Much continues to be written about the intersection of faith and politics. I was reading a piece the other day, the conclusion of which I’ll share in a bit. As one whose life of the mind exists in both of these worlds, I’m drawn into the relationship of these two powerful forces. I guess that should go without saying for anyone who has been reading these essays.

Anyway, at the risk of being way too simplistic, I sort of see this in two different ways. First, is the question of whether or not the two should mix. On this, I see some remarkable similarities between the traditional left and right. On the left, increasingly secular and in the extreme, virulently anti “religious” or atheist, the position is that faith has little or no standing in the contemporary world. In this telling, faith is synonymous with fantasy or vague mythology, certainly in contradiction to what every educated and scientifically literate person understands. On the right, populated as it is with people holding strong traditional values, mostly Christian, the position is increasingly one of considering withdrawal from the public life. In other words, the “culture wars” have been lost and “we need to hunker down in smaller enclaves” to live out the values we hold dear. Now, this chatter has not yet gained significant traction but it is emerging as a strong voice. Put together, these two basic suppositions are in contradiction to a long tradition in our country that faith and politics are deeply intertwined.

Second, though, is the debate on both left and right over just how faith and politics can intersect. Although it might come as a surprise, Americans continue to be distinctly “religious” as they self define their beliefs. By religious, I mean claiming affiliation with a particular faith system. A recent Pew report listed approximately 70% of Americans self-identifying with one of a large number of Christian denominations or unaligned Christian faith communities. Jews comprise 2% while Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus each claim about 1%. Unaffiliated comprise about 23% of which 3% are avowed atheists, 4% agnostics and 16% just don’t know. Now, Pew is a very reputable polling firm, especially on issues related to faith and belief. The data might give rise to all sorts of questions but I don’t want to go there right now.

Instead, I’m sharing this to show that, in our country, it’s really tough to get away from faith and, given the fact that most adult Americans have some strong opinions on at least one or more issues resolved in the political arena, the two forces have to interact.

All of which brings me back to the debate between left and right on just how the two should function together. I share these thoughts as a reflection based upon a lot of listening and reading; there is, after all, a lot of noise on the subject!

On the left, deeply grounded in concepts of social justice and diversity, the position regarding the intersection of faith and politics is more and more defined by the importance of including non-Christian voices in the debate. Increasingly, that means Muslim, as neither the Hindus or the Buddhists seem particularly interested in engaging in the political life in this country. As the ranking minority of non-Christian faiths, Jews have typically lined up more to the left, although issues related to Israel’s standing have created pointed disagreement. When it comes to left-leaning Christians (a large proportion of whom are Catholic), the position is heavily defined by the Social Gospel, the central theme of which is that Christians are called to help the needy in all circumstances (a deep grounding in the second of Jesus’ two commandments).

On the right, dominated largely by Protestant Christians but also including Catholics and Mormons, the collective position is more defined by values consistent with the institutions of family and small communities as well as a tight allegiance to scripture, (considered the Word of God) beyond the four gospels and including both the old and new Testaments. At the risk of over simplifying again, I’d just toss out that their position is more aligned with Jesus’ first commandment.

As the two sides lob grenades back and forth, charging one another with hypocrisy or radicalism, nationalism or un-Amercanism or all sorts of things, like everything else these days, the result is very unfortunate and an increasing polarization and viciousness that is draining and depressing.

After all, in the plain Christian world, Jesus is neither a Democrat or a Republican, neither a liberal or conservative, and it would be a mistake to think otherwise. In fact, he had some things to teach us about the intersection of faith and politics, a prime piece of which was played out historically over the recent period many Christians refer to as Holy Week or the Passion.

So, as I draw to a conclusion, without wanting to further dive into the weeds on all of this, I’ll return to the remark that brought me to this essay.

It was at the end of a piece by someone I read from time to time. He would be quite recognized as an observer of things political, with some pretty strong opinions. He was an outspoken opponent of both Trump and Clinton for all sorts of reasons. He is a practicing Christian who is in the process of changing the lens through which he examines important topics of the day. His shared recent health struggles have affected that lens, as many seriously considering mortality are wont to do.  Although I disagree with him on some things, I could identify with his final words.

“My time here is fleeting. So is yours. There’s no reason to hold on to grievances, no reason to avoid forgiveness, and no reason to devote our time to wasted idols. We are not all going to agree all the time on right and wrong. But life is too short not to show each other grace freely and move on.

This past year, I have recognized something important. The people who have turned politics into their god are the most miserable, malcontented people I know. Not everything is political and when you think it is, you have turned politics into religion. Life is not supposed to be political and death coming to visit me showed me how much more to life there is.”