Surprised by Community: Republicans and Democrats in the Same Pew

By Charles D. Drew

"Surprising Community" offers Christian readers biblical guidance on Christian social and political engagement. Its aim is to help Christians meet two obligations: (1) to love their neighbors as themselves and (2) to love each other even when they disagree over how best to love their neighbors. With reference to the first obligation, the book argues that Christians may not withdraw from social and political engagement: Jesus is the Lord of all and we are his ambassadors, called to do all we can to make our world more just, good, and beautiful. With reference to the second obligation (and this is the heartbeat of the book), "Surprising Community" argues that Jesus died to create a social surprise, a new society that showcases for our polarized world what human society will look like when Jesus finishes what he started: Christians must, for this reason, find ways to live in honest harmony with each other even when they disagree profoundly over politics. Throughout its pages "Surprising Community" offers practical advice, biblical perspective, and opportunities for discussion and reflection, all of which aim at fostering this harmony.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Aug 23, 2012
• ISBN: 9781543968873

Book preview

Copyright © 2019 by Charles D. Drew. All rights reserved.

Published 2019

First edition © 2000 by Charles D. Drew, A Public Faith: Bringing Personal Faith to Public Issues (NavPress)

Second edition © 2012 by Charles D. Drew, Body Broken: Can Republicans and Democrats Sit in the Same Pew? (New Growth Press).

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc™

Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

ISBN 978-1-54396-887-3 (ebook)

ISBN 13: 978-1-936768-30-1

ISBN 10: 1-936768-30-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Drew, Charles D., 1950–

Surprised by Community: Republicans and Democrats in the Same Pew/

Charles D. Drew.

Rev. ed. of: Body Broken: Can Republicans and Democrats Sit in the Same Pew? and A Public Faith: Bringing Personal Faith to Public Issues.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-978-1-54396-886-6

ISBN-13: 978–1-936768–30–1 (alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1–936768–30–5 (alk. paper)

1. Christianity and politics—United States. I. Drew, Charles D., 1950-

Public faith. II. Title.

Body broken

BR526.D74 2012

261.70973—dc23 2011034614

Printed in the United States of America

When the church divides over politics, we prove that the cross didn’t take, that Jesus can’t pray effectively, and that the Holy Spirit is a slave to social pressure. Do we really want to do that before our friends and neighbors? Didn’t Jesus pray that we would be one ‘so that the world might know that you have sent me’?

Charles Drew

Praise for Surprised by Community

The evangelical church’s disproportionate concern with power politics has all too often been a detriment to the spread of the gospel and the peace of the church. Charlie Drew puts political action in its proper place—charting a biblical course in which earthly politics is put into perspective by the Kingdom of God and reminding believers of Christian teachings about politics that transcend the issues of the moment. This book is a needed antidote to the worldliness of much Christian political involvement, whether of the conservative or liberal variety. It should be required teaching in our churches!

William Brewbaker, Professor of Law, University of Alabama;

Ruling Elder, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Tuscaloosa, AL

"To succeed in making a God-honoring impact in the world, the Christian must understand the nuances of Scripture and acknowledge the complexity of the endeavor. Charles Drew’s Surprised by Community is a tremendous aid to those who seek to promote the will of God."

Matthew Bennett, Founder and President, The Christian Union

This is a gem of a book and is easily one of the best things I’ve read on Christian citizenship and public responsibility. Not only that, but it’s written in an incisive, clear, pastoral tone and the measured tenor couldn’t be more appropriate. A fabulous book it is, and I’ll be commending it to one and all.

Garnette Cadogan, Freelance writer

Over the past thirty years we have seen a renewed concern among American evangelicals for political and social concerns. Much of this has been long overdue and valid. But Charles Drew, in this important book, raises urgent and sobering cautions. Written by someone with a keen mind and a pastor’s heart, he fears important truths have been compromised and the good news of the gospel has been politicized. This is bad news for the church and for society. This book is timely and we need to heed the course corrections the author recommends.

The Late Michael Cromartie, Vice President,

Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC

This book is a much-needed and practical guide in a much-ignored sphere of Christian discipleship. Can evangelicals be constructive in politics without being combative with each other? Charlie Drew gives us the principles that will help us build our country, our witness, and the spiritual maturity of the church.

Dr. Joel C. Hunter, Senior Pastor, Northland –

A Church Distributed, Orlando, FL

Charles Drew has given us something that is lacking in so much discussion about the Church and politics: insight. He sees that those on the religious right and left need to understand how much they each imitate, rather than challenge, the culture they seek to change. Both need a whole new way of framing the issues. The worn-out and extreme vocabularies of both have proven unproductive and even irresponsible for Christians who understand their Bible enough to know that the City of Man is shaped by the City of God it will become. Christians are not those who react and polarize, but those who live in grace and who are faithfully present in their callings.

