Does your pastor preach politics? (CC, obviously)

[NancyNellen]

Thank God for preachers who preach politics! It's the mark of a true Patriot.

 

Ah, but is it the mark of a true Christian?

 

(Said with all gentleness and a request that you understand that I am pathetically non-confrontational. Really.)

I agree with you about our country. The Lord is sovereign and willed that this country should come into being, but ultimately, did those pastors do what the Bible calls them to do? Was their focus to preach the Word of God, or affect societal change?

 

Ultimately I think that is the big question.:001_smile:

[Karenciavo]

No, not in the 15 years and 2 Pastors I've had.

[NancyNellen]

Yes, I think I am looking at it from the latter standpoint. The Bible is clear. Pastors are to preach "in season and out of season." And they are commanded to preach the Word of God, even the parts that are not PC. :001_smile:

 

I guess I was assuming this thread was talking about "An 8% sales tax is a sin against God, and you need to vote Demopublican in November."

[Jugglin'5]

Ah, see I am enough of a John MacArthur fan to know that I disagree with him on the legitimacy of the American War for Independence. But I appreciate that is is always trying to bring Scripture to bear on whatever he is teaching, so I respect him immensely even when I disagree. He did make me stop and think about that though. He almost convinced me.;)

 

Ah, but is it the mark of a true Christian?

 

(Said with all gentleness and a request that you understand that I am pathetically non-confrontational. Really.)

I agree with you about our country. The Lord is sovereign and willed that this country should come into being, but ultimately, did those pastors do what the Bible calls them to do? Was their focus to preach the Word of God, or affect societal change?

 

Ultimately I think that is the big question.:001_smile:

[cajun.classical]

Something about this thread has been quietly nagging at me. Maybe we are using the term politics differently. What if' date=' for instance, as recently happened in Canada, a Human Rights Commission tells your pastor he can't preach about certain things because to do so constitutes a hate crime? Or maybe it won't go so far as that, but they threaten to yank your church's tax exempt status? I keep hearing "that's not legal" a lot. What about, "We must obey God rather than man?" If it is a biblical mandate, I don't really care if it is legal. I think I may be talking about something different though. Maybe I am talking, "The Bible says adultery is wrong", and you guys are talking, "An 8% sales tax is a sin against God, and you need to vote Demopublican in November."[/quote']

 

Great Point! While I wouldn't be comfortable with my pastor saying, Vote for Candidate X from the pulpit, I do expect him to tackle social issues, many of which fall under the broader understanding of "political." I want him to preach faithfully from the Bible and that means speaking on every area of life--even if that includes the political realm.

 

Christianity has always been politically dangerous. That's why the Roman Empire made Christianity illegal; it threatened the status quo of the State.

 

For me, the dividing line is, preach what the Bible says, apply it to all areas of life, but don't bind people's consciences where God has not.

[Kelli in TN]

Something about this thread has been quietly nagging at me. Maybe we are using the term politics differently. What if' date=' for instance, as recently happened in Canada, a Human Rights Commission tells your pastor he can't preach about certain things because to do so constitutes a hate crime? Or maybe it won't go so far as that, but they threaten to yank your church's tax exempt status? I keep hearing "that's not legal" a lot. What about, "We must obey God rather than man?" If it is a biblical mandate, I don't really care if it is legal. I think I may be talking about something different though. Maybe I am talking, "The Bible says adultery is wrong", and you guys are talking, "An 8% sales tax is a sin against God, and you need to vote Demopublican in November."[/quote']

 

Well, I think a church body and church staff can send a certain message as to the leanings of the house without crossing the line. Let's say my church supports fundraisers for the local crisis pregnancy center. I think folks are going to recognize that we are a prolife church without anyone having to preach against abortion. I think a prochoice person is going to feel out of their element and seek a church more in line with their beliefs. More power to them, or something like that.

 

The closest my pastor ever got to a "political" statement was to say that marriage is one man, one woman. He did not tell who to vote for.

Oh wait, I thought of a another, he preached on gambling once. Once again, he did not mention any action we should take, he just preached on gambling. I don't consider this politics from the pulpit.

 

To me, politics from the pulpit is when a pastor scorns or mocks candidates or elected officials, hints or comes out and states his opinion on how someone should vote, and worst of the worse-decides that (tornadoes, hurricanes, diseases, tsunamis, wars, etc) are the hand of God dishing out justice. I just don't think humans can really know the mind of God and we are called to comfort the afflicted, not assure them that their suffering is a result of their sin. So, by my definition of politics from the pulpit, my pastor is not guilty of it.

