The Politics of Preaching

"Jesus was too smart to ever run for public office," Mike Huckabee quipped during the November Republican CNN/YouTube debate to a roar of laughter and applause. Indeed, Jesus was markedly different from other major religious leaders of his time. Much to the chagrin of local zealots hoping for an activist Messiah, Christ never attempted to take direct political control or intervene in the day-to-day affairs of Rome. Ironically, though, Huckabee's summation may also been seen as a compelling argument for why clergymen should follow this example.

In recent years, no mainstream church has directly endorsed a candidate. The Catholic Church and various other denominations do not allow their clergymen to seek public office. Yet in this election season, church policy has not stopped clergymen on both sides of the aisle from lending their support to presidential candidates.

Church leaders like James Dobson, Pat Robertson and Bob Jones III all run organizations that are least partially politically motivated — Focus on the Family, The 700 Club and Bob Jones University, respectively — and thus receive little outside theological scrutiny when they comment on the candidates. When full-time pastors of congregations speak of the presidential race, their remarks are not considered as politically motivated as the managers of interest groups or educational institutions. But perhaps the political intentions of religious figures should not be discounted; in fact, some ministers view political activity as a theological necessity.

"You read the Bible, and you'll see it's filled with issues of the day," explained Rev. Chuck Currie, pastor of the Parkrose Community United Church of Christ in Portland, Ore., and a declared Obama supporter. "In Isaiah, you'll find concern for the poor, charges against an unjust war, a call for social justice. The church has a moral obligation to directly combat problems facing modern mankind. It is a hard personal decision whether or not to endorse a candidate, but clergymen must take a stand on the underlying issues."

Currie continued, "Pastors are one vehicle in the world to address major ethical problems like our abuse in Iraq and our destruction of the planet through global warming. I believe that Obama has the leadership skills and values to help fix these problems."

This ministerial activism is found on both political fronts. Rev. Sherwood Haisty Jr., a Huckabee supporter and minister at the First Baptist Church in Fillmore, Calif., argued that "a pastor should have a responsibility to be a voice for righteousness, truth and wisdom on anything that might require discernment in the whole realm of life. There is a mandate to address anything that your flock has to deal with, including political issues, with the directness of biblical principles."

However, many clergymen believe that their primary concern should be to spread the word of God. They argue that while faithful Christians should pursue the will of the Lord in all things they do, this does not mean that the minister is necessarily an expert on policy.

Darrell Brown, pastor at the Brownsville Baptist Church in Lonoke, Ark., contended, "at the end of the day it is my role as a pastor to tell people about the good news of the gospel. In every sermon, after 20 minutes, I tie everything back to finding Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior."

"I believe there are some issues we need to talk to as pastors in the social arena," he clarified, "such as abortion or gay marriage, but for the most part we need to stick to things like the gospel and how Christians need to act and behave. Not tax reform, immigration policy, and balanced budgets, which we can't directly interpret from the will of God."

On the other hand, there are biblical passages that many clergymen use to justify political engagement. Currie, for instance, suggested that many portions of the Bible instruct men and women to help the poor, which justify ministerial involvement not just in religious matters, but in the economic and political spheres as well.

Haisty is also conscious of the meaning behind a particular passage, Matthew 22:21: "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." While a common interpretation is that this passage argues for a separation of church and state, Haisty interprets it to mean that all matters, religious as well as secular, must be considered alongside one another, and all decisions should be made in the context of God's kingdom. In this light, it would be impossible to separate political issues from moral values.

All three men agreed that pastors are, above all else, administrators of their church, and in this capacity run into practical as well as moral and theological roadblocks when it comes to talking politics and endorsing candidates. There are three primary arguments against religious leaders' endorsement of presidential candidates: legal accountability, church stability, and theological roles.

In the first case, in order to maintain their tax-exempt status, ministers have to navigate a maze of ambiguous laws designed to prevent churches from becoming too involved in the political process. They have the legal right to endorse, but taking a wrong turn could hurt their local congregation. Most local churches are not monetary powerhouses and require tax relief, which would be absolved if they became political entities.

"A lot of pastors are under the impression that they can't speak out in fear of losing tax exemption," Haisty explained. "It also takes time and energy to avoid regulations and stop potential damage."

Church stability can also be threatened if church members become upset with their minister's political activity or positions. This raises an interesting issue: is political opinion important enough to risk church discontent?

Currie, Brown and Haisty all stated that their politics in no way reflect that of their congregations, despite their activism on campaigns and their political presence on the Web. Currie, whose blog includes political musings alongside sermon podcasts, emphasized his disinterest in compromising his value system: "People have left my church because of my political stances and have spoken against my political statements for both Democrats and sometimes Republican candidates. Just because some members are angry does not mean that I will stand down from my spiritual and moral beliefs."

Haisty, on the other hand, has created a community on the Internet specifically for clergymen to discuss politics and endorse candidates — in this case Huckabee. Meanwhile, Brown, who is a supporter and even a close friend of Huckabee, tries not to use his clerical influence as he works consistently on the campaign.

"Right now my role as pastor would have to supersede my work on Mike Huckabee's campaign," he said. "I refer to myself just as Darrel Brown when I'm campaigning, never as reverend. I would never go to my church, stand on my pulpit, and talk politics. If it causes strife, hard feelings, and makes people dislike me, I will give up my role as moderator of Huckabee's official MySpace and Facebook pages. And in some congregations that would be a necessity. Fortunately, my church is pretty easy to get along with."

Whether or not this amity will endure through the rest of the election season remains to be seen.