Transition of Power

Inauguration Day is something wonderful that we take for granted. Yet in much of the world, a bloodless transition of power seems like a pipe dream at best. Today two men with differing views on how to solve the problems faced by our nation will participate together in an orderly turn over of executive power. For the light this long scheduled, orderly change of president shines in places of injustice, I give thanks.

The following is from the Book of Common Prayer, page 820:

O Lord our Governor, whose glory is in all the world: We commend this nation to your merciful care, that, being guided by your Providence, we may dwell secure in your peace. Grant to the President of the United States, the Governor of this State, and to all in authority, wisdom and strength to know and to do your will. Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness, and make them ever mindful of their calling to serve this people in your fear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

Healing Oil on Troubled Waters

In today's religion column for the Tribune & Georgian, Presidential Prophecies Revisited, I try to do what I can to spread some healing oil on the troubled waters stirred by the national debate over who should be the next President. The title comes from this column being a return to one I wrote on January 11 this year called Five Prophetic Predictions on the Presidential Election. I write in part,

I have strong political opinions. I do not express them anywhere but the voting booth. They are heart-felt, prayerfully made choices. Not everyone in my church will agree with me on them and that is fine by me.

I don’t keep my political views close to the vest because others might disagree, I do so out of a humility born by the sure and certain knowledge that I can be wrong. I have gotten things wrong before and will again and I don’t want others to confuse my views on an election as God’s views. I reserve my public statements to matters theological, which is broad enough terrain, thank you.

Committed Christians can and will disagree on many things. I mean real, honest-to-goodness, Bible-reading, church-attending followers of Jesus. As this is true, how much more lack of agreement will we find among the many sorts and conditions of people of faith across this country? That’s just considering the faithful.

The question is not can we all agree, because we can’t. The question is can we all work together for the common good.

The full text of the column is online here: Presidential Prophecies Revisited. That's my take on the topic. What do you think?

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

Pulpit Freedom

I learned belatedly that this past Sunday was Pulpit Freedom Sunday. The brainchild of the Alliance Defense Fund, it was to be a "Come and get us!" program encouraging pastors to explicitly defy the Internal Revenue Service by making political endorsements from the pulpit. Thirty-three churches were set to do just that this past weekend, including the Rev. Wiley S. Drake of Buena Vista, California's First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park. He carried through on asking his congregation to vote for him, and Alan Keyes, his presidential running mate on the American Independent Party ticket. Drake told the 45 people present for his Sunday worship service,

I am angry because the government and the IRS and some Christians have taken away the rights of pastors. I have a right to endorse anybody I doggone well please. And if they don't like that, too bad.

News reports from the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post say that this act of civil disobedience found other takers as well hoping to become a case to challenge the constitutionality of a 1954 law prohibiting religious organizations from endorsing candidates if they accept tax-deductible contributions. The law does not prohibit free speech, so much as to disallow endorsements made by tax exempt groups.

The L.A. Times article quoted the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, saying "Pastors have a responsibility to the whole of their flock to provide spiritual support and guidance" but not partisan political advice.

Here is Martin Marty's take Pulpit Freedom from the IRS.

My opinion on this issue ran in the Tribune & Georgian a while back The Pulpit vs. The Taxman in which I concluded:

Personally, I feel that my views on whom I vote for are not for public broadcast. I do what I expect all people of faith do in voting. I say my prayers and then cast my votes. I know that faithful Christians often disagree on the best candidate and this is just fine. This side of the kingdom of God, no earthly power is going to get it all right all the time anyway. And God will work in and through any person of any background and will work in spite of any person of any background. This is not to say that for whom we vote is of no consequence, but to say that we can not and will not usher in heaven on earth no matter who lives in the governor’s mansion or the White House. However in hindsight it is clear the church did not speak up loud enough or strongly enough against Hilter and Mussolini and it ushered in hell on earth for millions.

This is why the church must be able to speak out against injustice. The Bible casts a different understanding of the world. It is an upside down view of life in which the least are the greatest and the last are first. Jesus says (in Matthew 25:31-46) that the judgment at the end of time will have everything to do with how the least are treated. Are the needy fed, clothed and comforted? If not, then we will have some explaining to do. So the church cannot hand over all its rights to speak against injustice even if that means dancing the thin line that sometimes separates politics and religion.

I don’t have to stump for any candidate to speak up for those who are hungry, naked, sick or in prison. But I do need to be able to speak plainly to the ways in which we as Christians have a responsibility to seek justice in the here and now. We do this knowing that no candidate, no political party, and no government will ever be so godly that it will not need someone to speak up for those with no voice or whose voice is going unheard. And there is no legal basis to tax that constitutionally protected speech.

In fact, this past Sunday's sermon is as political as I care to get (not "political" and no where near endorsing anyone). Read for yourself The Gospel and The Economic Crisis, so maybe I kept the Sunday in my own way even if I didn't know about it until after the fact. That's my take on it. What is yours?

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor