian groups but opposed by supporters of church-state separation.

Walker of the Baptist Joint Committee said the Waynesville church
controversy "is why so many organizations are opposed to the Jones bill, because it would be so divisive -- our churches becoming 'red' churches and 'blue' churches and dividing along party lines," referring to the color designations used for political parties.

Lowe said he and his wife have been invited to other churches since the May 2 meeting. He expects they'll start attending somewhere else but wouldn't rule out an effort to "retake" the church.

Another church member, Selma Morris, said she believes the vote to
remove the members isn't valid because the church bylaws weren't
followed. The bylaws say a called meeting should be announced on Sunday morning. The meeting Monday was announced at the Sunday evening service, she said.

The bylaws also say a called meeting should be held two weeks after the announcement, according to Morris. The meeting was held the next night.

Morris said she wasn't at the meeting, but would have walked out with
the others if she had been there. "I can't support that," she said.

It is an interesting issue that we are seeing at play. This is certainly no the first church to take such an action, but this is an interesting time to take it. The political landscape seems to be shifting as liberal and conservative Christians make their political allegiances known. Let's not even bring in the Sojourners for the moment. They cloud the water...

But maybe we should. Can a pro-life Christian vote for Kerry? Many, many did. Why? Simply the prioritizing of other issues (Iraq, poverty etc) alongside abortion, above abortion or what have you would lead a pro-life person to vote against a pro-life candidate. This is the trouble with a two-party system. What the good pastor (Hey, Cliff.) seems to have neglected is the nuances and the trouble that can come when the preacher does not have the same theological priorities as the people in the pew.

But I repeat myself...

What do you think?

Posted by tripp at May 9, 2005 09:59 AM