An Open Letter to the Cornerstone Family
I have been raised in church my whole life. I came to know Christ through the ministry of a local church. I have spent the last 26 years of my life serving the local church vocationally. I love the church.
But the issue of politics is one area where I believe many churches are potentially hurting themselves without even realizing it. Give me a chance to explain. Growing up in the south in a conservative Christian home, and attending a conservative Southern Baptist church during my formative years, it was almost predetermined that I would move into adulthood with the values system I had lived in since birth. But over the years I have come to understand that, far too often, we end up subtlely communicating to people in our churches that Jesus was obviously a card carrying Republican. Of course, nobody would ever say it directly, but as we preached against more things than we preached for, and as we attacked those whose views were much different than ours, we have sometimes let our passion run ahead of our message.
Over the years, there have been quite a few times when I have chased a political rabbit, or made a strong and valid point - but with the wrong motive. Only once or twice has someone come to me following those messages and told me they were offended, but I am wise enough to know that many simply leave in silence and never come back, or put up a wall that limits the very effectiveness of the ministry to them that I was working so hard to achieve. The reality is that even when we are 100% convinced we are on the right side of an isue or debate, we must exercise wisdom in how, when and where we make our case, and our heart must be pure.
With the political season in full swing I thought it would be good to talk to you about politics for second. I firmly believe that God wants every Christian in America to exercise their right to vote. It is an amazing liberty that we have in this country and one that we should appreciate. As Christians, we should be actively involved in the political process and vote as we feel God directs us. As a pastor, I have always stressed the importance of Christians using all their liberties to impact the world in a way that honors Christ.
I do think, however, that the church is a place that supersedes politics. Jesus didn’t die to form a political movement. Jesus wasn’t a Republican and He loves people of every party and persuasion. The truth is that He died to redeem all of mankind and to establish His Kingdom . . . and no other.
As we approach the presidential election, I foresee a divisive political season ahead of us like we’ve never known, and I want to be sure that any sort of political divisiveness that emerges in our society does not slow or obstruct our mission as a church in any way. Simply put, I do not want my political passion to keep someone from coming to know Christ personally, or to be a roadblock that cause them to stumble as they seek to follow Him.
When we come to church, we are no longer Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Independents - Conservatives, or Liberals. We are simply humans in desperate need of the Savior and the mercy and grace He offers.
You don't need to act uninterested - the political stakes are perhaps as high this year as they have ever been in my lifetime. But, when we gather to worship and study and serve as the body of Christ, we need to check all those things at the door, along with ever other label imaginable, and identify ourselves as either a seeker of God or, by His grace, one that has been adopted into His Kingdom.
To be clear, there is only one name that we should be lifting up at Cornerstone and that is the name of Jesus Christ. There is no party or candidate worthy to take His rightful place in our worship, teaching, interactions and meetings together as the church. My fear is that, due to strong political and ideological passions, some of us might, for a moment, forget our bigger mission and attempt to proselytize “converts” to something or anything less than the person and cause of Jesus.
Personally, I have very strong political views, but I never use the platform of our church to endorse a particular candidate or party. While I believe that this coming election looks to be a pivotal one in the history of our nation, it will never have the importance or impact that our Lord Jesus should have in our lives. I will continue to speak boldly in love about biblical values and absolute truths that God has given us, but my heart is sensitive to the presence of the Holy Spirit, and I do not want to quench His work in the hearts of the people who come here seeking spiritual guidance, not political opinions.
The truth is that we have people of every possible background visiting and attending our church on any given Sunday, and the last thing we would want is for any of them to somehow stumble over incredibly temporal political issues or the candidates of the hour while trying to come to the eternal Christ. There is no political issue bigger than our mission of helping people make Jesus Lord of their lives. None. Everything else, no matter how important, is absolutely trivial in comparison to where people spend eternity.
Stay active in the political process. Be an educated voter who genuinely prays for guidance. And be faithful to pray for those who have been placed in authority over us, whether you agree with their leadership or not. They are real people who God cares very deeply for. But let us strive to be sensitive to the diversity of the people who gather with us, and let's make sure that our politics don't dominate or hinder the ministry of our church and diminish our witness.
Pastor Greg
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