How to respond to “Don’t preach politics!” (2nd in a 2-part series)
Here’s the moment.
You opened the email or you’re standing in the receiving line and are told: “Keep politics out of the pulpit!'“
What do you do next?
This is the second in a two-part series about responding to pushback after a sermon. The first article offered suggestions to prepare ourselves to respond to pushback in general.
This article is specific to responding to objections that we shouldn’t “preach politics.”
Regulate Your Emotions
Pause.
This is the #1 best thing to do anytime and every time we notice our emotions have shot up and hijacked our frontal lobes.
You know the feeling, right?
Face flushed, palms sweaty, breathing shallow, heart pounding, stomach twisting.
Emotions like panic, anger, and fear rise in an instant, and the compulsion to run away, yell, or appease manages us as if we were puppets.
When someone tells, yells, or writes in all caps that we “keep politics out of the pulpit,” it’s natural for adrenaline to spike.
We feel threatened even when there’s no actual danger.
When this happens, the risk is high that we might say or do something we later regret.
Bringing the adrenaline down and our emotions into the less reactive end of the spectrum is necessary to respond clearly, simply, respectfully, and pastorally.
Pausing is the go-to tool to re-regulate ourselves.
Pause—no matter how awkward it feels, no matter who is waiting, no matter how uncomfortable it is.
Breathe in for a count of two, hold for a count of two, and exhale for a count of four.
Continue to pause for as long as it takes for our bodies to return closer to normal.
We don’t have to respond until we’re ready.
When we are ready, we have choices.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
A simple "Thanks for letting me know how you feel. I'd welcome the chance to hear more. Can we set up a time?" is enough.
Or, "I'm not able to have/continue this conversation right now, but it’s important to me. I need time to pray and reflect and come back to you about this another time."
It’s best not to ask for permission by ending with "Is that OK with you?”
We don’t need their permission to do what is best for us to plan for a good conversation and build the relationship.
Regulating our emotions helps us say what we mean and mean what we say.
Create safety for the conversation
If the message came by email, or if we’re preparing for a conversation, it can help to write all the things we wish you could say exactly the way we' want to say them—and then burn or delete those thoughts!
Vent the frustration in a safe place so it doesn’t come through sideways with sarcasm or condescension.
During the actual conversation, keep body language relaxed and open, and tone of voice neutral and low.
Begin with prayer and state what we both want:
to follow Jesus the best we can
to be faithful in these uncertain days
to bring the gospel into daily life
to be open-minded and willing to change our minds, even if that makes us nervous or uncomfortable.
to be respected for our perspectives
to learn from each other and strengthen the Body of Christ
Conversation Tips
If they say something provocative and we don’t know how to respond, rely on neutral comments like “Got it,” “Noted,” “I see what you’re saying,” “I’m tracking what you’re saying,” or use non-verbals said in an interested tone, like “Hm!”
Show humility by saying, “You may be right” or “I could be wrong about this” or “This is complicated and I have more to learn.”
Own your part: “Preaching is one-way communication. You hear how I see things but I don't as often hear how you see things. Let's find a time so I can hear how you see the gospel applied to our common life."
Reflect and get curious
Articulate and reflect back their emotions and what they're anxious about.
Watch for two broad categories:
First, they feel we don't respect them by acknowledging the validity of their beliefs or perspectives.
If we feel this is happening, at any point we can check what we’re hearing.
For example:
“Are you saying you don't hear your perspective reflected in the sermon?”
“Am I hearing you don't feel that talking about the way Jesus treated the poor belongs in the pulpit?”
“You're saying that when I preach about Jesus's consideration for the outcast, it sounds to you as if I'm pushing an agenda about government policies and you feel angry about that. Is that right?”
Second, they might fear that because of your “politics” they might lose “their church.”
Their church means something to them.
It’s a place of spiritual refuge with relationships that might go back decades, and where sacred events like baptisms, funerals, and weddings may have occurred.
If they perceive a message that threatens “their church,” the sermon threatens some of the most cherished aspects of their life.
Ask what worries them. What are they afraid will change? And if it changes, what do they fear will be the consequences? What will be affected?
Be empathetic.
We all have “sacred cows” about our denominations and congregations, things that would break our hearts if they were changed. Know what yours are so you can connect authentically to their fears.
What does "politics in the pulpit" mean?
It’s important we aren’t making assumptions and are talking about the same thing. Here are suggestions to ensure we’re talking apples-to-apples.
What do they mean by “no politics in the pulpit”? Ask them to be as specific as possible. How do they define “politics,” and how do they understand “the pulpit?” Why do they not mix?
Ask them to define the parameters of “politics” or the subjects they believe should be off-limits. How did they determine those are the ones? Why should those not be allowed? What do we do when Jesus talks about an “off-limits” topic?
How do they understand Jesus’s mission, the missions of the Church and congregation, and your role as a preacher?
Ask if they believe there is anywhere that God is not? Is there any concern, worry, or place in human life God is not concerned with or a part of? If there is no limit to God’s concern, why would there be subjects that ought not be explored in sermons when they pertain to everyone’s lives?
If “politics” are explored in the pulpit, what do they imagine is the worst thing that could happen? The best?
What does it feel like to them when “politics” are explored in a sermon? What emotions come up? What memories does it evoke?
As they respond, summarize what we hear, name the emotions, and ask if we’ve understood correctly.
Clear is Kind
When the timing feels right, we can share our understanding about our call to preach the gospel (see Part 1 of this series) and perhaps reframe for them what politics in the pulpit means to us.
This might include clarifying that politics comes from the Latin polis, which means people.
By saying politics shouldn’t be in the pulpit, it’s saying that people shouldn’t be in the pulpit.
Often, of course, people use the word politics when they mean partisanship. If we included this in our statement about preaching, they will see we said that preaching about partisanship is not a boundary we’ll cross.
In addition, we may say we understand our call is to preach a social gospel, or community gospel, or Body of Christ gospel because that’s what Jesus preached about: who we are, together.
We can't create the reign of God without discerning how we build it as a group, and that means we cooperate as a community to learn the Spirit’s intentions and form agreements, and very often, that includes laws and policies. (Read Deuteronomy as the test case!)
Hence, a social, community, or Body of Christ gospel.
This may include exploring from the pulpit how we cooperate, and the agreements, laws, and policies we formed together and their effects, especially for those without a voice or power—because they were the people Jesus was most concerned about.
We might also say we understand our call to preach includes:
the lost, forgotten, and vulnerable in the pulpit
human dignity in the pulpit
God's belovedness for all people in the pulpit
Jesus in the pulpit, including everything he said and did—whether it makes us happy or not
God-present-in-every-nook-and-cranny-of-human-life in the pulpit
Conclusion
When we conclude the conversation, we can ask our listener if they feel heard and understood.
We can also ask if they understand the parameters around our preaching and if they would help hold us accountable to them.
Close with a prayer that reiterates our common ground to be as faithful as we both can be; our willingness to go together wherever the Spirit guides us, even when it’s uncomfortable; and gratitude that there is nowhere, from the depths of Sheol to the heights of heaven, that God is not present with us.
And finally, thank you, preacher for preaching the gospel for all the polis.