Preaching Politics

Preaching politics, that is going to be the topic of a lecture later in the month at Trinity. It seems to me that there are a number of basic questions at play when it comes to the intersection of politics and religion:

1) How much say should the leader of a religious community have over the way in which members of that community vote?

2) If, as some say, God is neither a democrat or a republican, should we run a "more Christian" party?

3) Does a Christian worldview cause someone to lean more to the left or to the right as we understand them?

4) If a preacher supports a canidate or party from the pulpit, the church to which he or she belongs may loose its tax exempt status from he IRS. Should this be a consideration? Is it a good stewardship of the resources of a congregation to be paying taxes in order to push a political agenda?

5) What sort of political action is most conducive to the establishment of God's kingdom on earth?




***On a side note, 2 out of 3 of those who attend church at least once a month are republican. 2 out of 3 of those who do not attend church once a month are democrat. Also, if bumper stickers were votes and Trinity's parking lot were a state, Kerry would win 7-4.***