My father was a Methodist minister and I think he felt it would have been greatly unfair to vocally support either political party from the pulpit or otherwise in his church functions. He did occasionally preach on brotherhood (which got him moved several times), but brotherhood could be supported by both mainstream political parties. He intentionally did not put political bumper stickers on the family car. We did not discuss politics much at home, but it was clear to me that my parents were Democrats and that they never missed voting in elections. My brother and I and my sister-in-law all find affinity with most Democratic positions. Of course, there are times that our own personal public agendas are not realized or even discussed or supported by either political party. We all supported Obama and were exasperated by the strident criticism he received--to the degree that seemingly he could not even breathe right--from what was a solid Republican front. We have come to understand the kickback of unintended consequences (from our own cherished positions) due to the intractable and multiple nature of causality. We long for a political environment in which realism, compromise, and goodwill are possible.
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