November 2, 2008     Edgewood United Church UCC     Rev. Kari Nicewander

Our Faith, Our Vote 

The readings today are almost enough to make me give up my stole.  They speak of leaders who don’t practice what they preach, they speak of teachers who value pride over people, they speak of prophets who don’t really care for the poor, they speak of rulers who ignore justice and spill innocent blood.  Micah and Matthew are on the same page today – woe to those who lead the people and are not faithful to the will of God.  It is enough to make a preacher nervous!

 But if these scriptures are only applicable to religious leaders, then it may not be necessary to go much farther.  Basically, it would mean that those of us who are clergy need to straighten up – and the rest of you are off the hook.

 Yet, I believe that there is something here that speaks to each one of us, something about leadership and accountability that that encompasses us all.  Something that reminds us that our faith should be a very real factor in our decisions regarding leadership, both political and religious.  These two reading can cause us to think about faith and leadership, religion and politics, and what God has to say about our vote.

 Now, in our text from Matthew, Jesus has a lot to say about the religious and legalistic leaders of the Jewish community, the Pharisees.  Certainly not one to hold his tongue when confronted with injustice, Jesus lets loose a barrage of criticism aimed at the very people in charge of interpreting and applying Jewish law.  Keeping in mind, of course, that Jesus is a Jew, we see here a vivid example of an individual holding his leaders accountable.    

 “You do not practice what you teach; you do not do what you say you are doing; you place heavy burdens on the people; you do not help the most vulnerable; you show off and pretend to be holy; you are full of pride and lies and hypocrisy.”  Well, Jesus was probably not known as the most diplomatic of men!  The truth is, Jesus applied his faith to every aspect of his life.  To the way he treated women, to the way he engaged with those in power, to the way he fought for justice and inclusion and love.

 When Jesus taught his disciples the prayer we commonly call the Lord’s prayer, he included this line, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  Now how in the world can this not be a political statement?  If we want God’s will done on earth – God’s justice, God’s peace, God’s radical grace, God’s loving will done on earth – we have to be political with our faith.  We are not saying we just want God’s will done in our church, we are not saying we just want God’s will done in our homes, we are not saying we just want God’s will done in those limited, private spheres.  We are saying we want God’s will done on earth – and that mean we have to get political with our faith.  Remember that, the next time you say the Lord’s Prayer.

 Jesus, in this text in Matthew, and throughout the gospels, is calling us to a public faith.  Even Jesus addressed such issues as women’s rights, capital punishment, poverty, peace, and many other political issues that affect us even today.  So, why, then are we so hesitant to combine faith and politics? 

 I can hear your answer already.  Good Old Separation of Church and State.  So, let’s go ahead and take a look at whether or not we, as Christians, can legally speak of our faith in the political arena. 

 In his book, The Good Society, Robert Bellah writes about the free exercise clause of the First Ammendment, which not only ensures that no religion will gain any favored government status, it also guarantees the right of religious bodies to public expression.  John Locke, John Adams, and the nation’s founders did not underestimate the public importance of religion.  In fact, because of the free exercise clause, it was expected that religious thought would inform public opinion and leave room for vigorous debate informed by moral and religious principles.  Separation of Church and State protects the church from the government, and it protects individuals from religious requirements, but it does not protect public discourse from religious principles; in fact, it expects our faith to inform our vote.  “Indeed,” writes Bellah, “there was not been a major issue in the history of the United States on which religious bodies did not speak out, publicly and vociferously, and often.”

 So what is our faith calling us to do?  How do we work, in the political arena, so that God’s will be done on earth?  As we consider this question, let’s turn to our second scripture reading, our text from Micah.

 Like Jesus, Micah was probably not known as a man who held his tongue.  Again, we see a raging criticism of leaders who do not value justice and peace.  Micah rallies against those who cry “peace” without upholding justice, those who put nothing into the mouths of the poor, those who promote oppression and inequity, those who spill innocent blood, those who engage in bribery, falsehood, and deceit, and finally, those who use the name of God to do things that are far from faithful.

 As we apply this text to our times, I think it is absolutely clear what we are called to do.  Instead of allowing people to use the name of God to promote policies which are oppressive, unjust, and violent, instead of allowing people to use the name of God to promote candidates that will ignore justice, disregard the poor, and spill more blood, we need to speak up.  And when I say we need to speak up, I mean that we have to speak up using the voice of faith, stating that we believe God calls us to justice and peace and compassion and liberation; we believe that God cares about this election.  We need to re-claim the religious dialogue, and loudly declare that our faith does inform our politics.

