SojoMail - How your church can heal polarization

Being Apolitical Won’t Heal Polarized Churches Adam Russell Taylor The church should be a place where people with divergent political views can coexist and be in fellowship because our unity in Christ supersedes our political and partisan loyalties. As the Apostle Paul reminded the Galatian church, in Christ “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” But that’s not often what we see in our churches today, is it? In 2017, a Lifeway poll found that more than half of Protestant churchgoers under 50 say they prefer to go to church with people who share their political views. And few adult Protestant churchgoers say they attend services with people of a different political persuasion. Instead of being a space where people of very different perspectives can build on a shared unity in Christ, many churches are becoming citadels in which Christians’ pre-existing politics and worldviews are simply reinforced. Given all our nation has experienced in the five years since the poll was conducted, I can only imagine that the polarization in our pews is even more stark today and — like polarization elsewhere — increasingly rooted in contempt. According to a recent NBC poll “some 80% of Democrats and Republicans believe the political opposition poses a threat that, if not stopped, will destroy America as we know it.” If we’re honest, we’ll admit that many churches are exacerbating this polarization rather than trying to treat it. READ THE FULL ARTICLE Forward Share

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Where's my polling place? Get your answer at Sojourners' Voter Center. We've got all the resources you need to be vote ready and #MakeJusticeFlow on November 8. Politically Divided Congregations: Reconciliation & Transformation Curriculum This curriculum provides a biblical framework, tools, and tips for politically divided churches to create space for civil dialogue around social and political issues. Designed to be sensitive to the challenges faced by congregations that are politically divided while providing a theological foundation for transformative, faith-inspired engagement in justice work.

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