Take one step on the tightrope. Careful. Balance. Breathe. Take another. Yes, it is that season again. Presidential debates, political rallies, partisan conventions and extra large yard signs all remind us that the season of the fall election is already upon us. In conversations with neighbors, friends, family members and fellow church members, we watch our step. We know that following Jesus means caring about the greater good of society. And yet we value our relationships with those who see the world from a very different perspective. Last week’s assassination attempt was a vivid reminder of the sometimes violent evil acts perpetrated by those who fail to respectfully disagree.

I’ve turned back to read some insights from brave theologians from the previous century who lived through political turmoil and violent solutions. Dietrich Bonhoffer, who dared to speak out against Hitler in Germany when many other Christian leaders quietly went along wrote:

Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless.
Not to speak is to speak.
Not to act is to act.

When I read Bonhoffer, I am reminded of our essential engagement in the political process. We must advocate for what we believe in. I have written in the past about the crises of escalating gun violence in our nation. Last week I was reminded that a 20-year-old, who is not yet eligible to buy beer, had easy access to guns and ammunition that robbed an innocent man of his life simply because he attended a Presidential rally. How do we create the “peace on earth, good will to all” that Jesus came to bring?

In our own country, theologian Reinhold Niebuhr was a leading voice in the conversation about “Christ and Culture” But he cautioned: “The tendency to claim God as an ally for our partisan values and ends is the source of all religious fanaticism.” How can we advocate for our beliefs and still exercise humility? The God we worship is bigger than one political party and broader than one nation. God, the creator of the universe, loves the whole world.

I pray that the church, not just ours, but all churches, might be places where we see beyond the political polarization and embrace the ethic of love that Christ modeled. Here we can express our fears, change our minds, probe deeply our own assumptions and create a more just society. As Niebuhr wrote: “Ultimately evil is done not so much by evil people, but by good people who do not know themselves and who do not probe deeply.” We are on a tightrope. Step carefully. Probe deeply. Listen to each other. Breathe. Take another step. And God’s grace will catch us when we inevitably fall.

Grace and peace,
Carla