Why Pastors are Bad for Politics


First it was the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy. Now comes more flak over yet another preacher, the Rev. Rod Parsley, well-known TV evangelist and senior pastor of the World Harvest Church of Columbus, Ohio. Wright was the fiery and controversial pastor of Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama. Parsley, however, did not seem to be the prior pastor of Republican presidential contender Sen. John McCain. Instead, it would appear that McCain specifically sought his endorsement in order to court the Evangelical vote. Nevertheless, he is just as fiery as Wright, except with a good old fashioned Pentecostal flavor, as opposed to Wright's UCC old fashioned liberalism.

Theology aside (and I could write much on that subject alone), I would have thought that McCain would have learned from the Wright issue that pastors are bad for politics. Of course Wright and Parsley are political lightening rods, to be sure. Still, pastors, by and large, speak a language different than politics, and the attempted translation of one tongue to the other is bound to result in misunderstanding. Take the subject of Islam. Just this past Sunday, on the great festival of the Holy Trinity, I quoted the Koran (or Qu'ran) in contrast to the orthodox teaching of the true Godhead. I have highlighted the teaching of Islam on other occasions, as well. Now if some high level politician were associated with me (an extreme stretch to be sure, but hang with me on this....), it is certainly possible that they would use such excerpts from my sermons as evidence that I am anti-Isalm and a "hate monger," as I believe the word is now being used of Parseley. Yet my points are purely theological, not geo-political, and in no way intend to reflect how we should deal with individual proponents of Islam, or Islamic nations, aside from my Christian commitment to evangelize, which in itself is another liability, politically speaking.

I am not sure how I would advise a candidate for high office, if I were so asked. However, I do think I would have steered McCain away from Parsley, even if he is desperate for the Evangelical vote. Each person is entitled to pastoral counsel, and McCain certainly needs it. But to seek a political endorsement was just plain misguided. And for the record - Parsley should never have given one.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Historical Roots of the Warham Guild Hood

Image
In doing just a little checking on the internet, it's interesting to see how the Warham Guild hood, which I have as part of my STM degree attire, is actually a throwback to the Medieval hood. One article notes "the work of the Warham Guild in its imaginative renderings of medieval hoods" (reference is from here ). Again, here is my hood: The Medieval hood, which was originally a very practical outer garment to cover a person's head and shoulders, protecting both from the elements, bears striking resemblance to this revived form: This hood was also a part of the garb of monks in that era. The Medieval hood, in some cases, also had what is known as a "liripipe," a long tail hanging from the back of a hood. You can see the modern stylized version of this on my own hood. From an article on "Academic hood development" we read that "By 1463 the favourite dress of doctors was the hood with round bell-shaped cape, and the lir
Read more

The Firefighter's Cross

Image
[Note: A similar article to this will be shared with my department at their next meeting. During this Lenten season when we are meditating on the significance and meaning of the Passion of our Lord and the Cross at Golgotha, it seemed like one way to offer a witness to the department that captured their interest and yet was not too heavy.] [Editorial Note: In response to a recent comment on this article I have made some changes to the original version of this article especially in regard to references to the so-called St. Florian's Cross. For any confusion the previous unreferenced information may have caused I apologize. I hope that the changes are satisfactory.] THE STORY OF THE MALTESE CROSS In many ways the familiar symbol to the right requires no explanation. It is the universal insignia of firefighting nationwide. Yet the precise origins of this symbol are less clear. The most popular explanation proposes its beginning in the far distant past of medieval Crusaders fi
Read more

KFUO-FM Sale: Editorial from Board of Directors

October 9, 2009 Letters to the Editor St. Louis Post-Dispatch 900 N. Tucker Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63101 RE: “Missouri Synod agrees to sell KFUO” - Oct. 7, 2009 Dear Editor, The ongoing news coverage of the sale of KFUO-FM has been disappointing in its lack of completeness. There is significantly more to the story than has been reported. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s (LCMS) Board of Directors is elected by convention delegates and is responsible—on behalf of the 2.4 million members of the church—for conscientiously evaluating the assets of the church to determine how best to use those assets to further the proclamation, mission, and ministry associated with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Synod’s board has been open about its intentions regarding the disposition of its FM station. Since as early as February 2008, this item has been on the board meeting agenda. Board minutes are made public by posting on the LCMS Web site and summaries are reported in the board’s insert “Board
Read more