[rowan-tree]

But from the pulpit, I want to hear the Word, and also Biblical principles that should form the basis for these personal decisions, not just the pastor's conclusions, however heartfelt. Then leave to me what God Himself has left to my conscience. Is the pastor infallible? Perfectly informed?

 

I agree that pastor's are fallible, being mere men. That is why they must take great care to stick close to the Word of God in their exposition/preaching. I'd have to say, though, that insofar as the Bible and its principles speak to politics (or anything other area), they must preach those principles courageously, even if it's "unpatriotic" or "illegal." Not many pastors have enough wisdom to understand all that goes into a magistrate's decision. Not many pastors know enough about political candidates to offer voting advice. But insofar as character and Biblical morality apply, a pastor must have the "liberty" to speak out. E.g., if a candidate's voting record is consistently anti-life, a pastor can say "that's offensive to God." However, I don't think they can necessarily say "don't vote for that man" as if voting were somehow a spiritual act of conscience. Sometimes the best vote is a vote for the "lesser of two evils." I'm not into strictly conscience voting. Unless a third party candidate I agreed with wholeheartedly could make a genuine bid, I'd have to go with the "lesser of evil" idea. On the other hand, who says the polls are our infallible authority?

[lwilliams1922]

That happened at the church we used to attend before we moved.

 

The pastor was clearly mixing religion and politics with his slant, lean, push. I felt very uncomfortable.

 

DH didn't seem to mind but then again we, for the most part agree with different parties.

[Plaid Dad]

My pastor does explain Church teaching on issues that have immediate relevance to politics but does not go so far as to "name names" when it comes to candidates. In the past, at the back of the church, I have seen copies of a brochure that spells out our moral obligations as Catholic voters and is very explicit about "non-negotiable issues," but again, it is left to the individual to evaluate the candidates by those standards.

[Jugglin'5]

I agree that pastor's are fallible, being mere men. That is why they must take great care to stick close to the Word of God in their exposition/preaching. I'd have to say, though, that insofar as the Bible and its principles speak to politics (or anything other area), they must preach those principles courageously, even if it's "unpatriotic" or "illegal."

:iagree: This is what I was dancing around trying to say earlier.

 

Not many pastors have enough wisdom to understand all that goes into a magistrate's decision. Not many pastors know enough about political candidates to offer voting advise. But insofar as character and Biblical morality apply, a pastor must have the "liberty" to speak out. E.g., if a candidate's voting record is consistently anti-life, a pastor can say "that's offensive to God." However, I don't think they can necessarily say "don't vote for that man" as if voting were somehow a spiritual act of conscience. Sometimes the best vote is a vote for the "lesser of two evils." I'm not into strictly conscience voting. Unless a third party candidate I agreed with wholeheartedly could make a genuine bid, I'd have to go with the "lesser of evil" idea. On the other hand, who says the polls are our infallible authority?

 

I'm still wrestling with the 3rd party thing.

[Vida Winter]

Yesterday (Sat.) my dh told me that his sermon was going to be about the war in Iraq and what the Bible says. He told me the gist of his sermon and I rebutted, advising him that he could not maintain a neutral political stance by what he wanted to say.

 

Without getting into the details of which party or what views a pastor preaches about from the pulpit, do you mind sharing whether or not:

 

1. You've had a pastor that shared (any) political view from the pulpit, or attempt (directly or indirectly) to sway others towards one particular line of political thinking.

 

2. If you pastor did, would it upset you? Is there any harm in a pastor openly sharing his political views?

 

I ask because a few members of the church asked him afterwards if he was leading up to a certain conclusion that he neglected to share- of course he was...and then upon their request he shared it with them, citing me as the reason he didn't do it from the pulpit.

 

Now I'm curious whether I was wrong in advising him not to.

 

1. We don't have a pastor at our parish but we do have a variety of "circuit riders" and we are visited at least once a month by a priest. I cannot recall a priest expressing a political view one way or another except that we pray for our nation and our leaders, whoever they may be. Everything is done in a neutral way, or so it seems to me.

 

2. I would not want a pastor to try to sway the congregation one way or another. We have a real mix of Democrats and Republicans in our parish and if our priest came out in favor of one or the other, *someone* would be upset, maybe even upset enough to leave our tiny congregation.

