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I’ve yet to go to a church in which someone hasn’t made a political statement from the pulpit. Usually, it comes out around election time, and usually the person isn’t trying to push an agenda. Political thought is just a part of being a human, and sometimes those feelings come out.

But sometimes, mixing politics and religion can be very distracting. Possibly the most egregious personal example I’ve seen happened last year. We had a guest speaker at our church who was formerly steeped in the civil rights movement. His message was extraordinarily politically charged, and he made no bones about what party he supported. Needless to say, many people in the audience disagreed with him. A man in front of me who had been fidgeting the entire time at one point audibly said “I’m leaving if he keeps this up!”

In that case, politics did nothing but distract the majority of the congregation from the message the speaker had. Even those who agreed with him felt the tension in the room rising.

Occasional guest speakers aside, has your pastor ever engaged in political statements from the pulpit? When it does happen, how does it make you feel?

Bad news is everywhere. Even people who follow news and politics religiously (like me) occasionally need to take a break to escape what sometimes feels like a neverending stream of negative and depressing news. Wars, natural disasters, economic downturns, angry politics… is there any end to the bad news?

Although it sometimes feels like things could not possibly have ever been worse, we’re not the first people to feel overwhelmed by bad news. In fact, even a cursory glimpse at history will show that our own bad news often pales in comparison to what others have endured. In this Slice of Infinity devotional, Margaret Manning observes this phenomenon in the life of one of the best-known figures in the Bible:

These “bad news” stories are even more difficult to deal with because they are not simply news stories affecting someone else; they are real stories of the everyday realities of people all around me, and including me. Close friends have loved ones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Colleagues struggle to make ends meet, and wonder how they can continue to keep up with the rising costs associated with gas and food. And I know several people personally who have had to be evacuated as the flood waters of the Cumberland River came pouring into their homes. Necessities become negotiable and disappear altogether. For many, these are extraordinarily dark times.

While these particular circumstances are specific to our context, extraordinarily dark times are sadly nothing new. Even the greatest of leaders in the ancient world were not immune to trouble and despair. David, the great king of Israel, experienced many difficulties throughout his life. And when he experienced trouble, he turned to poetry. Psalm 18, as one example, appears to have been a poem written after the experience of deliverance from national enemies and the current king of Israel, King Saul.

But despair and negativity don’t have the final word when God is involved. Read the rest of the devotional at Slice of Infinity to find out how God stands ready to rescue us from even the bleakest situation.

Everybody’s got an idea for making the world a better place. If we elect the right president, pass (or defeat) the right legislation, deploy (or withdraw) the troops in the right places, things will be better (or at least less bad)!

It’s a good thing to work to make the world a more just place. But the Christian perspective on politics is different than the rest of the world’s, because we know that even the wisest leadership or the best legislation treats only the symptoms of the illness that afflicts our world. This Our Daily Bread devotional reminds us of the one—and only—hope for the world:

From the human standpoint, there is no solution for the struggles of the world. Leaders are naturally frustrated in trying to deal with the increasing problems in society. The only complete and permanent solution is found in the return of Christ to earth. When He comes, He will set up His kingdom. He will rule the nations in righteousness, and “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14).

As we await our Savior’s return, let us keep on praying, working, and watching, while “looking for the blessed hope”—our only hope for this world.

Read the full devotional at Our Daily Bread.

The world’s problems won’t be ultimately fixed until Jesus returns. How does that affect your approach to politics, missions, and volunteering? What motivates you to work for a better world, knowing that man’s efforts will always fall short?

Does the way you talk about politics reflect the grace, patience, and humility of Jesus Christ? No matter which side of the political spectrum you’re on, it’s difficult to avoid hearing (or participating in) the vicious, grace-less talk that is the native language of political discourse today. But how does that square up with the Bible?

This devotional from Words of Hope gets right to the point:

In the world of cable news and talk radio, politics is played out much like old sports rivalries. The two teams have a blind hatred for each other, often regardless of truth, reality, or common sense. The current “losing team” (whoever is out of power) usually spends most of its time abhorring, disparaging, and making up lies about the opposing side. Political pundits create caricatures of their rivals and then attack them. And too often we mistake this kind of behavior for hard news, which is like mistaking a pep rally for the actual game.

Ephesians 4 calls us to be humble, gentle, and patient. It says we are to make every effort to be unified and peaceful. Unfortunately, we aren’t very good at this when it comes to politics. We often do the opposite, continually looking for reasons to call names and point fingers.

