Lutheran (EL C S*A) Ping!
* as of August 19, AD 2009, a liberal protestant SECT, not part of the holy, catholic and apostolic CHURCH.
Keep a Good Lent!
Posted on 02/25/2010 8:08:38 AM PST by mbarker12474
Political Gaps Strain Churches Alan Wisdom February 24, 2010
In a society already ideologically polarized, many believers go to church in hopes of a respite from conflict. But recent surveys show similar political disparities straining the Christian community. There are huge gaps in political affiliation between clergy and laity, especially in the oldline Protestant denominations. The divide between oldline and evangelical Protestant leaders remains exceedingly wide. The much publicized evangelical left, purporting to bridge that divide with a fusion of evangelical theology and liberal politics, remains statistically insignificant.
It is little wonder that debilitating conflicts have wracked the oldline denominations, contributing to the loss of one-third of their membership over the past 45 years. Oldline church bodies typically depend upon the cooperative endeavors of clergy and lay leadership. But those two leadership groups are pointed in different directions politically and ideologically.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is the best documented example. The denomination's research office recently released the results of an exhaustive survey of 3,500 PCUSA members and leaders. Presbyterians in the pews leaned one way politically: 46 percent identified themselves as Republicans, while only 31 percent were Democrats. But pastors leaned sharply in the opposite direction: 23 percent Republicans versus 50 percent Democrats. Specialized clergy, among whom are many top PCUSA officials, were even more lopsided in their partisan allegiances. Only 13 percent were Republicans, as against 65 percent Democrats.
Comparing a 2008 survey of "Clergy Voices" by Public Religion Research with 2008 polling of church members by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life reveals similar clergy-laity gaps in other denominations. In the United Church of Christ (UCC), a stunning 77 percent of the ministers call themselves Democrats; only 51 percent of UCC members do the same. Among Episcopal and Evangelical Lutheran (ELCA) clergy, Democrats outnumber Republicans by 3:1. Yet Episcopal and ELCA members are divided almost down the middle.
The United Methodist Church and the American Baptist Churches are the only oldline denominations where pastors and members are even close to being on the same page politically. In both cases, clergy and laity show fairly even splits between Democrats and Republicans. Thus, at least politically, these two denominations are truly "mainline."
Where political diversity is an accepted fact, clergy and lay leaders will more often understand the futility of trying to impose anyone's political agenda as the mission of the church. Church unity will have to come through the teachings and work of Christ. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the United Methodists and the American Baptists are the two oldline denominations that seem most likely to hold firm in traditional Christian doctrines.
The situation is different in other oldline denominations, where overwhelmingly left-leaning clergy often imagine themselves to be "prophets" leading their people into a promised land of social justice and world peace. Clergy elites may possess the institutional power to impose this political agenda; however, by doing so they instigate a rift with their church members. To the extent that politics becomes a focus in church life, the divide grows deeper and more damaging. Peter Smith of the Louisville Courier-Journal described the situation succinctly: "Red pew, blue pulpit."
Evangelical denominations are another world: red pew, redder pulpit. Evangelical ministers are far more heavily Republican than the oldline clergy are Democratic. According to the Paul B. Henry Institute at Calvin College, Republicans outnumber Democrats by an astounding 66-4 percent among Southern Baptist pastors. In the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the margin is 64-4. In the Assemblies of God, it is 74 percent Republicans versus a mere 1 percent Democrats.
There do seem to be a significant number of independents among these evangelical clergy, but Democrats are practically non-existent. It may be that the Democratic Party's identification with the cultural left -- on issues such as abortion and homosexuality -- has become so prominent that a Democratic identification is no longer tenable for most evangelical clergy. Evangelical left figures such as the Rev. Jim Wallis of Sojourners may make a media splash; however, they have few imitators in evangelical pulpits.
One finds Democrats in evangelical pews, but they are a distinct minority. The proportion of Democratic members ranged from 28 percent in the Assemblies of God to 37 percent among Southern Baptists. Republicans held clear majorities in all three evangelical denominations.
Thus it seems most evangelical pastors -- unlike most oldline pastors -- are preaching to congregations that lean in the same direction as them politically. But they would do well to remember that perhaps a third of those in the pews hold a different partisan loyalty. Even in a solidly conservative evangelical church, it would be unwise for the pastor to emphasize a political agenda. Church unity there, as in the oldline churches, will have to come through the teachings and work of Jesus Christ.
Funny, this is a problem as old as Christianity itself. When Jesus dealt with it, He simply told the laity to do it His way.
If my church or Pastor did not, I'd find another church.
Lutheran (EL C S*A) Ping!
* as of August 19, AD 2009, a liberal protestant SECT, not part of the holy, catholic and apostolic CHURCH.
