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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. 

THE WAY I SEE COVID-19

We have new vocabulary that all of us are navigating.  Social Distancing.  Approximately a month ago few of us had ever heard of the term.  A few weeks into it, many are suggesting it is not a good term, since we are all inherently social beings who need human contact even when we are distant from one another.  So Physical Distancing is the new terminology.  Keep a measured distance apart from one another.  To help define this, we are told where we can go and how often. In the supermarket lines are taped to the floor to ensure that we do not get too close. See-through-barriers for cashiers, bus drivers and others.   And we are not supposed to be in gatherings of people.  At first it was groups no larger than 200, then 50, then 5, and now even meeting with one other person outside of your household is not recommended.  We are threatened with penalties if we do not comply.

Its been a learning curve.  For me, it began earlier than for most.  I went into the hospital at the end of February for an operation, and during my convalescence at home, the Corona Virus (Covid-19) pandemic began to grow and spread.  At first we thought it was something limited to a specific part of the world (China), but now we have the shocking reality of  614,136 worldwide cases,  4,326 of them in Canada.  It has resulted in  28,251 deaths, 55  of them in Canada. And the numbers climb every day, so the ones I cited are probably out of date by the time anyone reads this.    More interesting statistics can be found here.

We have, it seems an information overload on this event that is unlike anything we have seen in modern times.  I will restrict myself therefore, to some personal impressions.

First,  I would mention the sense of shock that I felt the first time I went into a grocery store and saw the empty shelves.  Not only toilet paper and related products were missing,  but the store I went to had no meat, no potatoes, no pasta, no bread.  I felt tears coming to my eyes, because I remember Mom and Dad telling us stories of such conditions in post-war Europe, and I recall seeing documentaries about shortages in countries behind what was once called the Iron Curtain, but I never thought I would see such things with my own eyes here in Canada, the land of plenty that I was raised in. So I tried my luck by going to a second grocery store.  There I was able to pick up the last package of spaghetti (not the kind of pasta I was looking for, but that was the only choice).

Secondly, I am disappointed by the foolishness that I see and hear not only in the media, but even among my own acquaintances.   People who ignore the directives of our governments, and foolishly talk about how the whole thing is exaggerated.

Social media seems to be a great tool to stay in touch with those who mean a lot to us, and whom we cannot be with at this time. Sadly, many abuse that to peddle misinformation about miracle cures.  I too have posted humorous things, thinking we need the relief of humour, but slowly it is no longer funny.

Finally, the pandemic is bringing out the best (or the worst) in people. In short, it is revealing who we really are, and sadly who we will continue to be when its over.  Those who don’t go to church, for example, do not miss the fact that places of worship are closed, and for them nothing will be different when they open again. Those who have been socially distant, remain so to this day, and don’t do anything to reach out to loved ones and others, despite the ironic term of “social media”. I am very happy to be in touch with people that way, and disappointed (but not surprised) by those I have not heard from.  Those who are by nature generous and caring, are the ones who are currently reaching out to the vulnerable and the helpless, and we read touching stories of that. They will continue to be generous and caring when this is all over.

Like many others, I ask myself, when we will return to some level of normality, and how will that normal look? At first we thought it is a matter of weeks, now we are hearing talk about months when the emergency restrictions will be lifted.

I really like what someone has said (and I’d love to give credit but I don’t remember who it was): “in our rush to get back to normal, we should reflect on what we want to get back to, and what we should leave behind”. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

 

SAVE THE PLANET?

Global Warming.  Climate Change. Greenhouse gases.  It is impossible not to hear these terms, and now that we are in the midst of a federal election we hear them even more.  Now before I say anything else, let me make it clear that I am totally in favour of the idea of taking care of our planet.  God has made us stewards to take care of our earth, and collectively we have done a very poor job of it.

However, the annoyance factor over the hype over this issue has grown to outright disgust and anger for many of us over the way that our politicians of all stripes are using this issue to try and buy our votes. The other day a political flyer arrived at my doorstep which encouraged me to “save the planet” by voting for that party.

So a “reality check” of facts would be in order here.  According to The Union of Concerned Scientists, Canada produces only about 1.6% of the greenhouse gases produced globally.  Even reducing Canada’s portion by 50% will not make much of a difference to our planet’s wellbeing.

According to the scientists mentioned above,

The top six polluters are:

1: China 9,040,000 Metric Tons.

2:  USA 4,997,000 Metric Tons.

3: India: 2,066,000 Metric Tons.

4: Russia 1,468,000 Metric Tons.

5: Japan 1,141,000 Metric Tons.

