Just Because It's Hot in DC, You Don't Have to Get into a Heated Argument Here

Just the other day I got a copy of the latest Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly. I can see your eyes glazing over already, as you think that it is a collection of dusty memoirs of prairie pastors from a century and a half ago. It can be that at times, to be sure, but often it has nuggets of wisdom with direct application to today.

Such was the case of an article entitled “The Christian and Politics,” pages 119-121 of volume/issue 84:2. I thought that the advice of Theodore Brohm (1808-1881), translated by Sieghart Rein, to be particularly useful to us today. Here are some highlights drawn from Brohm’s ten theses:


• “All political questions, as far as they are purely of a political kind, are to be strictly excluded from pulpit and congregational meetings [voters’ assemblies].”
• “To command agreement in matters concerning eternal life is no overstretched demand…because God has given us the source and norm of the truth [i.e., the Word]…but to demand complete unity in the things which God has subjected to the judgment of human reason without revealing His will in Holy Scripture, would be presumptuousness and would lead to intolerable tyranny.”
• “Diversity of political opinions…can exist, irrespective of unity of the spirit and faith, just as well, as diversity in the opinions about matters of art, civil association, the best manner of farming, etc.”
• “Love does not judge others because of a different opinion, does not despise them, does not undertake to push its personal conviction upon others with impropriety, much less does it want to exert control over him, or have everything arranged according to its mind. Love…readily believes the best of [an opponent], even when it deems to have him trapped in a great and harmful political fallacy.”
• “If renowned grayed men, of whom one can deny neither ability nor integrity, are of different opinions concerning significant political questions, thus it is indeed an intolerable assumption to conduct oneself, talk and act as if one were an expert, while one, however has neither gifts, nor knowledge, nor calling, nor resources, in order to procure a well-founded, mature conviction, and has scooped his political opinions only from the corrupt source of a political-party newspaper.”
• “Not seriously enough can everyone be warned of so-called political hot air (Kannengießereien) political gibberish as amusement and such loose talk with which the precious time is corrupted and the soul is alienated from God’s bliss.”

In other words, allow fellow Christians the freedom to express a variety of opinions on political topics (as long as they do not disagree with a theological article of faith), keep the church focused on the one thing needful (which is not politics), tone down the rhetoric and bluster, and don’t think of yourself as an expert simply because you saw something on Fox News or MSNBC. To which I might add that it is useful to get beyond the generalities and slogans of your party and address issues as concretely as possible and be prepared to explain the arguments of your opponents in a way which they would deem fair. Also, be humble enough to realize that there will always be unintended consequences for choices you make and your opponent may be quicker to realize that.