Seminary dean explains how churches become centers of politics
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Temple Israel Synagogue in Minneapolis is filled with clergy from around the country as they prepare to protest federal action in Minnesota. It’s another house of worship becoming a staging ground for political discourse.
On Jan. 18, Cities Church in St. Paul became the center of political discourse as protestors interrupted a service after discovering one of the church’s pastors also worked as an acting director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. On Thursday, the FBI arrested three of those protestors.
“This isn't a common thing in recent years,” said Peter Vogt, dean of Bethel Seminary. “By and large, political activity related to churches has been outside of the church.”
Vogt said part of why people gather in church for prayer is to prepare mentally and spiritually for the problems outside. But he added that the stark divisions we see in broader society are beginning to creep into places of faith.
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“When we sort of adopt the mindset that we see in other spheres of life, it really hinders the work of the church and of faith communities,” Vogt said.
And while protests inside churches remain rare, he said that he’s heard from colleagues who are developing policies related to protests in church.
“This kind of engagement is important for people of faith to be engaging with the world and addressing the problems of the world, and that's going to get messy at times,” Vogt said.
“But I think we have to prepare leaders to be engaged in that conversation and to be constructive participants.”
Listen to the full conversation by clicking the player above.
