Politics: Does the church have something to say?

So, many are wondering lately why the church seems to be sticking its nose into politics.  After all, Jesus didn't come to start a literal kingdom, but spoke about the Kingdom of God, right?!  What about separation of church and state?

This issue is hot right now because of President Trump's January 27, 2017, executive order on people coming from 7 middle Eastern countries.  The order keeps refugees out for 120 days, and visitors from the 7 countries out for 90 days.  Plus, there is an indefinite halt on entry of Syrian refugees.  On behalf of the Lutheran churches in the US, the Bishop of the ELCA wrote a public letter condemning the move, and our local New Jersey Lutheran Bishop wrote a similar letter, together with the two Episcopal Bishops in New Jersey.  Other Christian leaders and leaders of other faiths have written similarly, including the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.  Here's a link to an article that provides an overview of the response (both for and against) of many religious leaders and organizations to Trump's ban.  Basically, response to the ban from most religious organizations has been negative.

But this blog post is trying to help you understand why the Lutheran church responded the way it did.  First, why is the church critical of the ban?  Bottom line, because of the impact of the ban on people who are from those places.  Whatever the case, the church takes into account how vulnerable people are.  Are they protected by their citizen status, or does their status in their home country endanger them?  Are they part of a social majority, or a social minority?   Orphans, widows, strangers, and guests are all seen as more vulnerable, and therefore privileged in God's eyes. The Bible is pretty clear that in a toss-up, God sides with the vulnerable over those who are more secure.  The bishops' letters referred to above provide plenty of biblical examples. If this situation makes anything clearer, it is that for the church, the issue of refugees cuts to the heart of our faith in God.

You might ask, what about how vulnerable we are?  Where does the Church get off condemning a policy when the security of the US is at stake?  Answer: again, because of the impact on people.  The church wants security for all people, not just the US, so it advocates policies that best promote that security while at the same time honoring God's intention for a just and fair society.

Why doesn't the Church just let the government do its thing, in any and all cases?  You know, go with the pros?  Because of sin.  Even well-formed, thriving institutions like law enforcement, the military, education, and health services--even the church itself--can and do make--intentionally or unintentionally--mistakes or enable bad practices.  The church reserves the right to act like a conscience, chiding the social realm to clean up its act.  There are numerous biblical models for this, such as Jesus, as well as the Old Testament prophets of Israel.

Why does the Church think it can comment on governmental policy at all?  Shouldn't it stick to it's own spiritual realm, and leave the worldly realm to politicians?  It's true, Lutherans teach that the two "kingdoms", worldly and spiritual, are distinct, and not to be confused, but they are still related to each other by God for the good of creation.  Thus, the church puts its belief out there, in the form of statements, public messages, and letters from bishops and pastors.  It calls this activity "witnessing" to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The church wants to make the world better.  It doesn't believe it can make the world perfect.  That perfection lies in God's future for the world.

Well, this could go on and on.  Maybe it's helped.  Maybe not.  If you are still struggling with how you see the church responding, know that you are not alone.  The church is an imperfect vehicle for the articulation of the Gospel, and many voices within the church debate these things all the time.  Still, in this case, we should take note of the number of other religious leaders and organizations that seem to agree with the Lutheran church here.  Is there a consensus among people of faith that is being articulated in this political moment?  The next question is, does this consensus reflect the will of God?  If you are a believer, you are supposed to struggle with this question.  My job as pastor is to make people aware of the church's positions, but I'm not here to convert you.  In the future, I'll try to follow up with more posts that provide some more background on Lutheran thinking on the relation between church and state.  Thanks for reading.