OPINION:

What does the church or your pastor actually mean when they say a topic is too political? The simple answer is, “They don’t want to divide their congregation in any way.” 

The follow-up question would be, “How come?” 

Before I answer that questions, allow me to deliver a bit of background and history. 

I’m a preacher’s kid, who once ran a blog called ihatechurch.com and sold it. 

The title of the blog wasn’t a stab at church, but rather an outlet back in the early 2000s of how the church could improve. 

Over the past 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of working closely through the lens of PR and marketing with people ranging from Keanu Reeves, Benny Hinn, Brian Houston, Hillsong, and now TPUSA Faith. 

It’s a miracle I still love Jesus and love the church. Trust me, I’ve seen and heard it all. 

So, when I hear a pastor say (as I did this past week), “It’s too political,” I get what they are saying. 

I’ve been in those PR meetings about how they should best craft communications around abortion, homosexuality, BLM, and others. 

Behind closed doors, 90% of high-level pastors are ultra-conservative. 

I grew up ultra-conservative. However, being a marketing and optics person, I usually voted for the cool guy or girl. 

I was an Obama and Hilary guy. They had great marketing and speeches, it was the cool thing to do. 

Now, let me get back to answering my initial question “How come the church or a pastor doesn’t engage in what they deem as political or dividing topics.” 

There are two things every pastor fears. Well, maybe three. 

The first fear, in this instance, is saying the wrong thing which they deem political and people leaving their church. 

Pastors love growth. 

Pastors crave numbers, they are addicted to them. 

It’s like crack. Most will joke about people leaving the church as no big deal, but let me tell ya, it’s a big deal when those weekly numbers go down. 

People get fired for that. 

The second fear is when the people leave, so does the money. Pastors are terrified when giving goes down. 

If fewer people are coming to the church, and less money is coming in, that is a BIG problem. 

The third fear is not as relevant for this moment, but it’s basically any type of scandal that would cause them to lose their credibility. They fear that big time. 

For now, Fear #1, and #2 are what drive the storyline of the church. Anything deemed divisive is considered political. 

This is usually the time the pastor or church will give a line about 1 Corinthians 1:10 and how we should all live together in unity. 

Ok, I get unity, but what about aborted babies, men on men having sex, or this transgender movement sweeping the nation? 

Is the church supposed to live in “unity” with blatant sin and disrespect for Jesus, the King of Kings? 

This is where you may push back and say, “Stop judging, who do you think you are?” 

This is where the argument begins and you say, “This guy has lost his mind.” 

It’s all good, this is the common framework for anyone who disagrees with another person. 

Rather than using wisdom and doing their own homework, most rely on their community or network (Instagram) for information rather than seeking Biblical solutions. 

The church says these topics are too political, too divisive. 

My question and I believe part of the reason why I am on Earth is to poke people into thinking about what Steven Covey so famously coined, “the end in mind.” 

You will die. I will die. Your pastor will die. 

At this moment we will stand before Jesus and have our life, and choices reviewed. 

This will be the REAL moment of clarity. 

This will be when the church and pastor will have to answer before the King of Kings about whether or not being silent was considered being a faithful servant. 

If you are a pastor or individual who is silent on these issues for the sake of peace, allow me to remind you of the German church in the 1930s. 

This paramount reminder in history cannot be better explained than by Eric Metaxas, author of Letter to the American Church.

There’s a famous quote, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act. God will not hold us guiltless.” And I said, the silence of the German church in the 30s is what led to the nightmare of the Holocaust of the Nazis taking over.

Most of those German people and German pastors, they didn’t know that they were helping Satan. They didn’t know what the future held.

Take a moment here to reflect. 

Seriously, think about the end in mind, and what that looks like. 

Do you really think silence or avoidance is the answer? 

Why does your pastor not talk about abortion and the killing of babies? 

Why does your pastor not address men having sex with men, and women having sex with women? Is sin too hard to talk about? 

Why does your pastor not talk about the transgender movement and how it plays god with people’s bodies? 

As these questions rattle around in your mind, reflect back on Fear #1, and Fear #2 which we addressed earlier. 

The question to ask yourself is, “Do I fear God more than I fear man or money?” 

The answer to this question will paint a pretty clear picture of why your church or pastor deems something “too political.” 

Anthony Thompson is the Senior Media Strategist for TPUSA Faith as well as the founder of Thompson Coaching & Consulting where he coaches high-level leaders with the goal of living with the end in mind.  Learn more at anthonythompson.org.