I hate politics. That's what middle-and-high-school Keli would tell her friends. I didn't understand why people would choose one side and then (often) disrespectfully argue with the other. Growing up in a more-or-less moderate household (leaning Republican- as in Bush administration Republican), I became somewhat of an apathetic moderate. To be fair, I didn't know much about what "politics" meant.
Merriam-Webster defines "politics" as…
- the art or science of government
- the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy
- the art or science concerned with winning and holding control over a government
How would you define "politics?"
During my freshman year of college, I met with my academic advisor. I was loosely declared as a double major in business and religion with a minor in outdoor education. During the second semester of my freshman year, I met with my advisor, a professor of religion and philosophy. He noticed that I was a Freshman Senator on the Student Government Association (SGA) and joined several campus clubs and organizations during my first semester. I remember the conversation going something like this:
"Have you considered a degree in Political Science? I know that you are enjoying SGA"
"No, not really…"
"Well, I encourage you to explore some of those courses. Don't be a religion major, you can learn all of that when you go to seminary"
**(In my head, I thought… did I say I wanted to go to seminary? I don't think I did?)
"Hm, I'll give it a try."
A few years later, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science with minors in international studies and sociology (…and one class away from a philosophy minor).
Do you know what organizations are pretty political? Churches. Churches are not the building(s), but the community of people. (Some) churches (like ours) include people with different backgrounds, opinions, and beliefs- and that is wonderful. What unites us with one another in the Christian church is the communal seeking to live the way of love that Jesus has taught us through Scripture.
Do you agree that churches are political? Why or why not?
This is where it can get tricky because there are a variety of ways to interpret Scripture. On top of this, groups of people need structure (said as the Type A person that I am). We need guidelines to help us make decisions, hear the majority
and
minority voices, and to declare what we believe. And this, my friends, is where "polity" comes in. As a Presbyterian, I am a big fan of church polity. We study it in seminary. We take an ordination exam on it.
We make clever videos about it
. It may come to no surprise that
some "founding fathers" were Presbyterian.
At that, I digress and add that Episcopalians are no strangers to polity, either.
I now tell my friends that I am fascinated by politics and having a political science major is very useful as someone who works in parish ministry. Locally and nationally, I continue to question how we can dismantle particular political systems to not just make room for everyone but to ensure everyone is able to live life abundantly. I also think about how we can protect laws that many before us fought for in the name of equal rights for everyone.
Is there a role for us as Christians within local, national, and global politics? If so, what do you think that role is? Is there a difference between faith and organized religion when it comes to politics?
Throughout this week, consider what your personal beliefs are on the relationship and/or interconnectedness between faith and politics.
A prayer for today from Mother Teresa**
I used to pray that God would feed the hungry, or do this or that, but now I pray that he will guide me to do whatever I'm supposed to do, what I can do. I used to pray for answers, but now I'm praying for strength. I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us, and we change things.
Amen
.