Dr. Joseph Skip Ryan, former Chancellor,

Redeemer Seminary, Dallas, TX

"Charles Drew provides practical answers to the Christian political and cultural environment. Surprised by Community should be a standard text in Christian schools’ civic curriculum."

John Seel, PhD; President, Transcend Entertainment;

Former Headmaster, the Cambridge School of Dallas

This is clearly not a ‘Republican’ or ‘Democrat’ book. Rather, it is a self-consciously Christian and biblical approach. Since Christians (including myself!) have trouble thinking beyond ready-made political identities, this alone makes the book a must-read. A variety of practical considerations are discussed, but its greatest contribution is in helping Christians sharpen their thinking in ways that apply to ANY political topic.

Rev. Kenneth Shomo, Associate Pastor, New Covenant Church,

Virginia Beach, VA

"I cannot imagine a handier guide for anyone who struggles to navigate the treacherous waters of politics, church, and the Christian life in this contentious era. Drawing on his experience as a pastor of several diverse congregations, Charles Drew offers timely counsel on the difference between our political engagements as individuals and the proper role of the church, as well as many other vexing issues. Genial and profound, Surprised by Community belongs on every list of the very best recent books on Christianity and politics."

David Skeel, S. Samuel Arsht Professor of Law,

University of Pennsylvania Law School;

Ruling Elder, Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA

This is a wise and refreshingly moderate book. Political discussions among Christians tend to generate more heat than light. This book generates light—I understand both my obligations as a citizen and my obligations as a believer better for having read it.

The Late William Stuntz, the Former Henry J. Friendly

Professor of Criminal Law, Harvard Law School

For James I. Packer

who has graciously taught us to look for common ground

without abandoning conviction

Contents

Introduction

FIRST PRINCIPLES

GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER

KEEPING THE CHURCH FOCUSED

EXEMPLARY AMBASSADORS

TWO KINGDOMS

GIVING CAESAR HIS DUE

GIVING GOD HIS DUE

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: THREE APPROACHES

TWO MORE APPROACHES: PRESSING ON AND KEEPING IT SIMPLE

TALKING ABOUT POLITICS AT CHURCH

Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

Notes

Introduction

Two weeks before the 2016 national election our church in New York City held a church-wide forum featuring a discussion of some of the contents of this book followed by presentations by two congregational members, one who was a Republican and the other who was a Democrat. After some opening remarks by me, the panelists declared how they were going to vote followed by an explanation of their positions. They then entertained questions from each other, from me, and from the congregation. Following the panel we divided the congregation into discussion groups and invited them to talk about a hot topic together using certain guidelines and to close their discussion in prayer. The gracious tone of the panelists, their thoughtful engagement with Scripture and each other, and the nuance of their thinking—combined with the peaceable group discussions that followed—demonstrated that the church really can be a political surprise—a place where people can deeply disagree and yet still love each other.

Here are some of the responses from parishioners who attended that event:

What I found comforting during the workshop was knowing that I could voice my thoughts, and, even if someone disagreed with me, I could still find them, post-election, and hug them (figuratively and literally). The church is truly my family… Churches that do not offer this leave members quietly tired and terrified. (Jocelyn: A staff person of an anti-trafficking nonprofit)

I can’t overstate how much I would recommend workshops like this in a church setting. I found it helpful to hear perspectives from opposite sides of the political spectrum, in a format that did not promote one candidate over another, but rather respectfully highlighted issues of significance to the panelists with a humble explanation of why they believed one candidate, or party, better supported the ends they sought. I relished the opportunity to pray for our divided nation together. (William—A graduate student at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University)

The church can be a social surprise. It can be a safe place to talk about politics. I am convinced, in fact, that the church can be the safest place in the world to argue about politics. I am also persuaded that it must be.

Why do I say this? First, because Jesus died to unite us, demolishing by the cross the dividing wall(s) of hostility that come between us, including the political ones (see Ephesians 2). Secondly, because Jesus prays that we will be one just as he and the Father are (see John 17:22): he prays that the quality of our love will mirror the quality of the love that has always been in the Trinity. Thirdly, because the Spirit of Jesus lives in us. Let me put the matter negatively: When the church blows up, or even divides, over politics, we prove that the cross didn’t take, that Jesus can’t pray effectively, and that the Holy Spirit is a slave to social pressure. Do we really want to do that before our friends and neighbors?

Sometimes we fight because we are small minded, nasty, and afraid. But often we fight because we honestly disagree over the best way to love our neighbors as ourselves. Such honest disagreements shouldn’t surprise us. Our world is as complicated and broken as we are, and our very best fixes are bound to be flawed: they can’t possibly cover every contingency and they are often blind to people and problems that we cannot or will not see.

But I want us to believe that we can disagree without doing what the world around us does—shattering our relationships and going our separate ways. The church is going to outlast the NRA and the ACLU, and we get to give people a foretaste right now of that great hope through the way that we manage our differences.