6: Germany 729,000 Metric Tons.

Canada ranks 9th,with 549,000 Metric Tons or 6% of China, or 1.6% Globally

In the past our governments have set lofty targets, which were never met. The target that the liberals are promoting during this campaign was actually set by the previous Harper conservative government.  At that time, our Prime Minister who was then in opposition,  scoffed at that target as being “insignificant”.  Hypocritically, he has not only borrowed (or stolen) the conservative target, but also introduced a carbon tax which many scientists believe accomplishes very little if anything but grabbing cash for government coffers.

That is why I am not amused by election propaganda that claims that votes for a particular party will “save the planet”.   Nothing will save this planet from what God said will happen to it:  “Heaven and Earth will pass away” (Luke 21:33; Matt.24:35; Mark 13:31)  and John, the apocalyptic writer of the Book of Revelation speaks of  “a new heaven and a new earth for the first earth had passed away”. (Revelation 21:1)

Salvation is needed by the inhabitants of this planet more than the planet itself.  Hardly anyone, whether inside or outside the church, and least of all our politicians care about that.

The views expressed in this post are my own, and not necessarily those of my employer.

“Dear Diary”


On my bookshelf at home 12,176 km away in Canada (that’s 7,573 miles for you non-metrics) is a thick volume that I read a few years ago.  It is the published diary of Ronald Reagan, apparently  written while he lived in the White House as President of the United States.  One page even is a facsimile of his handwriting.  I remember at the time that it seemed exciting to read about the day to day musings of a man who was the most powerful man in the world.  But I am a skeptic of sorts.  I wonder how much of it was edited.  Are these really the thoughts that someone shared with nobody else?  Or how much of it, if any, was expressly written for posterity, or shall we say consciously written to an unseen audience?

There are other diaries of famous people who are long gone, in fact some of them became famous posthumously because of their diary. One of the most famous of these is the Diary Of Anne Frank.  It was written by a young girl while she was hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.  Both she and her parents perished in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945, but her diary survived and has been published in more than 60 languages.

Or in Canada we also have the published diaries of our longest serving Prime Minister, William Lyon MacKenzie King, covering several years.  Now his is a mixture of pedantic and outright boring stuff mixed with weird accounts of King’s conversations with his deceased mother and other occult séances that he was in the habit of attending.

I have kept a diary off and on throughout my life.  More off than on.  I started it in childhood, when we were taught that it was a good thing to do for self-discipline and other reasons that I don’t remember.  Those diaries are nowhere to be found.  In my adult life, I would start journaling, which is a little different from a diary.  Diaries are usually a daily affair, and can contain many details including what the weather was that day.  Journals tend to be a more expansive record of one’s thoughts.  In fact “journaling” is recommended for charting one’s spiritual progress, or one’s thought processes about a particular subject or decision that we are pondering.

Some people write a diary or journal as a deliberate legacy to leave behind for their children, or grandchildren.  While that might seem like a good idea, you will then probably be very selective about what you write there, and document only those things that you want your intended readers to know.  You will probably refrain from writing things that trouble you deeply, but would rather not share with your intended readers.

But diaries and journals present some problems.  The first is, that they could be read by others whom you didn’t intend, and most likely they will be, if the diary or journal is left behind when you die. Your diary will be part of the belongings that your executor needs to sort through, and dispose of.  It may well fall into the hands of someone whom you would not want to read what you have written.  If you are worried about that, then you will want to dispose of it while you are alive… either give it to someone whom you would like to have it, or destroy it.

 The second problem is that a diary can be used against you while you are alive, if you are ever charged with a criminal offense.  Although diaries and journals are private, they generally are admissible in court.  I have heard of more than one person who was convicted of a crime because of what they wrote in their diary. You say, “that’s not a problem because I didn’t do anything wrong?”  Well apparently even if you do not document a crime, the diary can still be used to trace your whereabouts by the events that you mention. So even if you feel like you want to kill someone – you might want to keep that sentiment to yourself.  And worse, what you have written is subject to interpretation by others – the interpretation of those who wish to use the diary against you, and the interpretation of the court or jury.

I haven’t yet decided what I will do with the sporadic diary/journal that I have kept; whether I will continue to write in it, or whether I will destroy it.  Since mine is a locked electronic file, I guess I can still edit it. For those who don’t keep a diary,  you’ve got nothing to worry about.  For those that do – it is something you might want to think about.

