Bringing Together Red and Blue Christians: An Post Election Day Reflection

While considerable ink has been spilled by religious leaders such as Jim Wallis, Tony Campolo, and Rabbi Michael Lerner about the need to bring a discussion of moral values into the political spectrum, we still need to heal this political divide that separates a substantial number of Christians. These days it seems that too many American churches have become social centers where like minded individuals go to have their political convictions affirmed and their protest strategies fine tuned rather than communities of faithful believers, who seek to live out the teachings of Christ by embracing the political stranger in their midst.

How can we as a Christian community hope to come to any common ground and engage in civil discourse, when our places of worship are not welcoming to those of different political persuasions? When a stranger or an enemy looks into the eyes of a Christian, do they see the love of Christ reflected back at them or do they feel the glare of anger and hatred directed towards them?

What if instead of creating political havens for democratically political souls to gather, these churches would chose instead to receive the other based on the Greatest Commandment of all? (Matt. 22:37-39) As Christians, we are commanded to love God with all our heart and all our soul and love our neighbor as ourselves." I interpret this to mean that those that profess to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ must respond to all of God's children with genuine Christian love offering them hospitality instead of giving them a dismissive nod because they share different political views or worse.

Now, loving your neighbor doesn't mean you should turn a blind eye to your neighbor's behavior. Actions like beating the beejezus out of POWs, depriving God's children of food and shelter, or telling Mother Earth to go take a hike clearly go against Gospel teachings (See Matthew 5-7). By all means, examine the policies advanced by politicians who claim to be speaking for Christ to see if their pronouncements reflect the Gospel Truth or the whims of those who are bankrolling their campaigns. But when we as Christians preach against ungodly behavior, we need pray about how to frame the discussion, so we are honing in on the policy and not the person. Disagree with what they say but continue to embrace them as brothers and sisters in Christ. It's that hate-the-sin-but-love-the-sinner business.

So, what does it mean to extend hospitality to those for whom we may dislike or even despise? In "Radical Hospitality: Benedict's Way of Love{ (Paraclete Press, October 2002) authors Father Daniel Homan, O.S.B and Lonni Collins Pratt challenge Christians to search for some degree of real acceptance that allows Christians to offer a genuine word of welcome to those who disagree with them. "By accepting someone, we do what seems to be a small ordinary thing. A simple act would seem to be small anyway, but little acts of giving, one upon another, pile up to create a huge force capable of repelling darkness and transforming the world." As Henri Nouwen has said, "hospitality means primarily the creation of a free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place." If we can embrace our political rivals by creating such a sacred space, then perhaps we will find out for ourselves that the radical hospitality of St. Benedict offers a much-needed power for both church and world.

The more Christians can learn to mirror the love of Christ, who loved all humanity even his enemies, then the more the church will truly reflect the body of Christ. Dr. Miroslav Volf notes, "The 'enemy' ought to be loved, his or her enmity notwithstanding. There is a whole way of life and a whole theological program contained in that simple command." ("The Wittenburg Door," January/February 1999)

My recent conversations with other Christians, who are registered Republicans, Democrats and Independent voters, confirm that I am by no means the only one who feels the need to find a spiritual home in this post 9-11 world, a place where we are welcomed by virtue of our baptism and not because of our political affiliations. Yes, this idea may be seen as radical to those who feel that the kingdom of God should be open only people like them who are among the elect and saved. But after all, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ crossed all race and class barriers, bringing together as one body such diverse individuals as tax collectors, fishermen, and prostitutes. And after His resurrection, look at how this group of rag tag misfits transformed the world.