So there's naturally backlash that people are focused on Chick-fil-a. The biggest thing I hear is why don't we focus on hungry children or the unemployment rate or pick your topic of choice. Well I'd like to offer another option...that being a faithful Christian means that I can fight for marriage equality and equal rights for the LBGTQ community and also work to feed the hungry, fight the high unemployment rates, work towards a creating a better environment and other issues that I support. It doesn't have to be a either or situation. What I see as a wrong is a wrong to me. When I see my faith being used to cause hurt, pain and discrimination on any issue I have the right to fight it just like you have your right to support it. I am no less of a faithful person for my stances then you are for holding your stance. Just because I choose to add my 2 cents worth to a highly discussed topic doesn't mean I'm giving up on everything else I support. I can multitask. Trust me I'll be more then happy to help a person find a job at another company so they can have gainful employment and still boycott a company that I don't agree with. I can still support education reform while saying marriage is more then a narrow view. I can help save the environment while saying that love is something bigger then any one person.
For years now, I have heard in preaching and clergy circles about being political in sermons; the good, the bad and those who state that church shouldn’t be political. There are workshops, books, and podcasts talking about politics in the church with a variety of opinions. What do people mean when they make the statement that the church shouldn’t be political? The IRS has the most say about the rules for the separation of church and state/politics. If your church wants to be tax exempt, there are rules: don’t endorse any candidate or party, if you allow one party to use your space, other political parties also must be allowed to use the space, etc. The UCC’s general counsel, Heather Kimmell, has a webinar on this topic if you’d like to hear a more detailed explanation which can be found on the UCC’s YouTube channel. Churches have gotten “creative” in how to get around this, often partnering with another non-profit group to give support to a particular group. The UCC is proud to claim...
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