PREACHERS AND POLITICS

The Covid lock down has had some positive side effects. One is that many churches, whether they are meeting in person or not, are also online with either web streaming or posting their sermons on YouTube or both.  Over the last few weeks and months I have watched parts of many online services from a variety of different denominations.

One thing that bothers and outright annoys me however, is to see how many preachers have turned their pulpits into political soapboxes. Whether the issue be COVID conspiracy theories, the US presidential election, or God forbid, the scandal mess that is Canadian politics.  Frankly, I am surprised that the congregants of such preachers tolerate this.  I always assumed that people do not go to church to hear a political speech, but rather to worship God and be instructed in the Word of God.  While it is mainly the mega church pastors with national and international profiles that are guilty of politicizing the pulpit, other churches are jumping on the bandwagon as well.  More surprising is that it is primarily protestant churches – churches who profess to believe in the separation of church and state – who are guilty of this.

Let me clear up one thing right from the start of my rant, and that is that I am greatly interested in politics.  Politics is my favourite spectator sport, and I follow political events the way others follow the Stanley Cup (when it can be followed). I have political convictions and opinions.  And during my brief retirement, I even voiced some of them.  But now that I am again practising ministry, I keep these views  mainly to myself, and I bite my tongue when I am in the pulpit, or on social media, or this public blog.

The reasons for that go beyond the separation of church and state, though I believe in that firmly.  As a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I am called, along with the entire Christian church, to proclaim that gospel to all people and all nations.  No matter what a person’s political conviction, the good news of salvation in Christ is directed to them, and there is a place for them in the church.

The New Testament teaches, that the church is about the Kingdom of God. Jesus said that this kingdom is “not of this world”. (John 18:36) He also said, “The Kingdom of God is within you (or among you). (Luke 17:21) Actually, Jesus had a great deal to say about where the Kingdom of God comes from, how to get into it, who will be included, who will be excluded etc.  Christians, when they pray the Lord’s Prayer, pray that “thy Kingdom come”.  It is a mystery.  It is already here, and it will one day come in a vert visible way.  Right now it exists everywhere that Jesus truly is King, whether in an individual human life, or in gathered churches over which Jesus’ Kingdom of love and truth and justice truly reigns. The calling of all messengers of the Gospel, namely us preachers, is to work for the advancement of that kingdom.

The world of government and politics is its own world that is necessary for the preservation of order and peace in society.  The New Testament clearly teaches that we are to pray for, and be subject to, the government of the day. In Romans 13:1 Paul makes the astounding statement that “there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” It is important to note that neither Paul, nor Jesus for that matter, lived under a democratic government.  The Roman government in Jesus and Paul’s day was a ruthless autocratic and often cruel government.   But neither Jesus nor Paul could be called political activists, and certainly they were not revolutionaries.  Jesus urged His followers to “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what belongs to God.”  (Matthew 22:21)

People often mistakenly assume that democracy is their God-given right.  While I am thankful to live in a democracy,  we must remember that Christianity flourished under the pagan autocratic regime, and under the regimes that followed it. It also flourishes today in countries that are not ruled by democratic governments.

Living as we do in a democracy, we do have the right to express political opinions even if they are contrary to the government of the day. We have a right to call out politicians who are corrupt, immoral, hypocritical or dictatorial.  We have the right to advance our own ideas for solutions.  But we do NOT have the right to mix this activity, and confuse it with our religion.  When a nationally known preacher says on television, that “a true Christian cannot possibly vote for ….”, then in my opinion he has clearly stepped outside of his proper role of preaching the gospel (the good news of salvation through Christ).  And that is a two way street. Politicians need to keep their nose out of the church and not prey on people of any religion to gain their support.

