Write About Now

Once a week I create a new poll for the homepage of Christian Church Today. Last week, in light of the September 28 “Pulpit Freedom Sunday” which encouraged pastors around the country to “preach about the moral qualifications of candidates seeking political office,” I asked, “Should pastors be allowed to endorse political candidates from the pulpit?” As I write this, a full 50% have answered yes.

This amazes me. Never mind that it’s against the law for any tax-exempt organization, including churches, to “participate in, or intervene in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.” Never mind that Romans calls us to “submit to the governing authorities.” Never mind that, according to this same passage, anyone who rebels against this God-given authority risks judgment.

No, instead, The Alliance Defense Fund which promoted the September 28 event claims this law is an infringement on the First Amendment rights of pastors, and preaching about candidates from the pulpit should not affect their churches’ non-profit status. “Churches are exempt from taxation under the principle that there is no surer way to destroy religion than to begin taxing it,” says ADF lawyer Erik Stanley.

I can think of one surer way—politicizing it.

Folks, no matter how just and moral you consider your candidate and his platform, acceptance of any politician requires a certain amount of myopia. John Kerry was pro-abortion, and George W. Bush authorized illegal torture of prisoners. Obama supports gay marriage and McCain has a notoriously vicious temper.

You may rank one of those as more important than the other, and that’s your right. But I’m amazed at anyone who believes he can confidently put forth his own myopic viewpoints as God’s.

I’m tired of blogging about this. I’m tired of the Christians who want the 10 Commandments in our courtrooms and prayer in our schools but who would go absolutely ballistic if public schools also required daily Koran reading and federal offices hung framed copies of The God Delusion. I’m tired of pastors demanding their freedom without acknowledging their church members should also have freedom to think independently.

More than that, though, I’m sad that at some of the churches participating in “Pulpit Freedom Sunday,”  Obama-supporting, unbelieving, God-seeking guests probably attended and heard a partisan viewpoint instead of learning about the Source of all freedom. Do we really care more about their politics than their salvation?