Whatever our religion or spiritual tradition, this is the core sacred truth that we humans need to embody in the ways that we live lives — lives which are rooted in authenticity, consciousness, connection, compassion, kindness, wisdom, and love. May it be so. — Molly
By Rev. Dr. Mark Sandlin
And I get where they’re coming from.
Most of us are tired.
Most of us would love one part of life that doesn’t feel messy or heated.
But the idea that faith should stay quiet in the corner while the world sorts itself out… that’s not faith talking. That’s exhaustion.
Real faith has always pushed people into public life. Not because they wanted a fight, but because they cared too much to look away. The Bible isn’t a scrapbook of inspirational thoughts; it’s a collection of stories about people who let Love get under their skin so much it changed how they moved through the world.
Moses didn’t look at Pharaoh and say, “Thoughts and prayers.”
The prophets didn’t say, “It’s not my place.”
And Jesus… well, Rome didn’t line people up on crosses for having quiet personal devotions.
Faith is meant to spill over into the world.
It’s supposed to shape how we treat each other,
which means it shapes how we organize life together.
That’s politics at its simplest: the decisions we make about how people are treated.
But here’s what I’ve noticed. The only time folks say “keep faith out of politics” is when someone brings up feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, or protecting the folks who always seem to get shoved to the edges.
The people trying to ban books or limit rights rarely worry about mixing religion and politics. They’ve got no trouble preaching from the Senate floor.
They just want the rest of us quiet.
Here’s the truth we don’t say enough:
Neutrality doesn’t create peace. It creates cover.
And every time we try to sit out the hard conversations, someone with less compassion and more ambition is happy to step in and set the terms for us.
Faith isn’t supposed to make us passive.
It’s supposed to wake us up.
It’s supposed to help us see…
who’s hurting,
who’s afraid,
who’s being ignored.
It should nudge us toward courage, even on days we don’t feel particularly brave.
I’m not telling anyone what box to check on a ballot. I’m saying our values should matter out in the world, not just in the quiet of a sanctuary. Dignity. Fairness. Enough love and enough resources for everyone to have a shot at flourishing.
If faith doesn’t move us toward that kind of world, then it’s just something we dust off on Sundays.
So maybe this year, instead of keeping faith tucked away, we let it stretch its legs a little. Let it make us kinder. Bolder. More determined to build a world where everybody gets to breathe a little easier.
If faith doesn’t affect our politics, maybe the question isn’t “Should it?”
Maybe the question is, “What are we afraid will happen if it does?”
https://progressivechristianity.org/author/rev-mark-sandlin/
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