Thou shalt not mix politics with religion may be the 11th commandment.With a contentious presidential election drawing to a close, heated political talk is everywhere. But there's one place you're unlikely to hear it: your house of worship.
"Most ministers and priests are afraid to get into politics," says retired United Church of Christ minister the Rev. Donald Overlock of Craigville. "Most congregants will accept more what a minister has to say about sex than politics because politics seems to get under people's skin."
But religious leaders have more to worry about than offending congregants with different political viewpoints.
A 54-year-old federal tax law bars houses of worship from participating in partisan politics by endorsing or opposing candidates from the pulpit. Doing so could jeopardize their tax-exempt status.
Last month, the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative Christian legal group, challenged the ban with its "pulpit initiative." On Sept. 28, more than 30 pastors across the country endorsed candidates from their pulpits on the grounds that the ban violates religious free speech. Proponents of the initiative hope to take the matter to the Supreme Court.
divided viewpoints
Cape clergy are divided on whether they should engage in pulpit politics.
"The law infringes on my free speech because I'm a minister," says the Rev. Henry Perry, pastor of the Mid-Cape Assembly of God in Dennisport. "I should be able to speak my mind from anywhere, including the pulpit."
Rabbi David Freelund of the Cape Cod Synagogue in Hyannis says clergy who engage in pulpit politics "tempt fate" and cross the line. "It's untoward for tax-exempt institutions, such as houses of worship, to tell people how to vote or use the power of the pulpit to endorse political candidates."
Clergy walk a fine line between following the civil law and being faithful to a higher authority. Some avoid preaching about moral or social issues that are political hot potatoes like abortion, same-sex marriage, immigration and the war on terror, because they're so divisive. But others believe it's the church's responsibility to speak out about such issues in light of biblical teachings.
Although local clergy openly talk about politically charged issues in private, they generally don't mention them from the pulpit, observes Diane Casey-Lee, executive director of the Cape Cod Council of Churches. "If a pastor is going to risk being very political, he or she is going to risk his pulpit," she says.
"We have to be very careful, because we have to be pastors to people who have different opinions than we do," says the Rev. Tiffany Nicely Holleck, who with her husband, the Rev. Christian Holleck, are co-pastors of St. Peter's Lutheran Church in East Harwich.
Holleck and her husband address social issues, like sexuality, in forums, adult Bible studies and book discussions. "We will not stand up and pound the pulpit and tell people this is what you should believe," she says. "That's not our style."
The Rev. Dr. John Terry, senior minister at The Federated Church in Hyannis, avoids political preaching "because people are going to hear it in a partisan way. I will delight some people and offend others."
But, "If you don't address these issues, how can you be relevant to your congregation?" asks the Rev. Dr. Douglas Scalise, senior pastor of Brewster Baptist Church. Yet Scalise avoids preaching about anything that smacks of partisan politics.
"God doesn't ride on the backs of elephants or donkeys," he says. "But I will preach about the relationship between our faith and politics and what Christ calls us to do as his disciples."
"We shouldn't in any way endorse a candidate because our message comes from a different place," says the Rev. Dale Rosenberger, senior minister of Dennis Union Church. "But the church needs to be connected to people's everyday moral and spiritual struggles. We need to do so on the terms of faith rather than worldly politics."
church teachings
"When you come to a Catholic church, you should expect to hear the Catholic message," says the Rev. Daniel Lacroix, pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church in Hyannis.
Although the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops doesn't allow priests to endorse a political candidate or party, "we are free to talk about issues that impact their decision-making regarding matters of faith and morals," he says.
Catholics need to know the Church's teachings on moral and social issues, the priest says, so they can bring well-informed consciences into the voting booth.
Perry, of the Mid-Cape Assembly of God, has a similar attitude.
"We tell people to take a look at their moral stance and the moral stance of those who are running for office and leave it up to them," he says. "When Jimmy Carter said he was pro-life, he got our votes."
But the Rev. Robert Swanson, pastor of the Marstons Mills Community Church, says "congregants aren't looking for guidance on how to vote" from their religious leaders. "People are pretty sharp. ... They find their moral compass from Scripture."
Clergy who have taken political stands have gotten strong reactions from their congregations.
When Scalise preached against the first Gulf War, some congregants praised him for being courageous. Others refused to talk to him. The Rev. Myron Heckman of Cape Cod Bible Alliance in Brewster knows he's offended some members of his congregation by preaching in favor of traditional marriage.
"Faith will always be divisive," says Lacroix. "Faith communities typically stand in opposition to the climate of today's culture. But it's our responsibility, like Jonah, to preach the truth as revealed in Scripture and tradition, to our people."
"If people disagree with your stance, they will say you have no business talking about that," says Rosenberger, who spoke out against the Iraq War in 2003. "If you are a leader of conscience, you have to expect reaction."
Clergy feel on safer ground encouraging their congregants to vote. Rosenberger encourages voting for the common good instead of self-interest, saying "That is one way our faith can make a difference."
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Sotto Voce
(Source: CCT)