 

Further, I think it is better to just stick to the gospel. Each Sunday, we hear the message of the love that our holy Father has for us. That is something we can all agree on.

 

~Dana

[Parrothead]

No, I've never had a priest sermonize about politics. I think it would upset me just a wee bit if he did. I think it would go against God giving us free will.

[cajun.classical]

I agree that pastor's are fallible, being mere men. That is why they must take great care to stick close to the Word of God in their exposition/preaching. I'd have to say, though, that insofar as the Bible and its principles speak to politics (or anything other area), they must preach those principles courageously, even if it's "unpatriotic" or "illegal."

:iagree: Well said, Rowan

[rowan-tree]

Ah, but is it the mark of a true Christian?

 

I agree with you about our country. The Lord is sovereign and willed that this country should come into being, but ultimately, did those pastors do what the Bible calls them to do? Was their focus to preach the Word of God, or affect societal change?

 

Ultimately I think that is the big question.:001_smile:

 

I have to admit that I'm not all clear on this. But I agree, that is definitely the question. I think the best response is another question, "Is it right for ANYone to attempt to affect societal change?" If anyone should attempt it, why not pastors? The gospel message is, in essence, the proclamation of the kingship of Christ. It is saying, "Christ is Lord." And the response to the message is repentance and faith. If Christ is Lord, then He is Lord of everyone. That's why Paul couldn't wait to go straight to Caesar with that proclamation, so that even Caesar would bow his knee to the King of kings. This is why, in our country's beginning, a man had to be a Christian to hold political office (so much for separation of church and state!)

 

Pastors preach, like Paul, from their pulpits on whatever is apropo to their congregation's needs, applying the gospel of Christ's Lordship over every area - none excluded.

 

Pastors are also men and citizens of earthly kingdoms, and if the times call for men to take up arms against tyranny, then I'm not sure what's wrong with them leading the way with their own example.

 

The churches of the colonies were the centers of their communities. Their whole lives were shaped by it. Often (if not always), being a member of God's trans-national kingdom requires one to engage in his nation's politics. This doesn't mean he spreads Christ's kingdom with a sword, because Christ's kingdom doesn't spread that way. But sometimes our Christian duty requires men to use one for other just reasons. I think the War for Independence is an example of this.

 

I'm all for our military chaplains carrying guns in combat. If I had a pastor (chaplain) as a husband, and he were stuck in fox hole being assaulted by enemies, I'd expect him to do his darndest.

[*anj*]

Jess,

I'm answering you without reading any of the other responses.

 

 

1. You've had a pastor that shared (any) political view from the pulpit, or attempt (directly or indirectly) to sway others towards one particular line of political thinking.

My former pastor never shared any of his political viewpoints from the pulpit. I never heard him officially or unofficially discuss his own thoughts. He prayed for our leaders all the time and the only way I know how he voted is that a friend's husband ran into him at a rally where one of the presidential candidates at the time was speaking.

 

My present pastor (we've been attending just under a year now) hasn't so far said anything overtly leaning toward one or the other. He did say this today:

"We have a young person with no experience who chose to run with an old man who has experience. We have an older man with experience who chose to run with a young woman who has no experience. No matter how you look at it, isn't it great that we haven't set our hope in either of them? Our hope is not in the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party. Our hope is in the Lord."

Now I happen to know what his political leanings are because we've had private conversations, but he certainly wasn't trying to sway anyone from the pulpit.

 

2. If you pastor did, would it upset you? Is there any harm in a pastor openly sharing his political views?

I think that if my pastor's political views were very different from my own it might upset me. The priest who was pastor at my husband's former church was that way. He was very vocal about his ideas and my dh did not feel comfortable at all because the priest was making it seem like everyone there should agree with him if they considered themselves to be good Catholics.

 

I think that they should keep their opinions to themselves because they enter into very murky water when they cross the line from personal ideas into church teaching. I think that it's fine for them to talk about controversial things like abortion, same sex marriage, and the like because those things have a moral/spiritual link. But I don't think they should ever seem to be telling people how to vote.

 

One last thing:

My parents used to attend a rather large, primarily black church. I remember visiting their church several years ago (I never attended regularly) and I was shocked and dismayed because Joe Lieberman had been invited to speak. He was running for office and he came to their church and was given the pulpit! That was just so totally unacceptable to me. And I do think that that is an abuse of power and of trust because a pastor should never, ever invite politicians in to take time out of a worship service so that they can campaign to the congregants.