Pastors’ Appreciation Month

October is Pastors Appreciation Month. I’m not sure where we got that innovation from, but I suspect it is North America, for I have seen or heard no mention of it here in Africa.  Now I believe that everyone deserves to be appreciated for who they are and what they do.  But of course, we tend to put all that appreciation into nice neat little packages:  Mothers Day, Father’s Day, Children’s Day, Family Day, Secretaries Day, Nurses Day, and the list goes on and on.

Now the churches that observe Pastor’s Appreciation Day or Month, (and not all of them do) go about it different ways.  Sometimes there is a presentation during a worship service to the pastor and spouse, that may include flowers, comments by the chair of the official board, and maybe  a gift or a gift card or some such token.  I have heard about churches sending their pastor and spouse away on an exotic trip, possibly even the Holy Land, but I have never been the recipient of such a gift, nor would I feel comfortable receiving it.

However I wonder how many pastors sigh like many mothers on Mothers Day, and silently wish that some of these appreciative sentiments could be spread out through the year.  I’ve spoken to many mothers who say that the effusion of affection, the breakfast in bed, or the special flowers or gifts don’t mean a whole lot when you are taken for granted, or even forgotten the rest of the year.  How many lonely mothers receive no visits from their grown children throughout the year, and then get picked up from the nursing home on Mother’s Day to be taken to a sumptuous dinner that does more to soothe the conscience of the children than it does to bring joy to the mother. 

The same with pastors.  Showing appreciation should not be relegated to a particular Sunday or month. The cards (yes Christian bookstores have to make a living) are nice, and so are the gifts, but they are not absolutely necessary.

Something I have said to all of my congregations at one time or another is that the greatest honour and tribute that you can pay me is to walk in the ways of God, by putting into practice the things that you have heard me teach.  I don’t necessarily need the “lovely sermon Reverend” comment at the door, but I will accept anything that involves a simple ‘thank-you’ or ‘I appreciated what you said about  …. “.

Mind you, I’m not fishing for compliments.  I serve in a tradition (Baptist) where we have not only the freedom of the pulpit but the freedom of the pew.  In other words, it is your choice whether to accept or believe my message, and it is OK to disagree with me, and also to tell me so, or to engage me in discussion.  But there is a proper way to do that.  After the service at the church door is not the best time or place.  Why?  Because by the time I get there, I am tired. Preaching, whether you believe it or not is hard work.  The sudden increase and then loss of adrenalin makes you emotionally drained, and even vulnerable.  While I have always been willing to minister to peoples’ spiritual needs after  a service, and have been willing to stay as long as there are people wanting to see me, I never liked formal meetings after church in order to make difficult decisions.   And if you must speak to me about a disagreeable matter, then the best way is to make an appointment that suits us both so we can sit down and discuss whatever you have on your mind about my sermon or whatever issue you disagree with.  If you can’t come to my office, I will meet you at your home or wherever is convenient to you.  But sounding off on me at the door is unlikely to bring a good outcome for either of us.  I have been lambasted, even yelled at at the door for all kinds of things, that usually had nothing to do with my sermon.  Seriously.  A man once yelled at me because the air conditioning in the church was set too low for his comfort.  He was wearing shorts, and he shouted at me that he didn’t appreciate that the a/c was so cool that he couldn’t feel comfortable wearing shorts in his own church!

Appreciation that is genuine is welcome anytime, any month of the year, and yes pastors like anyone else are in need of it and usually respond favourably.  It doesn’t have to be elaborate or effusive either.  A genuine squeeze of the hand, a hug (if you go to a ‘hugging’ church), a short email sent after Sunday, can work wonders. 

And finally, remember this.  Pastors are human.  They have bad days like everyone else does.  You have no idea what he might be going through at the moment.  His work involves so much more than what you see and hear on Sunday morning.  So go ahead.  Express appreciation to your pastor. Do it any month of the year.  And don’t wait until his farewell Sunday.
Continue reading Pastors’ Appreciation Month

Living With Cancer

Over three decades ago, I buried the wife of my predecessor in the church that I was the pastor of at the time.  This woman was a larger than life personality, with a spirituality that few could aspire to.  When her cancer diagnosis became common knowledge in the congregation,  she said, “I refuse to live with cancer, I live with Jesus”.  Being a young pastor still figuring out a lot of things about life, I thought that was an amazing statement.  She repeated this so often that that it made a deep impression on people.  Of course I incorporated this statement into her memorial service, because I knew that she would want to be remembered that way.

However, when I received my own cancer diagnosis earlier this year, I knew that I could not say that.  Not because I don’t live with Jesus, for I do, but because I also knew that I would HAVE to live with cancer from now on.   Although at the moment I am deemed to be cancer-free, I was told by my doctors that “once you have cancer, you have cancer”.  It will almost certainly return at some time.  I need to be regularly monitored and checked.  It is a reality that is the new normal for me.

