Churches shouldn’t be blind to the political trends of the day, but neither should they let themselves get dragged into the political mud. That was Friendship Baptist Church’s first mistake.
The church in Appomattox, Virginia, went viral last week. The church’s pastor cheered on President Trump’s “go back” comments with a message posted on its sign out front: “America: Love it or leave it.”
Pastor E.W. Lucas put up the sign “America: Love it or leave it” at Friendship Baptist Church in Appomattox
The congregation at the church walked out of the service yesterday in protest. https://t.co/5qCWpUy69u
— Stone ? (@stonecold2050) July 22, 2019
“People that feel hard about our president and want to down the president and down the country and everything, they ought to go over there and live in these other countries for a little while,” said E. W. Lucas, the church’s pastor, to ABC 13 News.
In tweets presumably directed at the congressional Democratic “squad,” made up of four women of color, Trump told them earlier this month to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.” All but one were born in the United States.
The tweets engendered cries of racism, as did Friendship Baptist Church’s sign. But Lucas didn’t see it that way.
“Preachers, by and large, today, are afraid they’re gonna hurt somebody’s feelings, and when I get in the pulpit, I’m afraid I won’t hurt somebody’s feelings,” Lucas said.
If making a political statement on the church’s sign was Lucas’ first mistake, mistaking partisan jousting for theological boldness was his second.
His congregation appeared to agree. On Sunday, ABC 13 News reported that members of his congregation staged a walk-out. Lucas, however, doubled down.
“I’ve tried to be honest,” Lucas said. “I’ve tried to do what’s right. But I believe in my country. I love my country. And I don’t mind standing up for the country.”
Lucas’ misunderstanding is that the “love it or leave it” sign isn’t about standing up for his country. It’s about dragging his congregation into a national political debate, taking one side without expressing sympathy for the other.
Churches don’t need to pretend that the political circus that happens outside their doors don’t exist, but they don’t need to join, either. Lucas should be more concerned about hurting people’s feelings, as the stand he’s taking isn’t about theological accuracy but his own brand of patriotism. It’s simply alienating.
As a pastor, Lucas’ job is not to stand up for his country, but to stand up for his faith and his congregation. If they were so concerned that they left church on Sunday, then Lucas’ personal opinions are overwhelming his professional, and spiritual, responsibilities.
This is what happens when everything is political, and you’re so consumed with making a national statement that you can’t feed the sheep in front of you.