 

I ask because a few members of the church asked him afterwards if he was leading up to a certain conclusion that he neglected to share- of course he was...and then upon their request he shared it with them, citing me as the reason he didn't do it from the pulpit.

 

Now I'm curious whether I was wrong in advising him not to.

[Carol in Cal.]

I think the best response is another question, "Is it right for ANYone to attempt to affect societal change?" If anyone should attempt it, why not pastors? The gospel message is, in essence, the proclamation of the kingship of Christ. It is saying, "Christ is Lord." And the response to the message is repentance and faith. If Christ is Lord, then He is Lord of everyone.

 

QUOTE]

 

Yes, absolutely, the pastor has the right to attempt societal change. However, in my view, the change he attempts from the pulpit should be somewhat distinct the from the breadth of change that he may attempt as more of a citizen. In the pulpit his job is to proclaim the Word of God, and he should not extrapolate from that to placing political obligations on people, just moral and spiritual ones that the Bible clearly teaches. But in the other parts of his job, and in conversation, and his private life, he has much more freedom to work politically--just not the freedom to say that God wants everyone to follow him in that regard.

[rowan-tree]

I think the best response is another question, "Is it right for ANYone to attempt to affect societal change?" ...

 

QUOTE]

 

Yes, absolutely, the pastor has the right to attempt societal change. However, in my view, the change he attempts from the pulpit should be somewhat distinct the from the breadth of change that he may attempt as more of a citizen. In the pulpit his job is to proclaim the Word of God, and he should not extrapolate from that to placing political obligations on people, just moral and spiritual ones that the Bible clearly teaches. ...

 

Hmmm. I'd have a hard time making such a distinction. Perhaps there are some good examples on this thread - like asserting a congregation's responsibility to support a particular candidate(?) But as far as breadth goes, I'm not sure what area is not to be changed so that it is brought under Christ's dominion. After all, He said "Make the nations my disciples," right? Even if "nations" means "peoples," I think it means distinct peoples, i.e., peoples who are part of one another, and therefore comprise nations. Help me understand how our political obligations are not informed by extrapolations from the Word?

[*anj*]

Yes, I think I am looking at it from the latter standpoint. The Bible is clear. Pastors are to preach "in season and out of season." And they are commanded to preach the Word of God, even the parts that are not PC. :001_smile:

 

I guess I was assuming this thread was talking about "An 8% sales tax is a sin against God, and you need to vote Demopublican in November."

 

Yes, that's how I interpreted it. I do believe that they are to preach the Word in season and out of season. But they need to make sure it's God's word and not their own word, right? :iagree:

[Spy Car]

I wonder how you all would think about your pastor (or Bishop) posting the following photo on his blog. Does this cross the line?

 

Bill

 

[NancyNellen]

Very good question. I think the answer to your question, "Is it right for ANYone to attempt to affect societal change?" is a resounding yes. But I would disagree that pastors should attempt this from the pulpit.

 

Paul couldn't wait to get to Caesar but his message, as you stated, was the gospel. Not a list of political points. We are commanded in Scripture to submit to the authority God has appointed, unless doing so forces us to sin. And yes, pastors should "preach, like Paul, from their pulpits on whatever is apropo to their congregation's needs" But I would argue that those needs are the same regardless of where the congregation is located...to acknowledge their sinfulness, repent, and put their faith in Jesus Christ. Yes? Ultimately, that is the Scriptural directive for a pastor. As Paul writes to Timothy:

 

"Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching."

 

I think you and I are basically in agreement on this. Certainly, if the government is commanding us to sin then we must refuse. I would expect my pastor to lead by example in such a circumstance. But if that is not the case, I would expect him to "devote himself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching."

 

I was interrupted umpteen times while I typed this, so hopefully it is coherent enough. :-)

[Jugglin'5]

It's funny.:) I wouldn't expect him to hold it up from the pulpit, but his blog is different.

 

I wonder how you all would think about your pastor (or Bishop) posting the following photo on his blog. Does this cross the line?

 

Bill

 

[*anj*]

What happened, Bill? First I saw a picture of a book called "Goodnight bush" and then I refreshed the page and found this one. What's that all about? ;)

 

I wonder how you all would think about your pastor (or Bishop) posting the following photo on his blog. Does this cross the line?

