How can we bridge our political divide? Response from a pastor: Do unto others

BETHEL PARK, Pa. — Campaign signs on lawns rarely bring together people from opposite sides of the political divide. But as Election Day approached, that’s exactly what some purple voters in this Pittsburgh suburb did.

These signs constitute an attempt to transcend the nation’s bitter divisions. Instead of praising a candidate, they promoted a value: the Golden Rule of the Bible.

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” the signs read.

The United Methodist Church of Christ here in Bethel Park handed out the signs on the lawn as part of what Pastor Chris Morgan calls a kindness movementbuilt around a handful of sermons as well as hundreds of purple “Do Unto Others” T-shirts. He said the idea came to him from Kansas City’s Church of the Resurrection, the largest United Methodist church in the country.

Morgan – parishioners call him Pastor Chris – says his congregation is evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. He has written a series of sermons to give his followers spiritual tools that will help them navigate the country’s divisions, the results of the November election and beyond.

“We wanted to remind our people that no matter what happens, whether Trump wins or whether Harris wins, our job as followers of Christ is to remember that God is bigger than all of that,” says Morgan, 49. . of Christ is to show people kindness, respect, love, humility and compassion, no matter what. »

Christ Church offers four services each weekend, attracting around 1,000 people in person and online. Contemporary Sunday services feature a crack rock band in which Pastor Chris occasionally plays keyboard.

In July, when planning for the sermon series was well underway, political violence hit our country close. President-elect Donald Trump was nearly killed by a rooftop shooter during a campaign event in Butler, about 40 miles north of here.

“It had a pretty big impact on the congregation because the person who made it lived two and a half blocks from here,” Pastor Chris recalled.

Parishioners at Christ Church say the Do Unto Others signs on the lawn have sparked conversations that might not have happened otherwise. Tommy Longenecker, an avid Trump supporter, was blowing leaves last month when he spotted one of the signs in the yard of his next-door neighbor, Bob Lewis, a Harris supporter and member of Christ Church. Longenecker walked over and read the Bible passage.

“I really like your sign,” said Longenecker, 56 and a non-practicing Catholic.

Longenecker said the Do Unto Others message resonated because people repeatedly tore down his Trump signs — including one that measured 8 feet by 4 feet.

The two have been neighbors for nearly eight years, but this was the first time they really talked about their faith.

“I like the fact that we can still get along without being hateful and mean to each other,” Lewis remembers Longenecker saying.

Some parishioners say the Do Unto Others message has helped them manage relationships with people with different viewpoints.

“I engage in a very different way with those close to me,” says parishioner Patti Goyette.

Goyette remembers a sermon in which Pastor Chris talked about getting stranded on a long bike ride because he didn’t have enough to eat or drink. The sermon was a turning point for Goyette, who wondered if she was doing enough to nourish her relationship. She said she changed her approach.

“I’ve never experienced a higher heart rate and tight muscles,” says Goyette, 50, who works for a local riverboat company. “I listen and I hear, and when you do that, people stop yelling and start talking and that makes a difference.”

While some parishioners found the Do Unto Other program helpful, others had reservations. Tony Reda, who opened one of the church services, believes the sermon series encouraged people to express their political views.

“I felt like going to church was an hour of peace and quiet and trying to be closer to Christ,” Reda, 61, says. “I felt like this sermon series brought politics into the church.“

Reda, who works as an insurance broker, says some members of the congregation have been openly critical of Trump, something he found particularly disturbing after Trump’s near-assassination.

“There are people who say categorically: I can’t believe they missed,” Reda recalls.

If Reda thought the sermon series went too far, Stephanie White, a mother of two, thought it didn’t go far enough. She’s a big fan of Pastor Chris, but she wishes the Church would denounce Trump for what she considers hateful rhetoric. Failing to do so, White says, creates a false equivalence.

White has no illusions about the flaws of the Democratic Party. “But can we also talk about the terrible things Trump says?” » she said over an hour of coffee after the service. “The reaction you get (from some Republicans) is ‘It’s both sides. It’s both sides.’ ”

White says she’s concerned about what the next four years might mean for her friends who are trans or people of color.

“It’s just a lot of emotions packed into a very small amount of time,” she said through tears. “And what could happen is very scary.”

Pastor Chris knows it is difficult to lead a church under a big tent during these difficult times. He says the Do Unto Others program is not about taking a stand or making statements about anyone’s morality.

“Outside the pulpit. Personally, I will stand up for what I think is right and what I think is wrong, and I have done those things,” Morgan said. “My job as a pastor when I preach is to help people grow in their faith and to become as good as possible. a bit like Jesus, as much as we can. »

Morgan says the key to campaigning for kindness is recognizing that we can’t control what others say or do, but we can control how we react.

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