From the November Herald

 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

   I remember when then Senator Barack Obama addressed the United Church of Christ General Synod

 in Hartford in 2007. Though his message had little to do with his possible election, some people

thought the UCC should lose our tax-free status, claiming that we were advocating his election.

Actually, he was invited to speak before he’d announced his plans to run for president, UCC leadership

 was able to prove that, and the whole mess went away.

  There are many churches and pastors who will stand behind one candidate or another and tell their

 congregations for whom they should vote. It is difficult for me to believe, given the independent

 nature of our denomination, that they should give their pastor that kind of power, but there are areas

 of the country and certain denominations where the pastor is held in that much esteem. While I take

 my position as your spiritual leader seriously, I think it would be immoral or perhaps even illegal for

 me to use any influence I might have to try to sway your vote.

   However, there are issues at stake which demand a moral response. What our response may be is

 largely determined by our faith perspective. Many years ago, before I even attended seminary, I

remember a member of the congregation I attended expressing his position on an issue, and saying

 hat he thought that everyone in the church would agree with him. I didn’t agree with him, but I

 didn’t tell him that. I liked the man. There were arguments in his favor. But there were also

 arguments against his thinking, and those arguments seemed more important to me.

    My point is, we are never going to agree on every issue, as a faith community or as a nation. There

 are dire predictions for what will happen if the Democrats win. There are dire predictions for what

 will happen if the Republicans win. There are dire predictions for what will happen regardless of who

 wins. What is important for us is that we keep the faith: our faith in God, our faith in our church

 community, our faith in each other, our faith in ourselves; and then to let our faith determine our

 course of action.

    I don’t look at this as a matter of separating church and state. If you are a disciple of Christ it is who

 you are. You are not a set of little compartments comprised of your political party, your role in your

 family, your role in the workplace, your participation in your church. You are a Child of God, called by

 God to do the best you can to determine what is right and good and true.

    And so get out and vote!

                                                                                                           Peace,

                                                                                                              Karen