 

Bill

 

[NancyNellen]

Right!:thumbup:

[Jugglin'5]

Bill doesn't think a political sense of humor or satire is appropriate on a pastor's blog.

[Spy Car]

What happened, Bill? First I saw a picture of a book called "Goodnight bush" and then I refreshed the page and found this one. What's that all about? ;)

 

Divine intervention? :D

[Jugglin'5]

Divine intervention? :D

 

:D good one.

[Spy Car]

Bill doesn't think a political sense of humor or satire is appropriate on a pastor's blog.

 

Not when it mocks Presidential candidates and leaders of other faiths I don't.

 

Bill

[rowan-tree]

I wonder how you all would think about your pastor (or Bishop) posting the following photo on his blog. Does this cross the line?

 

Bill

 

 

What line? And who drew it?

[*anj*]

Divine intervention? :D

 

Aha!! ;)

[cajun.classical]

Not when it mocks Presidential candidates and leaders of other faiths I don't.

 

Bill

So, I'm curious. Why are Presidential Candidates immune from satire by Pastors? If SNL can make a an entire genre of satirizing politicians, why can't Christian pastors be given the same liberty? Are you trying to limit their free speech?

[Spy Car]

What line? And who drew it?

 

 

How about "love thy neighbor"? I think Jesus wrote that.

 

Bill

[Danestress]

Wasn't that the feminist slogan?

 

It's really hard, sometimes, to distinguish what is political from what is personal in America, because we are so accustomed to using the legal and political processes to bring about change in our communities. We don't really try to change hearts and minds, we try to change laws.

 

I guess I tend to extend grace to a pastor who is walking that line. If I thought your husband was telling me how to vote, I probably wouldn't like it. But I have heard pastors preach on things like the lottery (when our state was considering it) which are pretty political. For me, and I think for many in my church, this wouldn't be a huge issue. I feel free to disagree with my pastor on a lot of things - raising children, educating them, the death penalty, the war..... and it's okay. I thnk my pastor would respect that I can make up my own mind. We don't have church culture (and I am speaking of my own little parish) where everyone is expected to adopt all the views of the pastor, even in areas of doctrine and scriptural interpretation.

 

So I could shrug and move on. I think that would be harder in a congregation that has a very broad view of a pastor's authority.

[rowan-tree]

How about "love thy neighbor"? I think Jesus wrote that.

 

Bill

 

Sometimes love hurts, while the tender-mercies of the wicked are cruel.

 

And Jesus loved satire.

[Jugglin'5]

How about "love thy neighbor"? I think Jesus wrote that.

 

Bill

 

Wilson is just following the tradition of Elijah, Jesus, Paul, Spurgeon (commonly called the "Prince of Preachers"), and G.K. Chesterton.

[Spy Car]

Sometimes love hurts, while the tender-mercies of the wicked are cruel.

 

And Jesus loved satire.

 

And sometime people are just obnoxious, rude and disrespectful while they claim to be men of peace. It sickens me.

 

Bill

[rowan-tree]

How about "love thy neighbor"? I think Jesus wrote that.

 

Bill

 

We both agree that the civil magistrate ought to be respected by all citizens. Christians are (supposedly) taught this (Jude 1.8 teaches it's wrong to speak evil of dignitaries). But speaking evil is very different from satirizing the ridiculous, even in dignitaries of the land "where no man has to bow."

[rowan-tree]

And sometime people are just obnoxious, rude and disrespectful while they claim to be men of peace. It sickens me.

 

Bill

 

Sorry to offend. But I'm not sure why you hold me to a different standard than you hold yourself. After all, you are the one who brought up the disagreement from last evening over the blog picture. To re-initiate something you find provoking when it was quieted is not peaceable. That sickens everyone.

[cajun.classical]

Sorry to offend. But I'm not sure why you hold me to a different standard than you hold yourself. After all, you are the one who brought up the disagreement from last evening over the blog picture. To re-initiate something you find provoking when it was quieted is not peaceable. That sickens everyone.

 

:iagree:

[Jugglin'5]

And sometime people are just obnoxious, rude and disrespectful while they claim to be men of peace. It sickens me.

