#pollster

Boomer women need to see a lady president in their lifetime. 💙🗽🌊

A friend of mine is a pollster.

He specializes in local and state politics. He’s understands the dynamics of legislative districts and statewide elections. He’s got a real gift for independents.

When we talked a few weeks before the election, I asked him his secret to understanding independents. His answer?

“There are no independents. They may not want to tell me, but everybody’s got a side.”

I had to ask him how he figures out which side an independent’s really on.

“The follow up questions. Here’s one of my favorites – What comes to mind when I say the words ‘Roman Catholic?’ Sometimes I change it to ‘evangelical Christian.’ It depends on the district.”

What does that tell you?

“A lot. Because the answer is usually political.”

This is the part of the conversation that stuck with me. Something about it bothered me. Still does.

I think what bothers me is that the Faith is being regularly described in terms of politics. That people routinely thought of Christianity in political terms. And not much else.

As if Christians were just another interest group, another voting block for politicians to play to.

It sent me back to Philip Yancey’s 2012 essay “Christians and Politics: Uneasy Partners.” And this passage, one that reads like it was written this morning,

“The confusion of politics and religion is one of the greatest barriers to grace…Politics, which always runs by the rules of ungrace, allures us to trade away grace for power, a temptation the church has often been unable to resist.”

That last sentence? It’s an indictment of too many of our hearts. We are all too eager to trade away grace for power.

Then add in the disconnects between both of the major political parties and the fundamentals of the Faith. Mix it all together.

It means that if we really are “marked as Christ’s own forever,” our political decisions should make us think long and hard. And should leave us deeply uncomfortable. No matter how we vote.

It means that while we might not go full Jesus-driving-the-money-changers-out-of-the-Temple-with-a-whip (like we see in today’s Gospel), we can never allow our Faith to be overtaken by our politics.