Pastor: How progressives resist in current political environment
By John Semmes | Originally published by Mississippi Today
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One late afternoon in Oxford this past January, I sat in a local pub with a former parishioner, discussing over old fashioneds the sad state of national and world affairs.
As political progressives, we had plenty to complain about.
Two protesters had been killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis, “affordability” was an economic mirage, the president was obsessed with acquiring Greenland and immunization schedules for American children had alarmingly been scaled back by the federal Centers for Disease Control.
With our lament in overdrive, a large bar tab loomed.
Exasperated, my friend posed a $64,000 question.
“What am I supposed to do about all this?” he asked, admittedly overwhelmed by the prospect of having to respond as one small voice of concern to one large world of political hurt.
I have heard that same query from many others lately, even among fellow pastors I highly respect for their breadth of life experience and biblical knowledge.
For all of us who profess Jesus as the Christ and exemplar of our faith, but who are also tax-paying citizens disillusioned by the ideological cancer rending the country, devising an appropriate response can be elusive. Yet the state of our union demands that we try.
The melting pot known as America seems now to be more of a cauldron, simmering on low boil thanks to the clash of two distinctly different political worldviews.
Our nation’s rich diversity, once celebrated as a strength, is now hostage to a kind of tribalism that stokes an us-versus-them mentality. Rather than affirm our common status as children of God, factionalism makes normative the devaluation of those who are “different” and keeps at a distance the patriotic unity Americans miss.
For too many self-professing Christians, the compassionate assistance they once extended to “the least of these” now carries a jaded caveat: those with little must prove they qualify for the help of those with much.
Even modern-day religious extremism mucks up the directive to “love God and love others” thanks to doctrinal positions not supported by Scripture.
Christian nationalism, defined by my denomination as “a political ideology that seeks to merge Christian identity with American civic life and national identity,” asserts “the United States was founded as a Christian nation and should continue to be governed according to what its proponents see as Christian values or biblical principles.”
For its part, the Constitution does not affirm the United States is a “Christian” nation. Instead, it allows me the freedom to be a Christian, but doesn’t force me to be one.
Today, our political landscape is littered with even more controversy.
A rudderless war of choice is still under way; anxiety is legion.
Gasoline prices continue their creep upward; inflation is real.
Warehouses meant for storing boxes are being readied for the incarceration of immigrants.
The infamous Epstein files linger like a bad cold; there is much we still deserve to know.
So, the question persists: What’s a Christian supposed to do when politicians and their politics go rogue?
In a word, resist. But how to resist is up to you.
Resist the cruelty and hatred that has become normalized in our culture. In your own life, exhibit kindness and empathy daily to those who need it most: the weak, the suffering and all those pushed out to the margins. Give grace. Forgive. And honor all people.
Resist by turning over some metaphorical tables. Attend a rally. Write your legislators. Give your money and time to causes that reflect your concerns. Vote.
Resist by speaking truth in love to those who are quick to volunteer political views you didn’t solicit and with which you disagree. When things are said in your presence that are based more on opinion than upon fact, hear those folks out, but insist on equal time. Respectful dialogue is essential to love your neighbor as yourself, and might just make the guy next door easier to live with.
Resist, but be aware you don’t have to go far to do it. Remember, Jesus’ ministry was largely conducted within a small radius around Galilee. You are not called to change the whole world. Do what you can, where you can, with the gifts you’ve been given. It will be enough.
Resist, but take care of yourself. Practice gratitude daily. Find beauty, even in the darkness. Laugh a lot. Pray a lot. And keep the words of the medieval theologian, Julian of Norwich, close at hand so you never lose hope:
“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and every kind of thing shall be well.”
The Rev. John M. Semmes holds a master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He served six congregations before his retirement in 2023, and currently resides in Oxford.
This article was originally published by Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Source: Original Article