 

Bill

 

And sometimes they need to untwist the knickers and get a sense of humor..Go watch Top Ten Bushisms on Youtube. It always makes me laugh. He is a good man, but gracious he talks funny!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRlbX9AJPyg&feature=related

[kokotg]

So, I'm curious. Why are Presidential Candidates immune from satire by Pastors? If SNL can make a an entire genre of satirizing politicians, why can't Christian pastors be given the same liberty? Are you trying to limit their free speech?

 

Well, SNL doesn't have tax exempt status.

[Carol in Cal.]

 

Hmmm. I'd have a hard time making such a distinction. Perhaps there are some good examples on this thread - like asserting a congregation's responsibility to support a particular candidate(?) But as far as breadth goes, I'm not sure what area is not to be changed so that it is brought under Christ's dominion. After all, He said "Make the nations my disciples," right? Even if "nations" means "peoples," I think it means distinct peoples, i.e., peoples who are part of one another, and therefore comprise nations. Help me understand how our political obligations are not informed by extrapolations from the Word?

 

My distinction is not between things that are informed by the Word and things that are not, as I said pretty strongly in an earlier post on this thread. Everything is informed by the Word. Everything will be changed under Christ's dominion.

 

My distinction, rather, is between what should be preached in a sermon during a divine service and what should not be--the latter of which is still actionable, but just not appropriate for preaching.

 

I think that the prophetic role of the church stands, but that it should not be exercised primarily by the pastor nor should it necessarily be part of worship services.

[Jugglin'5]

Well, SNL doesn't have tax exempt status.

 

So pastors are never private citizens? May they vote?

[Spy Car]

Sorry to offend. But I'm not sure why you hold me to a different standard than you hold yourself. After all, you are the one who brought up the disagreement from last evening over the blog picture. To re-initiate something you find provoking when it was quieted is not peaceable. That sickens everyone.

 

You were the one who linked to it, I want to know if the "hive" thinks it is kosher for a pastor to put such stuff on a blog, or to refer to Barack Obama as the Dali Bama.

 

You might think it's hilarious, I don't think it reflects well on a minister.

[*anj*]

You were the one who linked to it, I want to know if the "hive" thinks it is kosher for a pastor to put such stuff on a blog, or to refer to Barack Obama as the Dali Bama.

 

You might think it's hilarious, I don't think it reflects well on a minister.

 

Ohhhh, you mean that stuff came from a pastor's blog?

 

I did not grasp that til now.

 

Yes, I'd feel uncomfortable if my pastor had either of those things on his blog.

[Spy Car]

Ohhhh, you mean that stuff came from a pastor's blog?

 

I did not grasp that til now.

 

Yes, I'd feel uncomfortable if my pastor had either of those things on his blog.

 

 

Not "Goodnight Bush", that was my mistake :D

 

The Dali Bama, that was from a pastor's blog.

[*anj*]

Not "Goodnight Bush", that was my mistake :D

 

The Dali Bama, that was from a pastor's blog.

 

Ohhhh. Okay. Yes, they are private citizens, but they are also public figures and it's obvious that that kind of thing can give rise to scandal and just reflect poorly on Christianity in general. I think it would be better for a pastor not to put something like that on his blog.

[kokotg]

So pastors are never private citizens? May they vote?

 

yeah' date=' I'm not really following along all that closely. I'm kinda sleepy. Is the blog on the official church site? If not, if it's a private blog, then it's not something [i']I[/i] would be comfortable with my pastor posting, but, yeah, that's just me. Incidentally, Mike Huckabee spoke during the morning service at a big church near me the Sunday before Super Tuesday. so apparently I'm totally out of the loop on this stuff anyway, because I have no idea how that's not considered campaigning.

[cajun.classical]

So pastors are never private citizens? May they vote?

Yeah, what she said! :iagree:

[Jugglin'5]

Uh, yeah, I'd consider that campaigning. The blog is a private blog, but of course he is fairly well known. Ironically, he is has been a huge critic of the religious right for becoming Republican party shills.

 

yeah, I'm not really following along all that closely. I'm kinda sleepy. Is the blog on the official church site? If not, if it's a private blog, then it's not something I would be comfortable with my pastor posting, but, yeah, that's just me. Incidentally, Mike Huckabee spoke during the morning service at a big church near me the Sunday before Super Tuesday. so apparently I'm totally out of the loop on this stuff anyway, because I have no idea how that's not considered campaigning.

[Beth in SW WA]

And sometime people are just obnoxious, rude and disrespectful while they claim to be men of peace. It sickens me.

 

Bill

 

Does Obama's pastor sicken you?