As a United Church of Christ Pastor in a covenanting heritage in which differences of belief typically matter less than the finding of common ground in gathering for the worship of God, experiencing the fellowship of Christ in one another, and engaging in work reflective of the spirit of Jesus' Way, I appreciate your journey and work. I find your podcast interview style excellent as you listen carefully and deeply to your guests as well as engage personally with them. And, I find your coffee thoughts meaningful and very well-written.
So it is, I take you at your word regarding your point and offer up this question: How can pastors responsibly preach a stewardship of politics during this divided election season? Morally, politically, and personally I, like many of my listeners, find a huge difference between the two Presidential candidates, and it is clear to me that one candidate is far more responsible for the divisive rancor that permeates political rhetoric today. So, I struggle with how to shape a sermon on this subject that balances pastoral Biblical elements with authentic prophetic concerns.
Blessings of Peace as Your Vocational Life Continues to Unfold, Ed Koonz
Hey Ed! Thanks so much for sharing this and thank you so much for the kind words regarding my work.
That said, yes - pastoring in this time is no easy task. I'm not behind the pulpit anymore and so I can't say for certain what I would or wouldn't do nor will I pretend to know what it's like for you and others.
However, I love what Brian McLaren has shared with me on multiple occassions - the best way to engage people who are far on the other end of the religious/political spectrum than us is to ask questions. Questions are disarming, statements often make people more defensive. And so when I come across someone who is an adamant MAGA supporter, I can either say "that person is out of their mind and clearly doesn't understand the way of Jesus" OR I can ask a question - "as a fellow Christian, I really see these issues differently and I'm curious if you can help me understand how you can support Trump / MAGA / _____ in light of what Jesus taught regarding ______ or what recent events have brought to light regarding the Trump campaign", etc, etc, etc.
I'm at a place in my spiritual journey where I'm more of a mystic than anything else - I embrace mystery and believe we are all connected, we are all One. That's much easier to SAY than it is to LIVE, of course, but if we are to actually and truly live it then we must embrace the "mystery" of those who vote and believe differently than us and ask some questions regarding that mystery (so as to better understand) AND we must realize that even those who see things much differently than us are somehow connected to us.
And so rather than attack that other person (and thus attack myself, if we truly are One) perhaps it's best to engage with questions and curiosity. After all, Jesus asked way more questions than he made statements and so I think if I were a pastor right now I would encourage my congregation to take a page out of his book and ask some healthy and helpful questions.
My political views are often misunderstood because people assume I'm just taking the middle ground, I refuse to stand on one side or the other, I want to make everyone happy, etc. and both sides (the Right or the Left) wish I would join them in lashing out against the other. Instead, my goal is to promote unity as opposed to more division and I feel I can best do that by asking questions of people who think differently than me - not so I can shame them or prove them wrong, but so that I can better understand them and then speak up to help them better understand me. That is, interestingly, the approach I have on the podcast - I've had lots of people on the show who I disagree with. But my goal isn't to prove them wrong or have a debate. Instead, my goal is to ask questions - help me understand what you think regarding _____, why you think it, and then how what you think plays out in everyday life.
As a United Church of Christ Pastor in a covenanting heritage in which differences of belief typically matter less than the finding of common ground in gathering for the worship of God, experiencing the fellowship of Christ in one another, and engaging in work reflective of the spirit of Jesus' Way, I appreciate your journey and work. I find your podcast interview style excellent as you listen carefully and deeply to your guests as well as engage personally with them. And, I find your coffee thoughts meaningful and very well-written.
So it is, I take you at your word regarding your point and offer up this question: How can pastors responsibly preach a stewardship of politics during this divided election season? Morally, politically, and personally I, like many of my listeners, find a huge difference between the two Presidential candidates, and it is clear to me that one candidate is far more responsible for the divisive rancor that permeates political rhetoric today. So, I struggle with how to shape a sermon on this subject that balances pastoral Biblical elements with authentic prophetic concerns.
Blessings of Peace as Your Vocational Life Continues to Unfold, Ed Koonz
Hey Ed! Thanks so much for sharing this and thank you so much for the kind words regarding my work.
That said, yes - pastoring in this time is no easy task. I'm not behind the pulpit anymore and so I can't say for certain what I would or wouldn't do nor will I pretend to know what it's like for you and others.
However, I love what Brian McLaren has shared with me on multiple occassions - the best way to engage people who are far on the other end of the religious/political spectrum than us is to ask questions. Questions are disarming, statements often make people more defensive. And so when I come across someone who is an adamant MAGA supporter, I can either say "that person is out of their mind and clearly doesn't understand the way of Jesus" OR I can ask a question - "as a fellow Christian, I really see these issues differently and I'm curious if you can help me understand how you can support Trump / MAGA / _____ in light of what Jesus taught regarding ______ or what recent events have brought to light regarding the Trump campaign", etc, etc, etc.
I'm at a place in my spiritual journey where I'm more of a mystic than anything else - I embrace mystery and believe we are all connected, we are all One. That's much easier to SAY than it is to LIVE, of course, but if we are to actually and truly live it then we must embrace the "mystery" of those who vote and believe differently than us and ask some questions regarding that mystery (so as to better understand) AND we must realize that even those who see things much differently than us are somehow connected to us.
And so rather than attack that other person (and thus attack myself, if we truly are One) perhaps it's best to engage with questions and curiosity. After all, Jesus asked way more questions than he made statements and so I think if I were a pastor right now I would encourage my congregation to take a page out of his book and ask some healthy and helpful questions.
My political views are often misunderstood because people assume I'm just taking the middle ground, I refuse to stand on one side or the other, I want to make everyone happy, etc. and both sides (the Right or the Left) wish I would join them in lashing out against the other. Instead, my goal is to promote unity as opposed to more division and I feel I can best do that by asking questions of people who think differently than me - not so I can shame them or prove them wrong, but so that I can better understand them and then speak up to help them better understand me. That is, interestingly, the approach I have on the podcast - I've had lots of people on the show who I disagree with. But my goal isn't to prove them wrong or have a debate. Instead, my goal is to ask questions - help me understand what you think regarding _____, why you think it, and then how what you think plays out in everyday life.
Sending you much love, Ed!