Church leaders must resist the urge to make Sunday services political | Opinion

Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.

The Internal Revenue Service just revised its interpretation of a law that largely blocked 501(c)(3) organizations, including churches, from engaging in political activity. Though enforcement of the Johnson Amendment on churches has been exceptionally rare, it served as a convenient excuse for pastors to resist pressure from congregations to become more political from the pulpit.

On its face, this is a good thing: Churches and religious leaders should be able to talk politics during a sermon and shouldn’t forgo their First Amendment rights just because they’re tax-exempt.

But as an active member of a congregation, I pray that I never attend a service where that happens.

Politics is inescapable. We get it at work, on social media, on television, at the store and on the street. It’s everywhere.

But church is a place where we’re reminded that there are things more important than worldly matters. At church, we are not partisans; we are children of God.

The Gospel promises salvation, forgiveness, righteousness and eternal life. Why trivialize that with opinions on how to vote?

I spend my work days analyzing public policy and informing the public about its effect. I strongly believe politics is important — but it’s not that important.

Politics is not salvation-level important.

People have short attention spans, meaning pastors only have so much time to preach the gospel during sermons. Why cede any time to political endorsements, or — barf — stump speeches from candidates?

At its core, the issue is one of both divisiveness and purpose. Of course, there are times when the moment calls for some acknowledgment of current issues that cannot be ignored. COVID was certainly one of those times, and it was divisive. But diving too deep into politics simply relegates churches to just another interest group grasping for worldly power.

I am very happy to say that the majority of the time current events have been mentioned in a service I’ve attended, it was done with grace and humility. During COVID, my pastor acknowledged the differences of opinions in the congregations and asked everyone to be respectful of others.

During contentious elections, my pastors have urged everyone not to gloat or treat others with disdain. During times of war, my pastors have prayed for the innocent people on all sides who will be affected and hurt.

There’s nothing controversial there, and it’s scripturally sound.

But I once experienced the opposite: During Easter of 2020, when I was lost and searching for God, I was watching the service of a church I’d already watched for a few weeks and was starting to like. Shortly after worship, the sermon became a 30-minute rant on abortion. No matter what you think about abortion, this topic is a really poor Easter message because the resurrection of Christ validates every promise and hope that Christians cling to in the Bible.

I never went back to that church, which should be a warning to those church leaders. I didn’t want to waste my Sunday on some pastor’s political rant, but my heart cries for anyone watching who might have been dealing with the pain of that topic in a more personal way.

Engaging in politics from the pulpit might appeal to some people. It might boost numbers, and it might really feel like the right thing to do. But it’s not if it comes at the expense of people who actually want to hear the Gospel.

This is not a call to apathy. Christians should vote, be involved and work hard to make society upright, a blessing to others and honoring God. But we should build congregations of fully committed followers of Jesus, not a bunch of partisans enjoying the political hot takes. After all, Jesus was not a partisan.

It seems like a perilous path to say God wants a certain candidate elected. God appoints leaders, but throughout the old testament Israel received leaders who were usually disappointments at best. Even King David sent an honorable soldier to his death just so David could steal his wife — and he was the best of the bunch.

Church leaders: resist the urge to make Sundays political. It might be legal, but it’s not appropriate.