I was in Kenya in 2017, when the Supreme Court of that nation declared the results of the presidential election null and void, and ordered that a new election be held.  I followed that election with great interest, and I have to say it was the nastiest campaign I have ever seen, and it included violence that led to many deaths.  It also included politicians who visited churches on Sunday morning and were allowed to speak.  After the service they would curse and tell lies about their opponent on the steps of the church.   I witnessed politicians speaking at a funeral that I attended, and apparently they also visited weddings.  Both weddings and funerals are usually largely attended events in Kenya and so considered fair game as places to go and seek votes. To his credit, the Principal at the college where I was teaching, got up in chapel one day and declared that he wanted teachers and students alike to leave their political opinions outside the gate of the college campus.  And they did.

So what would I do if a politician came to my church?  S/he would be welcomed and greeted as any other visitor (we usually do not announce names of visitors). They would be welcome to worship as anybody else.  They would not however be allowed on the platform, nor would my message be tailored for or against them.

Let me end with an apparently true story.  In a church in the British countryside the king of England unexpectedly walked into the church while the preacher was in the midst of his sermon.  Immediately he changed what he was preaching on and launched into a eulogy of the king and the royal family.  Later in the week a package was delivered to the preacher.  Inside was a crucifix with this note: This crucifix is to be hung on the pillar opposite the pulpit, so that its occupant might be reminded of his proper subject. 

RACISM

They say it is better to turn on the light rather than to curse the darkness. But amidst the current unrest and rhetoric about racism, it seems we have trouble finding the switch to turn on the lights.  I have debated whether I should say anything at all, as whatever I post will without doubt disappear amidst the current noise. Racism, pure and simple, stems from the belief or assumption that one’s own race is superior to another.  In the previous century, we have seen where that can lead as a racist government in Germany sought to extinguish another race. And in North America, the violent 1960’s and 70’s seem to be re-appearing before our very eyes.  And for those of us old enough to remember, the racial violence of the 60’s and 70’s disappeared but racism did not.  It is like a wound of humanity that recedes but flares up again and again.  So in Germany today we have “neo-nazis”, in other regions we have “ethnic cleansing”, and in North America,  “white supremacists” have never really disappeared, and even appear under the guise of religion, which is something that I find particularly evil.

To really understand racism, it helps to experience what it feels like to be on the receiving end of racial discrimination.  My three visits to Africa in the last 5 years have been interesting in that regard. For the first time in my life I was part of a “visible minority”. As a white person, I stuck out anywhere I went.  For the most part, it was no big deal.  But a few experiences stick out as either humorous or to put it mildly, interesting.  In Cameroon, I was walking down a village street alongside a missionary, who was also white. We passed a large group of young children, who upon seeing us, began to shout, “White man! White man! White man with a long nose!”  I was dumbfounded and so I said nothing.  My colleague, who wasn’t experiencing this for the first time, said to the children that they should go home and have their parents teach them some manners!

Another time, in the town of Eldoret in Kenya, I was out shopping with a fellow pastor and friend who was black, and whom I got to know in Canada.  At one point we needed to pick up his wife, who was inside a mall.  Since it was hard to find parking, my friend pulled up beside the curb and sent me inside to fetch his wife, since she did not know where he would be parked. I did so, and as we walked the considerable distance to the car, I was conscious of many stares being fixed upon us.  When we were inside the car, my friend explained to me what they were thinking – a young woman with an older man of a different colour – why that could only mean trouble.  We laughed.  Sort of.

On the campus of the college where I was teaching for three months in 2017 and 2018, I was the only white person.  Since it was a Christian college, at no time did I feel looked down or discriminated against in any way.  Teachers, whatever their skin colour are held in high regard in Africa and are treated with deference and respect.  If anything, my skin colour resulted in other assumptions being made – that I was rich, and people were very eager to be my “friends”.  But when I worshipped with these students and the other staff, I felt as one of them – except for the times that they forget that I was there and would lapse into the Swahili or some other tribal language.

Ah, and then there was apartheid in South Africa – the political and social system during the era of White minority rule, under which the people of South Africa were divided by their race and the different races were forced to live separately from each other.  Nelson Mandela was instrumental in leading to the end of that system and that did not occur without struggle.  I’ve never been to South Africa, but I have heard that while apartheid is gone as a system, old prejudices still survive.