I say manage our differences because we mustn’t pretend they aren’t there. Pretending may spare us some discomfort, but it isolates us from each other, sometimes over matters that matter deeply to us. We have to learn how to talk honestly, engage differently, and yet still stay together. When we pull this off, we get to be winsome social miracles, communities that sociologists and political pundits simply cannot explain. We get to be such a welcome surprise in our polarized times that cynical and lonely friends (and enemies, too) begin seriously to wonder about the Person we claim to know and love. We get, in other words, to be living and convincing answers to Jesus’ long-standing prayer that we love each other the way he and his Father do "so that the world might know that the Father has sent [him]" (John 17:23).

Much has happened politically in our country since the summer of 1999 when the first iteration of this book (A Public Faith, NavPress) appeared. We have had eight years of a Republican administration, led by a president of strong evangelical faith. We have entered and ended a war with Iraq whose initial goals were met quickly but which lingered with much loss of life all around. We have entered and passed through the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. We have seen eight years under the administration of a Democrat, this one (to the astonishment of many) an African American. In 2016 we saw a swing back to the right with the election of a Republican president and congress. As I write in December 2018 the pendulum has swung (lurched?) yet again as the House has regained a Democratic majority. Accompanying these swings (and, some would say, leading up to them) we have embarked upon a season of polarizing behavior and discourse the likes of which surpasses that of the Watergate era.

The church, certainly the Protestant church, has not managed this polarization very well. Theologically progressive Protestants are increasingly finding their home in progressive politics per se and are simply leaving the church. Theologically traditional Protestants (Evangelicals) experience a different dynamic. They are church people at odds with other church people over politics.

Evangelical has drifted from its moorings in theology and found its new harbor in the politics of the right. This has been fine for some, whose grief over the normalizing of abortion, same sex marriage, and secularized public life gathers solace from a tradition that has resisted such normalizations. But it has been deeply disturbing for those who share the creeds of the old evangelical faith, but cannot identify that faith with a political agenda that seems to care so little for the environment, the underserved, growing wealth disparity, and egregious sexual misconduct: many of them no longer use evangelical to describe themselves.¹ These two groups don’t talk much with each other, even though they affirm the same theology. They find themselves in different churches. Or, they find themselves in the same church but never talk politics because they are afraid of the rancor to which such talk will likely lead.

This book, like its second iteration (Body Broken, New Growth Press, 2012), is designed to help us get past that fear and to do a better job loving God and our neighbors together. It assumes that we love the Lord, his Word, and each other, while recognizing that we need help developing that third love more fully. It assumes that loving each other better is essential to our mission.

Let me describe my approach. We often make the mistake of running to God for answers before we have allowed him to teach us how best to frame our questions. We come with our wrongheaded agenda when what we need is a radical transformation of perspective. As a protection against this tendency, I have ordered my writing (for the most part) around the Bible rather than around issues (issues come and go, but God’s Word abides). We want to be patient rather than impatient children, gathering quietly in the Father’s study to hear him out, rather than dragging him by the hand to and from the rooms of our choosing.

Chapters one and two identify our misdirected worship as the deepest cause for the heat in our political disagreements and call us, by way of an antidote, to fresh trust in God’s sovereign rule. Chapter three endeavors to clarify, on the basis of the Great Commission and 1Timothy 2:1–6, the priorities of the church (as distinguished from those of individual Christians) in public life. Chapter four considers the meaning of the Apostle Peter’s assertion that we are foreigners and exiles. Chapters five, six, and seven explore the ramifications of Jesus’ remarkable command in Mark 12:17 to give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. Chapters eight and nine explore a series of approaches for effecting social and political change, approaches that can help reduce the heat of our political differences by suggesting courses of action that lie outside the polarizing world of power politics. The final chapter (new to this volume) offers practical suggestions on how we can do a better job talking about politics at church.

At the end of each chapter you will find some questions to help you explore and apply the ideas of the chapter more deeply. You may want to tackle them on your own, but you might do better discussing them with a group of friends.

I include three documents in the appendix. The first is the Williamsburg Charter, drafted at the time of our Constitution’s bicentennial to celebrate and reaffirm the meaning of religious freedom in our pluralistic day. Signed by a broad spectrum of Americans, the charter has helped me immensely as I have wrestled with the issues addressed in this book. The second, titled Christian Citizenship, contains the text of a document we developed and distributed for a time at the Three Village Church, a parish where I served for twelve years. The third is a portion of the vision statement of Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, a congregation in New York City that I started in 2000. I offer the latter two pieces as illustrations of churches seeking to come to grips with their public responsibility, hoping that they will induce better efforts.

Thanks are due to the late Charles Colson whose Kingdoms in Conflict motivated and enlightened me. Those who are aware of the work of Os Guinness, James Hunter, and John Seel will recognize their influence as well. I am particularly grateful to the elders and members of the Three Village Church and Emmanuel Church, who kindly granted me the time that made this project possible.

The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side. His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory. All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols—worship him, all you gods!

Zion hears