SHUTTERSTOCK
Sometimes challenging untruths may require the deep freedom and courage Luther himself modeled as he opposed indulgences and harmful economic practices. In any case, misleading political rhetoric threatens the future of our democracy.
look out only for “No. 1”—in other words, self-interest is good. Another suggests that citizens should vote the interests of their group. Either of these distorts our democratic tradi- tions and diverges from the Lutheran principle of serving the community in everything a person does, includ- ing one’s political involvements. In matters of public policy, the distinction between the two gover- nances means the church is not to insist that its priorities be made into law. In a religiously pluralistic soci- ety, what the church considers right behavior for its members may or may not serve the common good. For example, Christians bless marriages, but marriage itself is a matter of the state. When a pastor officiates, he or she does so because of state authorization. In matters of marriage, therefore, the primary question for voters should not be what the Christian view of marriage is but what serves the interests of the community as a whole.
The state has a strong interest in stable families because abuse and neglect are costly. But the question of what compelling inter- est the state has in reserving marriage for heterosexuals deserves careful discussion. People need to decide
24 The Lutheran •
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what is good for society and vote accordingly, but the decision should not be made on the basis only of what Christianity favors. The state needs to protect non-Christians as well as Christians. In matters of public policy, Chris- tians can serve society by providing opportunities for what sociologist James Hunter calls “pre-political” discussions. These are discussions where people of different outlooks can search for common ground. The discussions are pre-political because they aren’t designed to support a policy or a party. They are designed to understand the options. In these settings the Christian community should model and insist on civil discourse. This entails lis- tening to others carefully enough to be able to repeat accurately what they have said. It entails searching out whatever information is needed to inform the discussion. And it requires that participants seek to per- suade rather than inflame.
If Christians had answers to every
problem, they wouldn’t need pre- political discussions. But Luther and Lutherans are very aware that we don’t have answers to every question or solutions to every problem. This makes dialogue indispensable. We live in a society very much polarized by rival ideologies, each claiming to have the answer to our problems. Each side wants to see its ideology endorsed by the govern- ment and refuses to seek or consider new alternatives. The problem with ideology is that it can so easily divert our attention from people in need and so easily get in the way of con- certed action. The alternative suggested by the
Lutheran tradition is to focus on specific problems experienced by real people. How can we help those victims of violence who are seeking political asylum in our country and
are housed in our jails? How can we help those dying from famine? How can we help those without medical insurance or access to medical care? How can we reduce sex trafficking? Such people-focused discussions can be productive, even when under- taken by people of diverse political persuasions. In matters of public policy, one very important role for Christians is to tell the truth. Adolf Hitler famously claimed that people soon believe a lie if it is repeated over and over again. And he succeeded in getting a majority to believe that the Jews were responsible for Ger- many’s troubles and that the country faced a final struggle that would result either in its destruction or in 1,000 years of ascendency. Today our public rhetoric is rife with untruths. We remember, for example, the false impressions cre- ated by describing as “death panels” the proposal in Congress to fund conversations with a doctor about responsible end-of-life decisions. It wasn’t even a new proposal—it had been included in earlier legislation regarding drug prescriptions. To cite another example, many
false claims circulate about refu- gees and immigrants. Christians are called to challenge such untruths and can do so with the help of informa- tion from Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (
www.lirs.org). On this and other issues, careful study and discussion are needed to identify the truth.
Sometimes challenging untruths may require the deep freedom and courage Luther himself modeled as he opposed indulgences and harm- ful economic practices. In any case, misleading political rhetoric threat- ens the future of our democracy. Luke 1 and the book of Amos
make very clear that vast inequities of wealth aren’t pleasing to God.
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