Indeed, old prejudices are hard to eradicate.  What helps?  My advice is to interact with and get to know someone of a different race as a person.  Learn to see this person not as a member of a different race, but simply as a fellow-human being.  If you do this in a true spirit of humility and openness, you will find that God created only one type of human being.  The skin colour may be different, but essentially, we are all the same, created in the image of God and therefore entitled to dignity, respect, and worthy to be treated with kindness.

 

AFRICA SEEN THROUGH CANADIAN EYES

Actually it is Kenya I want to write about. Not everything about Kenya applies to all Africa, but some things do.  I have been there a total of three times in 2015, 2017, and 2018.  The last two visits were spent at a Bible College for a three month term as a volunteer teacher of Pastoral Theology and Biblical Preaching.  I make no pretence to be an expert on Africa, but I write about my impressions as I experienced them, and some things I have researched a little more to understand them better.

1.  Religion in Kenya. In the 2009 census, 84.8% of the population identified itself as Christian.  Of these, 23.3% are Roman Catholic, and the rest are Protestant churches which include The Anglican Church of Kenya, The Africa Inland Church (AIC), Presbyterian, Reformed, Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, and Pentecostal churches.  Other groups that fall neither into the Roman Catholic or Protestant groups include the New Apostolic Church, Seventh Day Adventist Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses, United Pentecostal and Branhamism.  The Islamic faith was identified by 9.7% of the population. Only 2.5% said that they identified with “no” religion or faith. As you drive through the cities or the countryside,  you will notice the many churches of various sizes.  Architecturally some are impressive, but most are very primitive metal edifices.  Many are simply “store-front” operations.  I am told that it is not difficult in Kenya to start a new church of whatever description, which  raises the suspicion that many exist simply to make money. Many of these churches, arising like mushrooms out of the ground are led by men (or women) with  no academic credentials, and few qualifications other than being able to market their brand of religion as the “one true” faith.

The school that I worked at is a denominational school of the Africa Inland Church (AIC), which was founded by the Africa Inland Mission (AIM).  It is an evangelical denomination with a Presbyterian form of church government: local churches are led by pastors and elders; each church is represented in a regional presbytery known as the “District Council”, overseen by a bishop, and there is a national council for the national church, and led by a “presiding” bishop.

But it isn’t as simple as that. Most of the above mentioned religions were brought into Africa in general and therefore to Kenya, from elsewhere, either by various churches or missions organizations. There is also an indigenous religion, also known as “Traditional African Religion” which is often mixed in with either the Christian or Islamic religion. African society is still very tribal. People fiercely hold on to their tribal background and heritage, and often with it the religion of that tribe.  While describing indigenous religion is beyond the scope of this blog post, suffice it to say that it involves the belief in a supreme being, along with many other lessor deities.  The supreme being is thought to be unapproachable and disinterested in the affairs of human life.  So one consults a myriad of lessor deities and spirits, including the spirits of deceased ancestors.  Because Africans generally revere their ancestors, some will resort to the religious practice of those ancestors when in difficulty, and many see no contradiction in practising the Christian, or some other religion together with their tradition religion. This of course ignores Christianity’s claims of one exclusive God, who tolerates no other gods before or beside him. Christian churches who proclaim the God of the Bible are often faced with the challenge of dealing with or helping people who have opened themselves to other spirits.

2. Culture in Kenya.  North American feminists would not feel at home in Kenya.  Women have a very distinct place in African society, which becomes visible at the very latest when a woman wishes to marry.  While men and women date and fall in love in romantic relationships, if they wish to marry, the man needs to deal with the family of his intended bride and negotiate a bridal price which he must pay to the bride’s father and or family (the bridal price is often divided among relatives of the bride).   I was shocked to learn that this happens even in Christian families and weddings.  Seeing that through North American eyes, even I as a man am appalled by this reduction of a woman to a chattel that belongs to her father until marriage, when “ownership” is transferred to the husband. The women that I have talked to about this however don’t see it that way.  “This is the way we have always done it.”  Again, the issue is too complex to discuss here, but doing something because it has always been done that way is a poor reason for doing anything.  Despite this inequality, I was surprised to learn that while the church proclaims the biblical truth of the equality of men and women in Christ, and have managed to push back by allowing women to be pastors, it has not managed to change this bizarre wedding ritual.

