Every state is purple
10/08/24 01:12
In my career as a pastor, I was careful about expressing my political opinions. I worked hard to build diverse communities in the congregations I served. It was important to me to have the church be a place where people with different political opinions could worship together and discover their common humanity. It was important that we learn to serve together despite political differences. It wasn’t that I was hiding my political opinions. It was just that I chose not to tell others how they should vote.
I have taken a similar approach to the entries I publish in this online journal. For the most part, I have avoided writing about politics. I’m sure that regular readers of this journal have a pretty good sense of where I stand politically. I have not hidden my feelings about certain political issues. But it is important to me to be able to communicate with those who disagree with me as well as those who agree with me. I want to listen carefully to those whose opinions are different from mine.
I’ll give you fair warning. This entry contains political commentary. You don’t have to agree with me, but I hope you will try to understand my position. I want to make two observations about politics in the United States today. In doing so, I stand in a long tradition of Congregational ministers who have spoken of the relationship between faith and politics. In there heritage of the United Church of Christ that I served is the strain of Congregationalists. The church of the Pilgrims and Puritans had its roots in politics. Differences with the King of England was at the heart of the reasons those people of faith left Europe to settle in what was to become the United States. 14 signers of the Declaration of Independence were members of our church. The Mayflower Compact was an important predecessor document to the US Constitution. Congregational preachers used to hold election day sermons in which they spoke about the relationship of faith and the elections that were being held. Our church is a grassroots organization, governed by democratic voting and representation in our churches denominational settings.
My first political observation is that there are many who claim the name Christian who have strayed far from the teachings of Jesus. The relationship that certain evangelical churches and leaders have with MAGA republicans is not a holy alliance. Before slavery was abolished in this country some claimed that since slavery is mentioned in the Bible, Christians should be pro slavery. The leaders of our church, however, argued against slavery on Biblical grounds. Congregations of our denomination were labeled illegal in several slave states because of the outspoken abolitionists in our church. The fear of immigrants, the separation of immigrant families, and other central tenants of the MAGA movement are not Biblical. Tax breaks for rich people and corporations is the opposite of Jesus’ teachings.
There is nothing new about the abuse of scripture in support of political gains. It has been going on throughout history. It is important, however, for people of faith to speak out against the popular notion that Christian values align with Republican values. Look no farther than the top of the Republican ticket. Misogyny and racism are not Christian values. Affairs with porn stars and rape don’t reflect Christian tenets. Revenge is not a Biblical teaching.
My second political observation is one that is very important to me. This could be my slogan: “Every state is a purple state and every vote matters.”
I will use President Trump’’s appearance in Montana last night as an example. Political pundits have questioned the decision to appear in a state with a small population where the three electors went for Trump in both of his runs for president and where the polls show a lead by President Trump in the 2024 race. There is no question in my mind why the appearance took place, however. Montana has two senators, one Republican and one Democrat. Both won by narrow margins. The democrat, John Tester, is up for re-election this year. President Trump carries a grudge against Tester because Tester served on the committee that investigated the nomination of Trump’s personal physician, Ronny Jackson, to become the secretary of Veterans Affairs. The nomination was eventually withdrawn after Jackson’s record came out in testimony before the committee. Trump sees the defeat of Tester as an opportunity for political revenge.
I know John Tester as a Montana Wheat farmer. After he had been elected to the US senate, he worked for a day alongside other ranchers raising a new house for a neighbor. That neighbor was my cousin. I have a personal stake in Montana politics. So it is important for me to note that although President Trump won all three electors from Montana in the 2020 election, 244,786 Montanans voted for his opponent. Gallatin County, where Trump spoke last night went for Biden in 2020. Montana is not all of one political opinion or one party.
South Dakota, where we lived for 25 years is seen as a “solid red” state. All statewide offices are held by Republicans. But only 308,000 of the 608,000 registered voters are registered as Republican. To say that the state is red is to discount the votes of nearly half of the population.
Every state is a purple state and every vote matters.
In Montana as in South Dakota, it is important to consider how people vote on the reservations. Native Americans no longer are the majority in either state, but their perspectives are important. In both states the reservations tend to vote Democrat in presidential elections. Listening to our indigenous neighbors is a very important part of understanding our communities. How they vote tells an important part of our story.
Everywhere we have lived we have had neighbors who hold different political beliefs and who vote differently from us. A couple of years ago there was a vote in our neighborhood over a proposed tax increase to support our local library. The measure received a majority of the votes. In fact, it fell only six votes shy of a 2/3 supermajority. Those six votes, however, ruled the day because according to the law, a 2/3 majority was required for the measure to pass. Funding for the new library was not secured.
