Mike Pence Walked Into My Barbershop Last Week...
Really, he did.
Our family recently relocated from Maryland to the northwest side of Indianapolis. Unbeknownst to me, former Vice President Mike Pence lives in this area as well. Last Friday I took my two, youngest sons to a pleasantly empty barbershop to get cleaned up. Just as my barber is finishing up my haircut, the former Vice President of the United States of America breezes through the door. His baseball cap was pulled low, but I immediately recognized him. The barbers greeted him with a "Hey Mike" while I did my best not to fall out of my chair.
I’ll be honest – It was a thrill to see one of the most famous people in America. I lived in the Washington D.C. metro for 11 years and never saw one politician. I live in Zionsville, Indiana for five weeks and I see the former VP in my barbershop? That's pretty cool! However, it was also uncomfortable.
In short, I'm not a fan of Mike Pence. I don't like his politics, and I don't like the faith message he communicates. As a pastor, he made my job harder. As a person who serves Muslim refugees in Europe and Latino/Latina refugees here in the U.S., he makes my job harder. The way he mixes his political perspective and his Christian faith is appalling to me.
Pastor, professor, and author, Tony Campolo said, "Mixing religion and politics is like mixing ice cream and manure. It doesn't do much to the manure but it sure does ruin the ice cream".
My brief encounter with Mr. Pence reminded me of how damaging political ideology has been to the Christian message. Politics is an infection to real faith and one of the main reasons so many have left church communities and the Christian faith behind. That's not an opinion, it’s a verifiable fact.
"What can be observed is clear and unmistakable—religious disaffiliation is directly related to political ideology." - Ryan Burge PhD, social scientist, author of The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going
It would do us well to highlight some broad, but important differences between the politics of Christ and the politics of America. A brief comparison reveals much:
Politics of America
Runs on the engine of money, power, and influence
How can I manipulate people to get them to do what I believe is right?
Who can I control?
Pursues the crowd's approval
Violence (verbal and physical) is routinely used to establish political agendas
Fear-based
Protect my interests and my pursuit of happiness
Politics of Jesus Christ
How do I love people to win them over? (Colossians 3:14)
Runs on the engine of sacrificial love (John 15:12-13)
Who can I serve? (Galatians 5:13)
Defies the crowd (Mark 11: 1-11 - The crowd wanted a conqueror, but he rode a donkey, not a war horse.)
Violence is exposed as evil and never used to establish a political agenda (John 18:36 and 1 Peter 3:9)
Love my neighbors (Mark 12:31)
Love-based (1 John 4:18)
Welcomes the immigrant and refugee (Matthew 25:35 and Deuteronomy 27:19)
“You are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19)
The politics and methods of Jesus clash with the partisan political machine of America.
The politics of Jesus are for everyone, but they should never be forced on anyone.
If you have been wounded by the toxic mix of faith and politics, you’re not alone.
If your hope and joy have been damaged by the American political machine, there is another way and everyone is invited to join.
Some ideas that will fuel your Christ-like political imagination:
Take a week off from all cable news channels, websites, and social media. Seriously, turn them off and silence them. It will do your soul good.
Fill that time with new sources that spark love, hope, and joy. (Philippians 4:8). Some very enjoyable resources below
Avoid people who routinely speak with "hot takes" and fear-based lingo. Anything that sparks fear is not from God.
Find more sources that spark love, hope, and joy: spending more time with friends, neighbors, or family. Specifically the ones that are a “good hang” and fill you up. “Where two or three are gathered, there I am also” - Jesus
Resources of Good News:
Viral Jesus podcast hosted by Heather Thompson Day (she’s also on Instagram, you’re welcome)
Heavyweight podcast hosted by Jonathan Goldstein (you’ll laugh, maybe cry, and walk away from almost every episode contemplating life in a more positive manner)
Dr. Jemar Tisby - author, professor, regular on many podcasts. He even has a video series on Amazon Prime that is incredible.
Follow Alan Cross (@AlanLCross) and David Fitch (@fitchest) on Twitter for healthy Christ-like perspectives on U.S. politics
Mike Frost has a great blog: www.mikefrost.net
Check out The Holy Post: https://www.holypost.com/about. They thoughtfully engage with divisive issues.