Christian leaders may wonder how they can be true to their faith convictions in a polarized political atmosphere. New resources, along with essays and interviews from the Faith & Leadership archives, can help.
The 2020 presidential election
Members of the Washington Interfaith Staff Community take part in a health care vigil. Photo courtesy of the Friends Committee on National Legislation
Interfaith advocacy groups collaborate to help the nation's vulnerable
Partisan divides may mark politics in Washington, D.C., but faith-based lobbyists there find ways to work together for the greater good.
Staff illustration / Photo by Debby Hudson / Unsplash
Leah Schade: How pastors can bridge political divides in 2020
The minister and professor of preaching offers a method of dialogue in advance of the coming election.
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Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove: Voting for our own souls
As the election cycle intensifies with its first primaries, Christians must remain engaged for the sake of the country and the integrity of their own faith, writes an author and activist.
The steel wall on the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana, Mexico, includes phrases and names of deported veterans. The center phrase translated from Spanish says: "Here is where the dreams bounced back." iStock / Photo Beto
Mark T. Mulder and Gerardo Marti: Why don't all Latinx Americans vote 'blue'?
Latinx Protestants defy expectations on issues like immigration, write two sociologists.
Book cover detail from "Revolution of Values."
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove: Reclaiming public faith from the religious right
The author and activist tells how the religious right monopolized public faith and family values, and how Christians can change the conversation.
Politics and religious faith
Composite Illustration by Jessamyn Rubio / BigStock: Rashomon, Karpenko Ilia
Laura Stern: Must we keep the church out of politics and politics out of the church?
Despite all our attempts to keep religion and politics apart, they do come together in the church, writes a pastor.
iStock / Jorge Antonio
Michael Wear: Christians should be involved in party politics
Whether Democrats or Republicans, Christians in the U.S. can be active participants in party politics and still be true to their faith, says a consultant on religion and politics and former staffer in the Obama administration’s faith-based initiative.
Luke Bretherton: Politics is key to loving your neighbor
Politics is not a necessary evil; it’s an important way to care for a community, says a professor and theologian.
Leading in the public square
The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II speaking at a Moral Monday rally. Creative Commons: Flickr / Twbuckner
William J. Barber II: We have to dare to preach the gospel
In this interview, the leader of the Moral Mondays movement talks about leading in the public square.
iStock / Krisanapong Detraphiphat
Eric D. Barreto: Reading the Bible in public
How do we rightly read the Bible in the midst of the political issues of our time? A New Testament scholar calls for a renewed theological imagination, filled with generosity, hope and grace.
Unsplash / Joshua Sukof
Ben Irwin: Reject political idolatry this election season
A group of pastors is asking churches to celebrate communion on Election Day to send the message that the church is a radical alternative to the power structures of our world.
Conflict and polarization
On primary day, the author was confronted with a "Vote here" sign in the shadow of a cross draped in purple for Lent. Photo courtesy of Ed Moore
Edgar Moore: Election Day, in the shadow of the cross
Despite our desire to find a comfortable middle ground, the incarnation means there may not be a clear, easy way through the midst of cultural conflict, writes a retired United Methodist elder.
Bigstock / Vectortatu
John Inazu: Confident pluralism -- surviving and thriving through deep difference
Despite deep and irresolvable differences, Americans must find a way to live together, a Washington University law professor says in this interview. He calls for a ‘confident pluralism,’ bolstered in part by tolerance, humility and patience.
Book cover detail
Stephen R. Haynes: The battle for Bonhoeffer
In an era of intense polarization, as liberals and conservatives argue over the meaning of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life and work, a Bonhoeffer scholar considers what it means to be a disciple in the age of Trump.
The 2016 presidential election
William H. Lamar IV preaching. Photo courtesy of Paul Holston, Tru1 Photography
William H. Lamar IV: Black preaching, after the election
What is the role of black preaching in the new America of President-elect Trump? This Advent, a young AME pastor finds inspiration and insight in the theology of his denomination’s founder, Richard Allen.
Bigstock / Andy Dean Photography
Cameron Barr: The pastoral vocation in the age of President Trump
Donald Trump may be a different kind of leader, perhaps even a threat to our democracy, but that doesn’t change the nature of the pastoral vocation, says an Iowa pastor. The pastor is the keeper of a space where we stand on a firm foundation.
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Ginger Gaines-Cirelli: Sacred resistance is about our being, not just our doing
In her new book, “Sacred Resistance,” the senior pastor of Foundry UMC in Washington, D.C., articulates how Christians can engage in the work of mending the world.
Bigstock / 1Photo
Robert Wilson-Black: Resistance and healing, after the election
In the wake of the presidential election, it's time for listening and learning, says the CEO of Sojourners in this interview.