Faith & Politics--Do they mix?

I grew up with the belief that politics and religion don't mix. This past year I have started to take a more active role in politics, mainly due to the presidential campaign. Justin and I were volunteer officer managers for the Obama Office in Lexington during the KY primary. Through this experience we were encouraged to attend our local precinct meeting. We surprisingly walked away elected committee members. Due to my involvement and newfound interest, I have followed the campaign closely and tried to stay up to date on political matters. I also got involved with several activist groups mainly due to my belief in the Millennium Development Goals. Throughout this journey, I have been trying to better understand the complexities of politics. I mean, what is really best for our country, for the global community, for me, for others? There are so many issues and stances, viewpoints and perspectives, advice and expert opinion, media biases and political agendas. As I muddle through what I believe regarding politics, I find it hard to keep my opinions compartmentalized. How is it feasible to keep my Christian principles separate from my political ideology? Or is it possible to be a political Christian?

While these thoughts have been stewing in my head, there have been recent events that brought them to the forefront of my mind; various conversations with friends, KRM's fundraiser which is associated to the book "Jesus for President," and our recent topic of politics at Communality. Yep, for the past two Sundays we have been talking about politics at house church. It has been interesting and surprising to see how ingrained the belief of not speaking of political opinions in a religious setting is in my brain. I automatically get a little squirmy when the subject is broached. Nonetheless, I am still intrigued. I want to know how to be a holistic Christian, which also means being involved (or not involved if feel so led) in politics.

Tonight we were tagged with the task to write a political Christian creed in 5 minutes. Right. I am still thinking about this request and what my version would say. I will probably still be thinking about it for several weeks, months, possibly years. I feel that I jumped into the political scene rather quickly and would now like to take time to re-evaluate and build a stronger foundation of well-thought out beliefs. It's not that I have changed my mind about any issues or candidates. I am still an Obama supporter with a liberal mindset, but I also don't want to just be a stereotype. I want to really examine why I feel the way I feel. I want to learn from others with different opinions. I want to be challenged. And I want to figure out what fitting politics into my faith looks like.

A Glimpse of McCain

Keeping up with the Presidential Campaign can be a full-time job, but I try to stay up to date on the issues. I recently read this article on McCain and was saddened by his stance on helping the working lower and middle classes. Granted I am an Obama supporter so my opinion is obviously biased, but I do try to remain open minded. This article is worth a look for anyone who is supporting McCain.

The Beginning

Most people want to do good things. But often we don't. Why not? Is it laziness, apathy, fear? I don't really know the answer. But I would guess it's probably a combination of many things. And the fact that sometimes the world's problems seem quite distant. I know I have made many excuses to justify my own lack of initiative. But lately I have felt an urging to change. To do something. But even this concept is difficult. Where do you begin? How do you choose a worthy starting point? What are the most critical problems? And what activites really create positive change? It's been a daunting task just to sort through the options. And sometimes I feel overwhelmed by ignorance in the humanitarian realm. I mean, it's easy to have good intentions, but how do you really help people in significant and efficient ways. I need help in understanding how to help.

Living overseas for three years gave me an insightful global perspective that I immensely appreciate. I think everyone who has the opportunity should go overseas at some point in their life. Because of my experiences I do not necessarily think of myself as an American citizen (though this is my heritage), but as a global citizen. My extended relatives are the people who live in the third world countries, the slums and war zones. Indifference to situations of extreme poverty and injustice infuriate me. I believe that human life is precious and worth protecting. Just because someone has the misfortune to have been born into poverty, abuse or injustice does not mean other more fortunate and able individuals should ignore the unfair cruelty. We need to do something about the dire situations that exist in our world.

There are just so many appalling circumstances. Recently, I have started engaging in local politics, contacting grassroots organizations, watching informing documentaries and volunteering with refugees. I have spent a lot of time on the internet trying to research and compare ways to get involved. I want to use my time wisely and there are many ineffective ways to help people. And it is very much a learning process but I feel that I am educating myself. I am also finding places to plug in. And one opportunity usually leads to another. Some ways I have found to live intentionally are through volunteering by teaching English to refugees that recently move to Lexington with Kentucky Refugee Ministries, volunteering and participating in activities with Lexington for Obama, attending my local precinct democratic convention and then being elected as a Committee Chair Women, and trying to start a grassroots advocacy organization called Results in Lexington. And I often feel like the process is slow. I am impatient to see the results of my work, but I have to remind myself that change and improvement often come slowly and through much hard work. So I am content to keep trying. And I want to encourage you to do so as well. We should all be living intentional lives full of challenging ideas, positive action and deep reflection.