The day of the "Jesus for President" sermon came. I didn't know why I had expected anything else, but it was a very principled call for those of us who submit to the Lordship of Jesus to discuss politics with one another "with gentleness and reverence". The Biblical text was from Samuel, the part where the Israelites demand a king. God instructs Samuel to warn the people that a king will take their sons and daughters, their treasure, and enslave them for his purposes. The Israelites still wanted a king, and what God through Samuel had warned of came to pass and then some. (I confess that the tax rate of 10% that God suggested seemed somewhat attractive).
About 12 of us and the pastor met in the narthex to discuss politics. The question put to us was what issues drove our political choices and how that related to our faith. We were all white. We ranged in age from about 35-80. We had a split of men and women. We spoke openly but with gentleness and reverence. We love each other, after all, and our eyes are on the eternal, so whatever the politics of the moment may be should not drive us apart. We of all people should be able to discuss any issue openly and respectfully. And we did, for a good hour and a half. There was the unrepentant Republican who came with a set of talking points about "smaller government", "lower taxes", "defense of marriage", and "national security". He claimed to be surprised at what he called "extremist" views of the other discussants, and he wasn't talking about me. He was talking about the moderate suburban Republicans who expressed an attraction to Barack Obama and a concern for social justice and controls on the potential excesses of unfettered capitalism.
I was surprised at the openness at the discussion about issues such as race and the admission that many of us have a hard time getting it, how we tend to delegitimize the grievances of black folks as ancient history or victimology. I have been selling my co-religionists short. At least those who selected themselves for the discussion were among the most thoughtful and honest folks I have ever talked to about political matters.
I was given an opportunity to express myself openly and freely and to explain what a Christian Anarchist believes, at least the way I see it. Nobody batted an eye, and I got the feeling that I had given the discussants food for thought. At least there were none of the usual reactions about how insane my position was. I said that I failed to live up to my ideals and that, although voting itself should be avoided as an act of violence, I may very well vote as an act of self defense. My issues were choosing the party that was least likely to get me and mine killed or to accelerate our advance to a police state. I feel that I can wear my tin foil hat to church now.
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3 comments:
That was a very courageous thing to do. It's amazing what can be accomplished when there's a spirit of mutual respect among folks. Just curious: how did you introduce the group to your point of view?
Fantastic! Someone who wants to reach out more to his conspecifics, as you write in your next post, might consider starting a politics discussion group among the congregation.
cl,
I had already told the pastor I was an anarchist, and he introduced me as such. I used the idea of the Kingdom of God as the ideal in which there would be no need for government by force. I stated that behind every government action was force or its threat and that loving my neighbor and following the Prince of Peace obliged me to eschew force and violence in every form, at home and abroad.
mike-
I suggested to the pastor that we start a listserv, and I aim to look into it, even initiate it.
One of the participants in the discussion sugested forming a small group devoted to politics and current events. There are supposed to be more of these discussions after church over the next three weeks.
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