What makes a statement or opinion political?

What makes a statement or opinion political? If an elected official or candidate for public office takes a position on an issue, does that render all subsequent statements about that issue political? If so, should we avoid discussing that issue in "polite company"?

I consider all important statements and opinions political and religious. Politics refers to the ways we govern ourselves and religion refers to our deeply held beliefs. I rejoice that the First Amendment to our Constitution "prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion" and firmly believe in the separation of church and state. Yet, I do not deem it possible to separate how best to govern ourselves from our convictions about how and why we have life. Abraham Lincoln stated the challenge clearly when he advised not questioning whether God is on our side but rather asking whether we are on God's side. Lincoln had many reservations about faith, but seems to have conducted his life and presidency in keen awareness of "the Almighty."

Not all political figures are religious, but all religious folks are political. When South African authorities imprisoned Allan Boesak for his resistance to apartheid, they allowed him to have one book in his cell, a Bible. Boesak laughed and declared that they gave him the most dangerous book of all. In scripture he found not only strength for the struggle but also images and messages to use in the struggle.

The Bible is a political document. Deuteronomy demands that the faithful make provision to feed the hungry and the alien. Exodus tells a formative story about the flight of Hebrew slaves from the Pharaoh's bonds to freedom. The Lord's Prayer petitions, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." In Acts, Peter declares that God shows no partiality in extending the offer of salvation. Amos calls for a society characterized by justice. Micah offers a vision for national security. All those and myriad other passages and stories are unquestionably political, i.e. they seek to guide and affect how we govern ourselves. I have no desire to establish a theocracy in the United States, but what we believe about God and about why we have life affects our politics. Our beliefs and how we want to apply them to governance vary, but our religion and our politics remain intertwined.

So what? I do not believe that any religious leader, including me, has the right to tell the faith community for whom to vote. Yet, I firmly believe that all religious leaders have a responsibility to raise issues related to how our faith intersects and collides with how we live. The best venues for raising such issues are those where the faithful can respond, make objections, ask questions, and engage in dialogue. Presbyterians in particular believe that we discern the guidance of God most clearly when genuinely engaged with each other.

I have long been and probably will long remain a political person. When I stray into partisan politics in ways that undermine my credibility and ability to function pastorally, I trust the community and God to call me to accountability. Not being political and not making political statements are not options. Among other things, I would have to put down my Bible. God and the community willing, that won't happen for a while yet.

Grace and Peace,

LP