Every state is a purple state and every vote matters. Whether you agree or disagree with me, I sincerely hope you vote each time you have the opportunity. Every vote matters.
I have taken a similar approach to the entries I publish in this online journal. For the most part, I have avoided writing about politics. I’m sure that regular readers of this journal have a pretty good sense of where I stand politically. I have not hidden my feelings about certain political issues. But it is important to me to be able to communicate with those who disagree with me as well as those who agree with me. I want to listen carefully to those whose opinions are different from mine.
I’ll give you fair warning. This entry contains political commentary. You don’t have to agree with me, but I hope you will try to understand my position. I want to make two observations about politics in the United States today. In doing so, I stand in a long tradition of Congregational ministers who have spoken of the relationship between faith and politics. In there heritage of the United Church of Christ that I served is the strain of Congregationalists. The church of the Pilgrims and Puritans had its roots in politics. Differences with the King of England was at the heart of the reasons those people of faith left Europe to settle in what was to become the United States. 14 signers of the Declaration of Independence were members of our church. The Mayflower Compact was an important predecessor document to the US Constitution. Congregational preachers used to hold election day sermons in which they spoke about the relationship of faith and the elections that were being held. Our church is a grassroots organization, governed by democratic voting and representation in our churches denominational settings.
My first political observation is that there are many who claim the name Christian who have strayed far from the teachings of Jesus. The relationship that certain evangelical churches and leaders have with MAGA republicans is not a holy alliance. Before slavery was abolished in this country some claimed that since slavery is mentioned in the Bible, Christians should be pro slavery. The leaders of our church, however, argued against slavery on Biblical grounds. Congregations of our denomination were labeled illegal in several slave states because of the outspoken abolitionists in our church. The fear of immigrants, the separation of immigrant families, and other central tenants of the MAGA movement are not Biblical. Tax breaks for rich people and corporations is the opposite of Jesus’ teachings.
There is nothing new about the abuse of scripture in support of political gains. It has been going on throughout history. It is important, however, for people of faith to speak out against the popular notion that Christian values align with Republican values. Look no farther than the top of the Republican ticket. Misogyny and racism are not Christian values. Affairs with porn stars and rape don’t reflect Christian tenets. Revenge is not a Biblical teaching.
My second political observation is one that is very important to me. This could be my slogan: “Every state is a purple state and every vote matters.”
I will use President Trump’’s appearance in Montana last night as an example. Political pundits have questioned the decision to appear in a state with a small population where the three electors went for Trump in both of his runs for president and where the polls show a lead by President Trump in the 2024 race. There is no question in my mind why the appearance took place, however. Montana has two senators, one Republican and one Democrat. Both won by narrow margins. The democrat, John Tester, is up for re-election this year. President Trump carries a grudge against Tester because Tester served on the committee that investigated the nomination of Trump’s personal physician, Ronny Jackson, to become the secretary of Veterans Affairs. The nomination was eventually withdrawn after Jackson’s record came out in testimony before the committee. Trump sees the defeat of Tester as an opportunity for political revenge.
I know John Tester as a Montana Wheat farmer. After he had been elected to the US senate, he worked for a day alongside other ranchers raising a new house for a neighbor. That neighbor was my cousin. I have a personal stake in Montana politics. So it is important for me to note that although President Trump won all three electors from Montana in the 2020 election, 244,786 Montanans voted for his opponent. Gallatin County, where Trump spoke last night went for Biden in 2020. Montana is not all of one political opinion or one party.
South Dakota, where we lived for 25 years is seen as a “solid red” state. All statewide offices are held by Republicans. But only 308,000 of the 608,000 registered voters are registered as Republican. To say that the state is red is to discount the votes of nearly half of the population.
Every state is a purple state and every vote matters.
In Montana as in South Dakota, it is important to consider how people vote on the reservations. Native Americans no longer are the majority in either state, but their perspectives are important. In both states the reservations tend to vote Democrat in presidential elections. Listening to our indigenous neighbors is a very important part of understanding our communities. How they vote tells an important part of our story.
Everywhere we have lived we have had neighbors who hold different political beliefs and who vote differently from us. A couple of years ago there was a vote in our neighborhood over a proposed tax increase to support our local library. The measure received a majority of the votes. In fact, it fell only six votes shy of a 2/3 supermajority. Those six votes, however, ruled the day because according to the law, a 2/3 majority was required for the measure to pass. Funding for the new library was not secured.
Every state is a purple state and every vote matters. Whether you agree or disagree with me, I sincerely hope you vote each time you have the opportunity. Every vote matters.
