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A Pastor Challenges Progressives: Take Back the Church
A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION
by Rev. Erik J. Thorson
I am a Lutheran Pastor who, two years ago, resigned
from the first two churches I served in rural Montana after half
a year of arguing
about the Iraq War. I preached fiercely against it both before and
after the war broke out and helped lead a small but committed protest
movement in Livingston, Montana.
What was encouraging at the time was seeing so many people who felt
alienated from the church coming to our congregation. They were so
happy they had found a church that saw that Jesus' values are in many
ways compatible with and even identical to progressive values. You
could even say that Jesus invented liberalism.
What was tragic was the low level of commitment on the part of these
newcomers. After I left, they left as well, and once again abandoned
the church to it's most ignorant and hard-hearted voices.
If you want to know why conservatives control America, look no further
than the churches. The great secret of the American debate is that
most people's political opinions don't get formed by Fox News or Rush
Limbaugh- the worldview that is closest to the heart of most conservative
Americans is formed on Sunday morning at worship, and at weekly Bible
studies.
My colleagues in ministry can hardly believe that the church has come
to this. For the first 300 years of the church's existence, Christians
preached a strict code of nonviolence. The economies of Scandinavia
and Germany, the best examples of economics that work to preserve the
welfare of every citizen, were inspired by the teachings of Martin
Luther. Christians were the first to challenge racism and sexism, preaching
that "In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free,
male nor female." My own national church body, the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America, is divided about 50/50 on the subject of
the full inclusion of Gay, Lesbian, Bi, and Transgender persons in
marriage and in ministry.
I read Buzzflash every day for inspriation, and have used the news
I find here often in my sermons. Yet sometimes, I am dismayed to find
language that seems to assume that Christians are the enemy.
I want everyone out there to know that there are frustrated clergypersons
across this country who are horrified at what our country is becoming.
Clergy in the Lutheran, Episcopal, Presbyterian, and Methodist denominations
tend to be much more liberal than the congregations they serve. We
do not preach damnation for those who believe differently, but find
ourselves constantly defending other beliefs against the prejudice
of our parishoners. We do not back the Bush Agenda, but try to subtly
introduce doubt without losing the trust of the conservatives.
But without a critical mass of support from their congregations, these
leaders have their hands tied. Most of them do not want to risk the
punishment I took for speaking out.
If we progressives want to take back America, those of us who can make
a Christian commitment with integrity need to be taking back the churches.
Be visible in worship. Park your car with the Kerry/Edwards bumper
sticker in the church parking lot. Speak up at Bible studies and challenge
the persons who try to trumpet the Fox News talking points as if they
relate to the texts. Let the pastors and priests know that you are
there to back them up when they challenge corporatism, welfare cuts,
bigotry against homosexuals, and war fever. Read "God's Politics" by
Jim Wallis, and lend it to other friends who profess Christian faith.
Most of all, get fed with a power that promises to bring true peace
and universal love to our world. It is hard to sustain a life of activism
without grounding in a vision greater than ourselves!
Peace be with you, my companions on the way...
-ET
A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION |
