Endorsed and Entangled
by Jim Burklo
If Barack Obama asked me to endorse him, I’d have to excommunicate him for his own good.
That’s my conclusion after the messy consequences of Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s association with Obama, and of Pastor John Hagee’s proclaimed support for John McCain. The gonzological utterances of these pastors have given all of us Christian clergy a bad rap, to say nothing of the harm they’ve done to the candidates they aimed to support. The best thing that religious leaders can do for their favored candidates, and for our profession, is to avoid the entanglement that comes with endorsement.
That won’t stop me, nor should it stop spiritual communities, from taking action on issues that figure significantly in the upcoming presidential election. Issues like the overwhelming need for comprehensive health care reform, so that Americans finally get universal, single-payer medical coverage that is enjoyed by citizens of most other industrialized nations. Issues like America’s occupation of Iraq, which needs to end swiftly. Issues like how to deal with Iran and Syria and Palestine/Israel - it is time for our nation to show its true strength by talking directly with their leaders, working hard to deal with the root causes of conflict wherever possible, instead of stonewalling and saber-rattling. Issues like ending America’s disastrous “war on drugs” and adopting a more humane and pragmatic “harm-reduction” approach instead. Issues like breaking up our prison-industrial complex, giving judges more flexibility in sentencing and giving inmates more opportunities for education and rehabilitation. Issues like marriage equality: giving support for the California court decision making gay and lesbian marriages possible. (Anybody out there whose straight marriage is falling apart because gay marriage is now allowed?)
Strongly as I feel about these issues, the Christ inspires me to a humility that avoids claiming that my opinion is God’s, a humility that admits that I don’t have the last word on how society best should be ordered. The Christian faith calls us to care deeply about all the great issues of our day, and take action in response. But it doesn’t unequivocally explain how these questions should be answered.
So I’ll stick with Jesus’ gospel of kindness and love that impels me to care about matters political, and also reminds me to stay open to the perspectives of people who disagree with me. I’ll avoid the pitfalls of mixing my pastoral role with partisanship: I’d never vote for a politician who would advertise my endorsement!