Everyone who has cancer, lives and deals with it differently.  In the case of the pastors’ wife that I referred to, the congregation was made privy to all of the details: the chemotherapy, the radiation, the loss of hair, and other side-effects:  we heard all of this and more during the weekly updates that her husband gave during prayer meeting.  As the end drew near, these updates became more and more difficult to hear as the church vicariously suffered with one of the pillars of the saints.

I was determined that this would not be my way of “living with cancer”.  I have always been a very private person, something that has been difficult while living in the fishbowl of ministry.   Just how “transparent” do we need to be?  Does everything that we live through and suffer through need to be on the plate of public consumption?  Even those in ministry are of different opinions on this.  One household-recognition televangelist began a blog about his cancer journey, where his innermost thoughts and experiences were there on the internet for all to consume. I do not criticize such expressions; all I am saying is that this not me. I have my own way, and I don’t expect everyone to agree or even understand that.

When word about my cancer got out, people that have not been in touch with me for many years, all of a sudden wanted to visit me.  Others, whom I knew but were not particularly close to wanted answers to questions like what kind of cancer?  How far a long is it? Did they get it all?  Will you need chemo?  Others asked diplomatically (or not so) how long I have left to live.

I answered some of those questions for some people.  But it was on a “need to know” basis.  Of course my family, and others very close to me do know the answers to most of those questions.  I told them because  of our relationship and the level of our closeness.
I also posted a message on FACEBOOK in which I mentioned some of the the platitudes, religious or otherwise  that I didn’t want to hear, especially from  folk who all too often think they know everything.

So why am I writing all this?  Because based on available statistics, every one of us either knows somebody who has or has had cancer,  or will be affected by cancer at some time in our life.  According to the Canadian Cancer Society,

  • 206,200 new cancer diagnoses and 80,800 deaths from cancer occurred in Canada in 2017.
  • Lung, colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer accounted for about half of all cancer diagnoses and deaths.
  • About 1 in 2 Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetimes and 1 in 4 will die of the disease.
  • 60% of Canadians diagnosed with cancer will survive at least 5 years after their diagnosis.

For you American friends, the American Cancer Society provides relevant data for the USA.

Due to medical advances made over the years, a cancer diagnosis is no longer automatically a death sentence.  However early detection is essential, and in that regard I consider myself very blessed and fortunate.  Mine was detected after a routine test, as I had no symptoms.  Often it is too late when symptoms appear.

How do you deal with people you know who have cancer?  For one thing, don’t write us off.  Treat us like normal human beings, and if you don’t know what to say, don’t say anything.  For example, on the Sunday before I went into the hospital for surgery, someone after church with a tearful expression pointed upwards and said, “Isn’t it nice to know where we are going?”  (You can’t make this stuff up).  I didn’t know what to reply, so I didn’t.

Secondly and finally for today, respect peoples’ rights to privacy.  It is a difficult thing as a patient to process this type of information.  If somebody needs help doing so, they will let you know.   If you are particularly close to someone in this situation, then letting them know that you are available is the best thing you can do.

Another View …

What we see in life depends where we are looking from.  This blog is a new blog because I have again changed my position, which will no doubt change what I see and how I respond to it.

In the early 1990’s I wrote a newspaper columned entitled VIEWPOINT, which ran once a week in the local newspaper where I then lived … a small town in which I was the pastor of one of the churches.  Then came the internet and the opportunity to write blogs, and I was again living in a larger city and pastor of a church there.  So I had a blog entitled PASTOR DIETER’S VIEWPOINT.

Now I am retired, living in yet another city (my hometown Kitchener, Ontario actually) and travel from time to time.  So what is different this time  about the blog?  While the opinions that I have expressed in the past have always been my own, they needed to some extent to be rather guarded.  For example I had to be careful about politics.  I was employed by churches that were registered charities, and in Canada registered charities can not engage in politics.  So I treated my blog as if I were in the pulpit … I bit my tongue about my political opinions.  I no longer have that restraint…

I am adjusting to being on “the other side” of the pulpit, namely in the pew. The view is very different on either side. The view from the pew is more critical.  I wonder if everyone is as critical – or is it just those who once were behind the pulpit and now in the pew are unnecessarily hard on the one who is at the front?  I don’t know. I’m still figuring that out. What also complicates matters is that I still preach from time to time, and so I commute as it were, between the pulpit and the pew.

In any case, something that I have always done, is tell it like… well I was about to say tell it like it is, but a more humble way would be to tell it like I see it.