A Plea for Unity As We Approach the Presidential Election

 

Recently, I felt a nudge or a push from the Holy Spirit to submit this article to the opinion page of the Lancaster Eagle Gazette. The motivation for this article is because I have been dismayed and disapointed in the number of people who have chosen to turn politics into a war of words, neglecting to seek unity and common ground to help us move into a more preferable future.  Instead of listening to various viewpoints with open minds, we try to outshout our opponents, label them, and hide behind shallow sound bytes.  But there is hope and I am reminded of this hope every Sunday morning at First United Methodist Church in Lancaster, Ohio.

A Plea for Unity As We Approach the Presidential Election

On any given Sunday morning, chances are good that Republicans and Democrats will be worshipping side by side in the church I pastor. Chances are also good that each person who enters the sanctuary that morning, including me, will bring his or her preconceived particular political viewpoints and biases on various issues. In our increasingly politically polarized environment, the simple act of a diverse group of people gathering for weekly worship has become, for me, a very refreshing counter-cultural visible expression of unity.

I lift up my diverse congregation in these weeks leading up to our presidential election as a positive example of what it means to agree and disagree within a spirit of unity and mutual respect. Not that we don’t have our moments, but for the most part, I’m privileged to be part of a faith community that seeks to be a place of open hearts, open minds, and open doors.

In a place you would least expect, the Middle East, there are a number of positive examples of where Muslims, Jews, & Christians, who have lived next to each other for centuries, have become close friends and loving neighbors. I continue to be amazed at this surprising display of unity in a part of the world where there is so much hatred and distrust at the political level.

During this time of political polarization and national negativity, I hope that our Lancaster community, with all of our diversity and opinions, can be a positive example of what it means to work together in unity and in a spirit of civility.