Where We Stand -- Politics and the Church

I was on my walk this morning, listening once again to Krista Tippett's interview (moderation of a conversation really) of Shane Claiborne, Greg Boyd, and Chuck Colson. It was a conversation about evangelicalism and politics. Colson has been a strong conservative voice within the Evangelical Community. His primary issues these days are abortion and gay marriage, but once it was prison reform. I'm with him on the latter. Boyd lost members of his megachurch when he refused to engage in political activism. Claiborne, a youngish (32) emergent/new monasticism leader with dreadlocks, wants to be engaged, but also wants to avoid the meanness that can develop as politics and religion mix.

I'm not where Boyd is, but I understand where he's coming from. He's right when he says that good Christians can disagree on political issues. It's a warning that progressives need to hear as well. I hear the call to steer clear of meanness, and as we've seen it's difficult for us to stay clear of it. I want to be engaged. I've stepped out into the political realm, endorsed a candidate (as a private citizen), defended that candidate, and even criticized the opponents. But at the end of the day, I must recognize that there are good people supporting both McCain and Clinton. And ultimately both of these candidates are good people. But, in the heat of battle we can lose our way.

On Tuesday two states will vote. In one Barack Obama has had a nice lead and everyone thinks of North Carolina, with a large African American voting base and high tech/highly educated whites, to be a good match for him. Indiana, is a bit more of a mix. It's similar in some ways to Ohio and Pennsylvania, and yet a sizable portion of the state's population sits in the shadow of Chicago. The polls are in flux -- in light of the continuing controversy over Jeremiah Wright. We who suppport Obama hope that by Tuesday people will have been able to distinguish pastor and parishioner, that they will better understand the reasons why a person joins a church and stays with it. And they will move on. The Obama campaign wants to move on. The press, of course, wants to see how much mileage it can get out of it. Hillary Clinton has been careful in what she's said, but has tried in more subtle ways to fan the flames -- and that's to be expected -- it's politics after all.

So, where do we stand? We stand in a murky place, not knowing what will happen. But in the long run we must come together. If this primary season has put a spotlight on generational, ethnic, and class distinctions, we must reconcile for the good of the country and of the world.