Can We Have Religion Without Partisanship?

It is a time of sharp division and inflexible opinion in America. Those who know they are right are arrayed against those they are certain are wrong, and the opportunity for dialogue seems to have slipped away somewhere during the last decade. Whether we describe the battle as being between Red States and Blue States, liberals and conservatives, religious and secular, or true theology and false theology, true believers on either side are convinced that they are engaged in a battle for America's soul. While Christians ought to be on the forefront of conversation and reconciliation, you don't have to look any further than today's newspaper to know that religion is also polarizing us, especially at the intersection of religious faith and political issues. As Mike Slaughter points out in one of his sections of the new book Hijacked, when congregants begin to associate certain political stances with Christianity, they may believe that their pastor isn't preaching the gospel. Like fellow mega-church pastor Gregory Boyd, the Rev. Slaughter lost members from his fellowship for paying attention to justice, not simply preaching a partisan religion (15-17).