Keep a Good Lent!
What is the distinction between a “mainline” Protestant or Baptist and an evangelical Protestant or Baptist? Is there a doctrinal distinction that I am unaware of?
SnakeDoc
I am not astounded by that. What astounds me is that there are any Bible believing, professing Christians that are liberal and support candidates who are pro abortion, no matter if Catholic, Protestant or what ever, claiming Christ.
These so called "Christians" will be wishing for a mill stone around their necks instead of what they are destined to receive.
Love how the author chides at the end.
Phooey. Everyone knows that American churches are country clubs. A half-hour of watered-down "I'm okay, you're okay," a bunch of shallow love songs about Jesus, the same prayer Baldy the Car Salesman has been praying for twelve years, and then pass the plate and get the club dues.
There are no polarizing politics, or any other polarizing behavior. It's all designed to make people feel like sitting in a pew for an hour a week is "Christian," keep their money coming in, with zero demand for work or learning.
>> Perhaps it is no coincidence that the United Methodists >> and the American Baptists are the two oldline
>> denominations that seem most likely to hold
>> firm in traditional Christian doctrines.
> If my church or Pastor did not, I’d find another church.
In the UMC, the difference between pulpit and pew in the UMC may be small, but the difference between pew and conference staff, conference committees (Board of Church & Society, Board of Global Ministry, United Methodist Women) is large. Likewise, the difference between pew and General church leadership and General board/agency membership is huge. The UMC is a progressive political organization, with the explicit mission to “transform the world.” Pay attention to your tithe.
James 4:4
paraphrased - there are no “liberal Christians”
There are no polarizing politics, or any other polarizing behavior. It's all designed to make people feel like sitting in a pew for an hour a week is "Christian," keep their money coming in, with zero demand for work or learning.
A bit of a broad brush, don't you think?
Republicans outnumber Democrats by an astounding . . . percent among . . . pastors [i]n the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the margin is 64-4.
I am an LCMS pastor, and I can attest to the fact that most all my peers are politically conservative. Even fellow LCMS pastors I disagree with theologically--they're liberal in terms of their Lutheran doctrine and practice (e.g., worship practice)--I would guess are conservative socio-politically (e.g., on abortion, homosexuality).
Among Lutherans, the LCMS, like the WELS and ELS, is overwhelmingly conservative, both clergy and lay, in social-political matters. Only the ELCA is Looney Left, and that, more so in their clergy hierarchy.
Leftist thrologues play Jesus, insisting that they are the perfect expression of Jesus. Evangelicals insist that they do things Biblically, according to the teachings of Jesus. The former point to themselves . The latter point to scripture. Methidism is broken down more by Conference than denomination. The Baltimore annual Conference is essentially Marxist with Homosexuals filling pulpits and abortion taught with no regard for God's Will. Conservative, Evangelical and Charismatic pastors are routinely expelled from their ranks. Witch hunts are the norm in this as well as in northern and western conferences. Southern conferences in the UMC are more attuned to biblicism and evangelicalism.
Not our local congregation. They voted in favor of same-sex partnerships. Only 12 voted against the issue. Sheesh!
I'm confident I already know the pitiful answers to those questions. I'm confident you know too.
I should add, I do find some LCMS laypeople, mostly older, who still vote Democrat—not because they are truly leftist in their thinking, but because they are “old union guys” who were raised to think that the Dems are “on the side of the little guy,” or they are ladies who “like” the smooth-talking candidate on an emotional level because he says nice stuff. But they don’t analyze the issues in any depth. They’re brainwashed by the pop culture.
The fruit of those efforts is that their membership has left in droves-- some to evangelical conservative denominations, some to quit attending church at all.
The later category is, unfortunately, the end objective of the socialists in the pulpit. Most fully realize they are destroying once great denominations by driving people away, but they do it anyway because government power has become their false God.
Look for the same clique of termites to infest the evangelical denominations now that that's where most of the church attendance is moving. Christians need to be willing to do whatever is necessary to keep these termites out of their pulpits and, failing that, be willing to leave for a denomination not thus infested.
Fortunately, out here in the hinterland, the system pretty much lets us ignore the stupid so-called leaders higher up in the Conference. We just go on with the time honored traditional worship. Don’t know how long they will leave us alone, but if they interfere too much, we just pull out of the conference and go independent Bible Church. There are several around here who did that when the EUB and the Meth. merged in 68.
I doubt it. It would be interested to take a deeper look at actual church attendance and involvement. I bet the democrats reported in these church bodies actually bother to show up for worship at a much lower rate than their numbers would suggest. Ditto for actual involvement in lay ministries. (After all, why volunteer when it's redundant - the government nanny is already supposed to be meeting everyone's needs.)
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