"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.
When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy
went and sold all he had and bought that field.
~ Matthew 13:44
A few days from now, I will make the easiest and most obvious political decision I have ever made; perhaps the easiest I will ever make in my lifetime. While neither of the Presidential candidates are first choices for me, the substantial differences between them makes this an extremely simple decision for me. And as someone who started life as a political science major at Bethel back in 1979, the clarity and simplicity of this decision has made it extremely difficult to keep my mouth shut this year. Excruciatingly difficult!
But I’ve done so. With the exception of a few people I know who generally agree with my views, I’ve kept my political opinions to myself. I’ve said nothing political from the pulpit, in this newsletter, in emails, on my blog or on Facebook with my friends. I have bitten my tongue very hard.
But I don’t do so because I’m worried about silly IRS regulations. I’m not worried about our tax exempt status as a church or what the government might say. Those concerns are very selectively and unfairly enforced as far as I’m concerned. And frankly, there is a good chance those tax exemption concerns are unconstitutional and unnecessary anyway. But I’m not going to get involved in that debate either.
And I don’t avoid these issues because I’m a coward. I have no problems speaking up when I believe I must, even when speaking on difficult and controversial issues. Monica often wishes I would shut up more!
I avoid these issues because I learned something from Billy Graham in the early 70’s. Billy Graham was intensely criticized for not voicing his opinions during the Vietnam War years. With his access to President Nixon and halls of power all around the world, people accused him of cowardice, people pleasing and naïveté. But Dr. Billy Graham’s response was simple. I am called by God to be an evangelist. Why would I trade that away for something less important? While that is a very hard statement to live, I believe it to be true.
I am called by God to do all I can to depopulate hell. As critically important as the currently debated political issues genuinely are (and they really are!), the issues I’ve been given to discuss are more so. If I embroil myself or allow this church to become embroiled in the political arguments of the day, I run the serious risk of losing my ability to discuss issues of eternal importance. As a wise old pastor once said to a man who insisted on wearing his political buttons to Sunday worship, “Sir, what if a terrible sinner goes to hell because your loud politics got in the way of him hearing the Gospel?” Do we really want that?
I know we’re all very wound up about this election. I know our church has people on all sides of the political spectrum. I know there are people reading this article who think I’m either stupid or naïve to believe this election is an easy decision. I know there are people who think the time has come for pastors to speak up from the pulpit on these things; that we are compromising the Gospel itself by failing to do so. There are Bonhoeffers among us who believe the time is now or is soon coming for a new Confessing Church. And then there are those who are so sick of all of this stuff they’re having to force themselves even to finish this article.
Yup, I do get it.
May God help us all to focus on the treasure! May God help us all to graciously walk the delicate and difficult line we are called to walk in these times! May the Holy Spirit help us to listen more than we speak!
Amen.
