Disciples, Apostles, and Saints!
Last week, I spoke to the idea of politics and religion—that we have to continuously work through what the relationship between the two is supposed to be. For our second Rector’s Forum this week, we will explore the idea of what Jesus thinks about politics—and what influence that ought to have on our own.
I don’t want to spoil it—I’d rather you join us Sunday, October 20 at 11:30, so I won’t go deeper into the details of what we’re planning. But I do want you to think about what impact your faith has on your political values—because they should.
Separating our values is a mistake—because doing so can dramatically imbalance our behavior. For example, in capital cases, those who believe capital punishment should not be used are automatically struck from the jury, meaning the only people allowed to hear capital cases are people who think it should be used. While this makes for a functional trial, it doesn’t reflect a truly neutral jury. And the absence of faith in the ordering of our society likewise does not ensure moral values will be encouraged, let alone prevail. Utilitarian philosophy, for example, is fond of promoting injustice for the few to maximize the benefit for the masses.
The separation of church and state establishes buffers and principles for how we approach the relationship between the two. And while we may quickly recall examples of abuse, we should refrain from assuming that represents the relationship itself. Abolition, civil and equal rights, and anti-war movements are faith movements. So is economic and carceral justice. We must not pretend faith isn’t welcome in our hearts or our voting booths.
With love,
Drew