At Connect this week we had an interesting discussion around the way the Church can engage in politics. The range of opinion went from keeping anything political out of the Church community discussion on one hand to making space to appropriately discuss politics in a way that fosters healthy discussion and a robust political outlook.

We are going to head into a tough political environment where truth and integrity may be sacrificed on the altar of influence and conquest. Rather than disengaging as a Faith community, perhaps we need an ethic that helps us better work towards the ideal of a fair and honest platform from which to discern what our country’s governance needs to look like.

Three practices which I feel can help us engage in an appropriate way are:

1. Start with the details first and then shape your opinion from these. Even better, try to find common facts and details to enable an opinion.
2. If you are stating the position of those you disagree with, ensure your idea of their position is agreeable to them and not just your biased opinion.
3. Try to use “I think, I feel, I read, I heard” language over “you think, you feel, you wrote, you said…” because sometimes what you think you understand is not actually what was intended. This always allows for correction and accuracy and shows empathy.

Maybe we could make space over the next few months to have some good robust discussions around how a Faith Community wrestles well around big issues.

Jas