Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Politics From the Pulpit

I hope that I can communicate this clearly.

So I was informed yesterday that one of our church members no longer comes to worship and has stated that he will not be back until I'm gone. His stated reason is supposedly that politics don't belong in the pulpit. His absence started just before the 2016 elections so I suspect that there was something I said before the elections that gave him the excuse that he was looking for to stay away. I'll start by assuring everybody that I have never supported a political candidate nor a party from the pulpit. I have, however, emphasized the importance of exercising our responsibility as U. S. citizens to vote and to inform ourselves about the candidates and the issues.

"Politics don't belong in the pulpit"? I'm going to try to be as clear as I can without alienating any of my readers - if I do, I apologize in advance. It is my belief that most political issues are also religious issues; issues of morality. To me, they are two sides of the same coin. Some coins are legitimate and some are counterfeit. Some can only be spent out in the open marketplace and some should be spent only through the underground. The issues in my moral compass are: abortion and assisted suicide (both are murder and therefore against God's law in ALL instances); sexual orientation (again, it's addressed in God's Word); Constitutional issues (especially those contained in the Bill of Rights); illegal immigration (we have laws and avenues of entrance into this country); race relations (all men and women have been created in God's image and are worthy of respect); the right to work (no one should have to give up a portion of their paycheck in order to feed their family. I supported my family for 32 years on straight commission. The way that I got an increase in my pay was to work harder and sell more); health care (the government has no business in my life nor in how private industry transacts business). Have at it, folks! Yes, I believe that the church and its members should be involved in politics and be informed on political issues.

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