God loves us, all of us

So, is the new pope MAGA or Woke?

God loves us, all of us, evil will not prevail. We are all in the hands of God. Without fear, united, hand in hand with God and among ourselves, we will go forward. We are disciples of Christ, Christ goes before us, and the world needs his light. Humanity needs him like a bridge to reach God and his love. You help us to build bridges with dialogue and encounter so we can all be one people always in peace. (Pope Leo XIV)

The work of Ryan Burge and David French are the backdrop for this article. Burge, a political science professor is known for his analysis of the relationship between religiosity and political behavior. French writes for the New York Times on law, culture, religion, and armed conflict.

What first caught my attention this morning was French’s column about how some people were getting driven crazy trying to figure out Pope Leo's political position: “too many Christians will evaluate even the pope through a partisan political lens…Is the new pope MAGA? Is he woke? How does he fit into the American culture war?” Burge has said, “People are picking their religion based on their politics, not their politics based on their religion.”

Burge reports that 37% of us in the Episcopal Church went for Trump. While 83% of white evangelicals and 64% of Roman Catholics did the same.

As you know, I’ve been a Democrat all my life. Born when FDR was president. Had parents who may have been the only people in our Episcopal parish voting for Adlai Stevenson over Dwight Eisenhower. “The New Deal saved us.”

So, my political question might be, “What is the matter with 37% of Episcopalians? How could they vote for this cruel, heartless man?” There is a part of me that feels that way. And yet, I know the feeling is misguided. It carries within it a confusion about the connection between faith and political ideology and action.

So, here’s my hypothesis. The integrity of a Christian’s political beliefs and actions depends on the extent to which they are, over a long period of time, engaged in the worship of God.

One of Anglicanism’s greatest ethicists, Kenneth Kirk wrote in The Vision of God, “the doctrine…has throughout been interpreted by Christian thought at its best as implying in practice that the highest prerogative of the Christian, in this life and the next, is worship; and that nowhere except in this activity will he find the key to his ethical problems.”

That's exactly what I believe. For the Anglican Christian the starting point for ethical, and therefore political, moral clarity is worship as known in the Sunday Eucharist, the daily prayers of the church, and holy reflection. This Threefold Rule of Prayer, in its richness and depth can over the years orient our hearts and minds to the heart and mind of Christ. John Orens has written of the role of enchantment, and the spontaneous love and joy we experience in worship and suggests that hearts so enflamed can serve this time, “We must teach the truth to an age that does not believe in truth, preach hope to men and women bereft of confidence in the past or the future, and labor for justice in a time of ideological bankruptcy and political cynicism.” [1] There are, of course, other helps we might draw upon if we are to base our politics on our faith and act in a manner that is effective, e.g., increased emotional intelligence, some grasp of the traditional virtues, and a willingness to listen to views not our own.

Listen to the word of God, then listen to others, know how to build bridges, know how to listen in order not to judge, not to close doors thinking that we have all the truth and no one can tell us anything. (Pope Leo XIV)

It may help you to understand my hypothesis if you think about this. Do you believe that the world would be better off if people voted for the political candidates that you are voting for or that they vote based on informing and acting upon their conscience? And, is it more important that the Pope lean in my political direction or that the Pope acts upon an informed conscience grounded in the worship of God?

My ordination to the priesthood was 54 years ago today (see the picture). I’d ask you to pray for me.

This abides,

Brother Robert, OA

[1] The Anglo Catholic Vision

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