I don’t often comment on political issues in public. Most political debates are complicated enough that they do not yield to easy answers; and the right answer or best one is rarely represented by one political point of view. Subtlety is also the first victim of most debates. So there are wise, thoughtful people on both sides of most debates who have something to offer.
Commenting from the pulpit or in public in ways that seemingly aligns the voice of God with a political party only succeeds in adding to the over-simplification and often mean-spirited debate that already characterizes the world in which we live. Commenting publicly on my political views would also alienate those to whom I would rather speak about spiritual matters.
By contrast, clergy who devote most of their time to political commentary rarely add anything of value to the public conversation and they run the risk of losing any recognizable elements of the gospel in the process. It is no surprise that at varying times in its history the Episcopal Church has been characterized as one or the other political party at-prayer. There are clergy whose experience of God is not recognizably different from most political platforms, except (perhaps) a faint hint of self-righteous indignation.
I will say this, however: The gospel speaks to our public debates in ways that almost always gores everyone’s political ox. Christians, if they are truly sold out to God, will always be somewhat uneasy with the world around them, wary of any claim made by human institutions, and ever critical of their behavior.
That conviction need not lead to ingratitude for the places where we grew up and were nurtured. Nor do we need to shovel dirt on our shared history and citizenship. It simply means that — like all good gifts in life —- we should never forget the Giver, nor mistake the gift for the Giver.
Christians cannot escape politics, but they should not allow their faith to be co-opted by their politics. In the tension between the several citizenships that claim our time and energy, the one that trumps them all is our citizenship in the Kingdom of God.
For those of you are not clergy, ask yourself, “Do you want a priest or bishop who is most concerned with the church as an institution? A Democrat or Republican? Or do you want a bishop or priest who is first and foremost of disciple of Jesus Christ?
Very few people are genuinely interested in the first kind of priest. Democrats and Republicans are available in abundance and you can hear them without going to church. The last might just make a difference.