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Men of God and party politics In the 1980s I became very active politically. I joined a party, supported candidates, attended party meetings, served as a delegate — and also learned how bitter politics can get, even at the local level. After months of being on one side of a power struggle within the local party, during which time some people were hurt, others deposed, and some driven away, one woman looked at me and said, “How, as a man of the cloth, can you even be involved with this?” I had no reply for her. She was right. I was out of my element. It’s been a long time since I have been involved with the nuts and bolts of party politics and quite some time has elapsed since I endorsed a candidate. I still will take a strong stand on moral and biblical issues either in sermons or in writing, but I have come to the conclusion that it is unwise for me to denigrate the office of priest/pastor by engaging in the mud-wrestling that is politics. For all the good that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright may have done for the poor and for people of color, he will forever be remembered for the caustic and controversial remarks made from his pulpit — remarks that would likely have remained unknown had he not be prominent in supporting a candidate for president. Likewise will Father Michael Pfleger be linked to a sermon that some have characterized as sexist and anti-white. Again, the Catholic priest was active in supporting a particular candidate for President of the United States. On the other side of the political battlefield, two prominent clergymen are finding that the world-wide attention they are receiving is not the kind to which they are accustomed. Catholic League president Bill Donahue has said that the Rev. John Hagee “... called my religion ‘The Great Whore,’ the ‘apostate church,’ the ‘anti-Christ’ and a ‘false cult system.’” Pastor Hagee’s remarks became widely known after he endorsed a candidate for president. Pastor Rod Parsley, during a 2005 sermon, called Islam “the greatest religious enemy of our civilization and the world,” claiming that the historic mission of America is to see “this false religion destroyed.” Parsley said, “The fact is that ... America was founded in part with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed. After Parsley endorsed a candidate for president, his remarks were broadcast around the world. Both Hagee and Parsley are mega-church pastors and television evangelists who, like Wright and Pfleger, have now discovered that when the Church gets into bed with politics, the Church nearly always loses. On the other hand, the Rev. Billy Graham and Mother Teresa of Calcutta both had great influence with world leaders, even daring to rebuke them if they believed such an action was necessary. Graham only once allied himself closely to a candidate and later felt betrayed by that man’s lack of integrity. While he was available as a spiritual counselor to many leaders, he never again compromised his role as a man of God by stooping to play the political game. Billy Graham and Mother Teresa both have a lasting legacy of positive good, and will be remembered for being people of Christ-like character and faith. It now remains to be seen whether Wright, Pfleger, Hagee, and Parsley may have exchanged their own spiritual birthright for a “savory meal” as did Esau in Genesis 27. It is one thing to contend for the faith and to speak out on biblical issues. It is another thing to render unto the political Caesar of the moment that which belongs only to God. In the end, politics is not likely to be reformed and purified by the endorsement of the ambassadors of Christ. Sadly, these men and women of God run the real risk of being corrupted by a worldly and vicious system and compromising their witness, ministry, and integrity. As the lady said, “How, as a man of the cloth, can you even be involved with this?” login to post comments | Father David Epps's blog
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