Good Afternoon First Presbyterian,
As we approach midterm Election Day next Tuesday, I am sharing a preview of my upcoming newsletter article with you:
Caring for One Another During Election Season
I am writing this article a week and a half before midterm Election Day, with a local Rochester TV news station on in the background. An hour ago I started counting the number of election advertisements I have seen during commercial breaks; I have already lost count.
When I was growing up my dad told us that it was rude to ask an adult:
1. "How much money do you make?"
2. "Who did you vote for?"
There have been many times in the last several years I wish I did not know who everyone in my life voted for. In many ways our "political identities" (left, right, conservative, liberal, Democrat, Republican) have become more obvious and more prominent than our identities as Christians. There is no political party in the United States that abides by all that Jesus teaches us about how to live our lives. Jesus' ministry and message was shared outside of the governments of his time, always pushing back against the tyranny of Roman rule.
I am currently teaching our Inquirer's (New Member) Class and in a hand-out Pastor Neff developed he shares this history and context about the Reformed beliefs, Freedom of Conscience and Mutual Forbearance:
"Freedom of Conscience and Mutual Forbearance – These principles were born out of the forming of America’s first Presbyterian Church in the 1780s and the need to unify various Presbyterian traditions from Great Britain and the European Continent. Freedom of conscience is the principle that God alone is the Lord of the conscience. Mutual forbearance is the principle that we must tolerate differences in belief and opinion among one another. To put these principles together and restate them, the American Presbyterian Church has always believed that not all of us will agree on everything, and we have to be O.K. with that!" - Pastor Neff
A graphic showing how members of the Presbyterian Church USA voted in the last five presidential elections makes clear that we do not agree on everything, and we likely never will. Would it be easier to attend a church where everyone agreed politically? I believe it would be easier. Is that what we are called to as Christians? Probably not. We are called to love God, and love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
Before and after election day, all of our emotions will be heightened. During this time, I suggest we intentionally care for ourselves, our fellow church members, and our neighbors, by practicing the following:
- Do not assume you know the political opinions of the person sitting next to you in church.
- Avoid using generalizations for groups of voters (i.e. "All Democrats are _____ " or "All Republicans must _____ ")
- Enter conversations about politics with curiosity instead of judgment.
- Pray for all your fellow church members as they make faithful decisions and go to the polls to vote.
- Be gentle with yourself and others when talking about voting choices and the outcomes of the elections.
- Remember that all of us are doing our very best to vote our conscience as informed by our faith.
I am praying for all of you,
Pastor Erin