Faith and the Officeholder

I recently had the opportunity to visit a church of my denomination in Huntington Beach.  The congregation has been dwindling despite the location and inviting architecture of the sanctuary.  I have often wondered what attracts people to any given church.  Is it the location, the message, doctrine or something else?  Do people pick a church like they pick a politician?

Picking a church has always been easy for me.  I belong to a very old denomination and typically attend the closest church of my faith to my home.  It is my church because its doctrine is very traditional and I appreciate the liturgical portion of the service.

A struggle for the future of christian churches has been underway since the 1960s and has caused a split in many mainstream protestant churches.  Churches like our nation were split during this turbulent time.  The Presbyterian Church bears little resemblance to what it was not many years ago.  My denomination has a liberal synod with which we are not in communion because of their interpretation of scripture.  More examples exist.

Some people believe the bible is just another good book.  Others believe it was written for the people of the time but needs to be reinterpreted with time.  Those like me believe it is the divinely inspired word of God and is infallible.

Some people choose  a church because it has a positive message and doesn't suffer theological underpinnings. Others become a  member of a church because it holds fast to the teachings of the bible not believing they change with time or with the desires of man.

Matters of faith enter the public arena from time to time.  Some would like their elected officials to set aside their faith and vote a particular way.  I don't know how someone can do that.  Religious beliefs are not an article of clothing that can be removed changed.  If your elected official can't be trusted with their religious beliefs then what can they be trusted with? In this way, we might pick our politicians in much the same way we pick our churches.  Is it something or someone who makes us feel good in the moment or instead holds to principles which transcend momentary popularity?

Doing the right thing isn't always easy.  In fact, it often has immediate negative consequences.  That is the way of a fallen world.

I prefer to know the religious beliefs of those I vote for.  They needn't be the same as mine.  But knowing what they believe gives me some insight as to how they will vote.  It is a factor among other factors. I will conclude with one final question.  As our state becomes moves more and more to the left how much more often will we ask those we elect to turn their backs on their church in order to stay in office?