Another cultural difference is polygamy.  It is legal for a man to have more than one wife at the same time, but  a woman cannot be married to more than one man. Having several wives, is a status symbol for men.  I was interested to learn that members of parliament in Kenya were demanding expense allowances for their additional wives or mistresses.  The Christian church however holds to the biblical value of one man and one woman for life.  However when polygamous men become Christians and join the church, they are asked to support their several wives but they are not allowed to marry additional ones. However, such men do not qualify for leadership in the church..

3. Politics. I am a political “junkie” and politics is my favourite spectator sport.  During my time in the previous year (2017) I experienced the “re-do” of the presidential election.  The incumbent president Oruhu Kenyatta had been re-elected, however the opposition challenged the outcome in court, claiming that the election had been rigged.  The Supreme Court of Kenya noted that there were in fact “irregularities” and declared the election null and void, requiring that Kenyans go back to the polls within 60 days.  That fell into the middle of our fall term at the Missionary College.  Kenyans are passionate about their politics, even to the point of violence. While there are political parties, tribal relations also come into play as to whom Kenyans will support and vote for.  Most citizens see themselves best served if the government is run by someone of “their” tribe, or one of us as it were. Many will stop at nothing to make that happen, even things like setting fire to polling booths to prevent people from voting.  Often there is more passion than reason in Kenyan politics.  For example, although the opposition had claimed that the outcome of the election was not valid, they opposed the do over election, saying that it is was not being properly run either. They urged people not to vote, and in many cases prevented voters from doing so, resulting in no returns sent in from many ridings.  Then of course, they refused to accept the new result, which again declared Kenyatta and his party the winners. So back to court they went, but this time the Supreme Court declared the second election to be valid.  Coming back to Canada, as I watch the bizarre things that happen in our Canadian federal and our Ontario provincial government, I still think I would rather live in Canada than Kenya when it comes to politics.

4. Every Day Life in Kenya.  This is what I have been asked about most often. Let me begin by saying that if you have money (and that is the key thing) you can buy anything in Kenya that you can get here in Canada. I’ll just mention the grocery store: when I went shopping I saw very little difference, except that some things were  in shorter supply, i.e. there was not as much variety.  But I was able to buy pretty much whatever I needed or wanted, in some cases even the same brand as at home.  It’s hard to say whether things are more expensive (gasoline or “petrol” as they call it definitely costs more), and other things cost less than they do here.  The currency in Kenya is the Kenya Shilling (kSH or KES).  Presently $1 CDN is worth 75.50 kSH).  I was able to use my Canadian Bank card to obtain Kenya Shillings in cash, or my VISA card to pay for things.

There were other things about every day life that seemed odd, or at least getting used to (such as traffic drives on the left side of the road, and cars have steering wheels on the right, roads can be terrible, electricity is a different voltage to name just a few).  On the other hand that very thing of electricity was a sign that we live in a global village.  My electronic devices that I had with me from home, all work on either our Canadian voltage and the African 240V. All I needed was an adaptor so the plugs would fit. However the frequent power outages were annoying!

There is one other thing about every day life that I found challenging, and that is having a different skin colour than everyone else. At the school where I taught I was the only white man on the campus, (until two more visitors came for graduation).  Most of the time that was not a problem. Nobody made me feel uncomfortable because I was different.  But I was annoyed by the misconception that white people from North America have lots of money.  I was hit up for money more than once and asked if I could “bless someone” with a financial gift.  One person asked me to bring him an iPhone from Canada. He was shocked to learn what that would cost, and had assumed they are easy to get “in your country”.  Some found it incomprehensible when I told them how hard we work for our money, and that while some people in North America are wealthy, most of us, especially those of us in ministry are not.

Well this is a longer post than usual, but even so I feel like have merely scratched the surface.  If anyone has questions, just send them my way and I will do what I can to answer.

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