 Like Jesus, like Micah, we understand that God cares about what our leaders do, and God cares about our role in electing, promoting, and following these leaders.  Throughout the texts of our scriptures, we see prophets rising up against injustice and oppression and violence; these people speak to power using a faith perspective.  We are called to do the same.

 Now, why is this important?  Why am I asking you to talk not only about politics, but about faith and politics?  In this particular election season, there have been three public forums on faith and politics.  While churches are not legally allowed to endorse candidates, many congregations have been very vocal in their positions on a wide variety of issues, the most notable being abortion and same-sex marriage.  Furthermore, in a survey by the Pew Religious Forum 82% of Americans surveyed stated that religion is important in their lives.  In many follow-up questions, the survey demonstrated that religion was a large motivating factor in the political decisions made by respondents, particularly positions taken on abortion and homosexuality.  In one election, a candidate has aired a false advertisement, claiming that her opponent is a Godless American, in other words, a Godless Liberal.

 So what do we do with this information?  Do we continue with politics, as usual, stating what we believe politically without applying our faith to our positions?  For those of us who are pro-choice, and in favor of marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples, and opposed to war, and passionate about justice, to leave faith out of the discussion is both a political error and a religious shortcoming, in my opinion. 

 You see, I am pro-choice because of my religious beliefs.  I believe God cares about women’s heath and women’s bodies and I believe that God wants every baby to be a wanted baby.  I am in favor of marriage equality because of my religious beliefs.  I believe that God celebrates all of us, that God made us gay and lesbian and bi-sexual and transgender and straight and I believe that God doesn’t make mistakes.  I am against this war because of my religious beliefs; I want health care for all people because of my religious beliefs; I care about the poor because of my religious beliefs; I want my tax dollars spent on God’s most vulnerable children people because of my religious beliefs; I care about the environment because of my religious beliefs.  I am not a God-less liberal, and I refuse to be categorized in that way. 

My faith does inform my politics, and I am a Christian.  And I believe that other Christians need to know that the loudest Christian voice is not the only Christian voice on abortion, on marriage equality, or on other politically divisive issues.  If we do not talk about our positions from a faith perspective, we allow the assumption to continue that people who are truly Christian will continue to oppose a woman’s right to choose and the right of our LGBT brothers and sisters to get married.  We will continue to allow our faith to be distorted and abused.

 In this election, we are addressing issues that are vitally important to us, as Christians.  We need to look at the candidates’ stance on issues related to health care, marriage equality, war, global poverty, abortion, and climate change.  And we need to respond as Christians, to these issues.  Now, you may not agree with me on some of the issues I have addressed.  As a Christian, you may have another perspective.  And I welcome that dialogue, I welcome that conversation, but I will not pretend that my political views are solely political; they are faithful, and they are a response to my belief in God and in the message of Jesus Christ. 

 In the words of Jim Wallis, “We stand at a political crossroads, and critical choices must be made.  Those choices are at heart religious, insofar as they will reveal our most fundamental values and moral sensibilities.”  Wallis warns us against a liberal religion that has lost its spiritual center, “With liberal religion, social action in the world can become severed from its roots in faith, producing a language and practice that seem more bureaucratic and ideological than spiritual.”  Bellah makes a similar point, stating that many people are so “theologically inarticulate that they can’t persuade anybody in the churches who doesn’t already agree with them, and even then they come across as political partisans, not as reflective Christians.”

 Jim Wallis believes that prophetic spirituality, on the other hand, “relates biblical faith to social transformation; theological reflection to care for the environment; core religious values to new economic priorities; the call of community to racial and gender justice; morality to foreign policy; spirituality to politics.” 

 Our Faith, Our Vote.  These two things must be connected, and we must not shy away from this connection or pretend that it does not exist.  In fact, I would suggest that we apply our faith to our vote, both in these days before the election, on the day of the election, and in the days that follow. 

 As the election approaches, I encourage you to reclaim the voice of faith in the public arena.  In your discussion of political issues, do not be shy about proclaiming the way in which your faith influences your vote.  On the day of the election, make sure that you are voting for justice, for peace, and for compassion; make sure you are voting faithfully.  And in the days that follow the election, whatever the results might be, hold on to your faith, as well.  Hold on to the belief that the God who cares about your vote cares deeply about this country and this world – and no matter what, the love of God will see us through.     

If religion matters in our daily lives, it needs to matter in our public lives, as well. Before, during, and after the election – for our God of justice, our God of peace, our God of love is everywhere.  Even in our vote.

Amen.