Grace-filled speech isn’t something to practice every now and then—it’s something to be actively pursued in every conversation you have or blog post you write. The devotional concludes with some suggestions for how you might respond the next time you encounter (or are tempted to engage in) this sort of interaction. Read the full devotional at Words of Hope.

Is this something you’ve encountered, or that you struggle with? How do you balance speaking the truth (about politics, religion, or any other topic) with speaking gracefully?

Is it safe to come out now for Christmas? Slate ran an article last week arguing that the “War on Christmas” is finally over.

The “war on Christmas” is a phrase used to describe the American Culture War battles between Christians and those out to stifle the public celebration of Christmas. That’s the idea, at least; as the article points out, it’s a little unclear whether there was/is really any plot to shut down Christmas, or if the whole thing is largely a passing trend bolstered by a scandal-hungry media and a handful of overzealous Christian culture warriors. The “war on Christmas” meme seems to be dying down after several recent stories about “attacks” on Christmas turned out to be greatly exaggerated or untrue.

I grew up in a conservative evangelical community that was very conscious of and grateful for the American right to worship freely; and so today I remain fairly alert for possible threats to that freedom. But even so, I’ve never been able to get behind the “war for Christmas”—despite all the frenzied annual email alerts and news stories, I’ve never seen any real hint or possibility that Christmas is going away. It would be one thing if Christians were being muzzled in their churches or told what holidays they can and can not observe; but so many of tales of Christmas “persecution” boil down to meaningless trivialities, like whether or not the local department store is wishing its customers a “merry Christmas” or a lackluster “happy holidays.” I just can’t bring myself to get too riled up about that when there are so many other pressing moral issues that deserve our time, money, and energy.

What do you think about the “war on Christmas”—is it a real threat to Christian liberty, or just empty, media-fueled hype? Do you find the annual “Christmas wars” ridiculous, or do you think it’s important for Christians to participate in them?

Share your thoughts!

Co-written by Chuck Colson, The Manhattan Declaration is an attempt for some evangelical, Catholic and Orthodox Christians to take a hard political stance on three issues: abortion, gay marriage and religious liberty. They unveiled it today although it was written a few months ago.

Here’s the most descriptive few paragraphs from the Declaration:

While the whole scope of Christian moral concern, including a special concern for the poor and vulnerable, claims our attention, we are especially troubled that in our nation today the lives of the unborn, the disabled, and the elderly are severely threatened; that the institution of marriage, already buffeted by promiscuity, infidelity and divorce, is in jeopardy of being redefined to accommodate fashionable ideologies; that freedom of religion and the rights of conscience are gravely jeopardized by those who would use the instruments of coercion to compel persons of faith to compromise their deepest convictions.

Because the sanctity of human life, the dignity of marriage as a union of husband and wife, and the freedom of conscience and religion are foundational principles of justice and the common good, we are compelled by our Christian faith to speak and act in their defense. In this declaration we affirm: 1) the profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every human being as a creature fashioned in the very image of God, possessing inherent rights of equal dignity and life; 2) marriage as a conjugal union of man and woman, ordained by God from the creation, and historically understood by believers and non-believers alike, to be the most basic institution in society and; 3) religious liberty, which is grounded in the character of God, the example of Christ, and the inherent freedom and dignity of human beings created in the divine image.

We are Christians who have joined together across historic lines of ecclesial differences to affirm our right—and, more importantly, to embrace our obligation—to speak and act in defense of these truths. We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence. It is our duty to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in its fullness, both in season and out of season. May God help us not to fail in that duty.

At the time of this writing the main Manhattan Declaration site was giving me some problems, but I was able to find the full text here.

What do you think of the Manhattan Declaration? Do you think it’s useful for Christians to sign?

It’s here at last—election day, the culmination of years of campaigning and political debate in the U.S. Whether you were first in line at the ballot box this morning or are still trying to figure out which candidate is the proverbial lesser of two evils, here are a few links from around the Gospel.com community to help you put the political craziness into spiritual perspective:

• GetReligion is the go-to blog for discussion of religion’s intersection with the media and society. They’re busy blogging about the election as it unfolds today, and you can be sure they’ll be analyzing the results over the next few weeks. If you want to learn how religion (and Christianity in particular) are being handled by the media, this is the place to start.
• James Watkins has written quite a bit about the political race—but without the partisan rancor that motivates so many bloggers and pundits. Take a look at his Election 2008 page for his insights into understand the relationship between faith and politics. His blog has lots of good election commentary, too.
• We’ve heard a lot about the “culture war” over the last few years—but is there a better way for Christians to influence culture? Delve Into Jesus challenges Christians to rethink the “culture war” mentality and instead model themselves on the early church.

