PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

It’s hard to realize that we have just come through a very controversial election and are moving on soon to a new set of issues in Washington, D.C

But, amidst all of those issues, many of which will fester as the incoming Trump Administration plots it course, there is one that has caught my attention. It is the relationship between politics and religion.

This matters to me because of my service, for 12 years, as chair of the Governing Board of Elders at Salem Alliance Church in Salem. It seemed to be a fairly large church as we joined it when we moved to Salem in 1979, but since then it has grown to nearly 5,000 participants.

As chair of the Board, my position, as well as that of the Board, was that politics and religion should not mix. Persons who have convictions as followers of Christ – I am one of those – cannot be characterized by such labels as Republican or Democrat, or liberal or conservative or anything. Each individual is a single person with personal convictions and priorities.

We avoided politics from the pulpit, as well as other places in the church. The only caveat was that, if the senior pastor felt led of God to make a comment about an issue – for example, abortion – then he should consult with Governing Board members before making comments. And, with that advice in hand, he could make the comments God led him to make. By the way, that did not include telling persons in the audience how to vote.

All of this strikes home to me even more today, especially because of this headline in a recent Wall Street Journal article:

Breaking Up With Your Church Over Politics

The contentious election is a ripe topic for sermons but is sending some churchgoers to the doors

The newspaper went on to report the case of Brandi Miller, a campus minister at the University of Oregon:

“The election is over and so is Brandi Miller’s religious affiliation. ‘On Nov. 8, white evangelical Christianity and I called it quits,’ she wrote in a message posted on Facebook. Evangelicals have decided who and with what they will associate. It’s not me.

“Church is often the place where people seek comfort and community in unsettling times, but the contentiousness of this election has filtered into the pews. In a sign of lingering partisanship, some people have looked for another place to worship, having split with their pastor over politics. Others are staying but feel estranged, wondering how a person a pew away backed a pro-choice candidate, for instance, or supported someone who demeaned immigrants.

“We have a lot of fingers pointed at each other saying ‘You are not Christian,’ ” says Megan Sutker, who was ordained in the United Church of Christ, works as an interfaith minister and belongs to the Episcopal Church. She worries the split will exacerbate disillusionment with organized religion, at a time when mainstream churches are already experiencing declines. Even messages from the pulpit urging unity can be loaded, with some people feeling it diminishes their concerns.”

My view is that persons of any political persuasion should feel welcome at our church because, for one reason, we don’t deal with politics. We deal with issues of a person’s relationship to Christ.

The point is that churches, if there are to be what I call “seeker friendly,” as well as being welcome places for their members, should avoid taking sides on political issues.