So go out and vote—and as you do, pray that your grace and thoughtfulness will reflect Christ to the angry, hyper-politicized culture around us.

Election.

Could there be a more contentious word for the American follower of Christ? There are political elections. Elections in which voices from every side of the aisle will sputter about how Jesus would vote. And there is the matter of spiritual election in which one is predetermined to be heaven-bound or not.

Two issues that, in my opinion, should elicit a very similar response: prayer, Bible reading, a healthy understanding of the grace we are given and urged to give by Christ, and humility.

Prayer because—let’s be honest—without God’s guidance, we are left to our own wisdom, which is a terrible position to be in.

Bible reading because each of these ideas are complicated. Everybody needs to determine for themselves how to vote and what to believe, and appealing to the sourcebook of knowledge is a great place to begin.

Grace because chances are if you have or have had acquaintances, friends or family in your life you know what it is like to disagree with someone. Who hasn’t understand why a loved one would believe something? Who hasn’t been on the receiving end of that bewilderment?

Humility because as history has shown us there’s a lot of ways to make a fool of ourselves. Better to know one’s position in God’s kingdom than to be pompously prideful.

Plenty of people will enumerate reasons about who you should vote for, but we’d urge you to enter into the voting booth with a discerning heart and the knowledge that your true allegiance is not to a government but to God.

Is it possible to have a discussion about serious moral and political topics without it devolving into a partisan shouting match? Writer and blogger James Watkins has been seeking the Holy Grail of serious-but-civil dialogue for years through his columns, speaking engagements, and blogging.

Watkins’ daily blog talks about just about everything you can imagine, from the humorous to the deadly serious. But rather than shouting angry opinions from a soapbox, he prefers to step back and weigh both sides of any given debate, always from a Christian point of view. And he usually finds a way to inject some good-natured humor into even the most divisive topics. For some examples, see his posts on the same-sex marriage controversy, the US presidential race, and the Jeremiah Wright controversy. He also contributes to our own ThinkChristian blog, which explores the intersection of faith and culture.

So if you’re a bit tired of the Culture War and the bitter debates it sparks even between Christians, take a look at what Watkins is saying—it might prompt you to look at the Big Issues of the day from a more balanced, and even Christlike, perspective!

If you’ve seen the Gospel.com homepage this week, you know that our focus this week is on God and politics. Is there any aspect of public life (save perhaps religion) that can energize, outrage, and divide like good old politics can?

Nobody will argue that politics isn’t divisive, and that the political arena doesn’t get vicious and unpleasant these days. But as tempting as it might be to divorce ourselves from these day-to-day political debates and candidates and votes and scandals, this isn’t a subject that Christians can ignore. Politics is an integral part of living in our society today, and if Christians are called to reflect the light of Christ into every part of our lives, that means we’re called to behave politically in a way that honors God.

And so this week, we’ll be featuring a few ministries and other resources that talk about how Christians ought to engage politics. We aren’t taking sides, and we’re not telling you how to vote—we just want to encourage you to think about government, political parties, presidential candidates, and the voting booth as a Christ-follower, not just a citizen.

We’ll begin by noting a blog—one that’s actually not precisely about politics, but which focuses on an institution that in the eyes of many Christians is is inextricably intertwined with the Culture Wars. The blog is GetReligion, and the always-controversial subject it covers is the portrayal of religion in the media. GetReligion doesn’t just sit back and complain about the media—it looks at how Christianity is discussed in the public sphere and how that discussion might improve.

Contributors like Terry Mattingly, Douglas LeBlanc, Daniel Pulliam, and others offer detailed analyses of how journalists talk about Christianity and religion—and since religion is front-and-center in a lot of political discussions these days, various political and public-square topics crop up a lot. See recent posts that talk about media coverage of the California marriage ruling, sex scandals in the church, and the religion in the US presidential race. And if you’re hungry for yet more, GetReligion contributor Terry Mattingly writes the weekly “On Religion” column, which addresses many similar issues in a slightly different format.

Take some time to explore GetReligion (and perhaps add it to your RSS reader), and tune in tomorrow for more politics!