0039 - The Weight - Joe Gunby - The Church is Political

When we look at the Christian witness in the political spectrum, we find two major extremes: hyper-obsession or complete apathy from an attitude of escapism. In this election year, Christians must question how to engage politics without being consumed by it. Whether we like to admit it or not, the church does not exist outside of the public life, and for the sake of our neighbors most impacted by political policies, we must find a way to engage in politics without selling our souls to it. How can we achieve this at the local and national scale?

In this week’s episode, Joe Gunby joins Chris to talk about what it means to get involved in substantive change in the world while also considering what God is doing right next door. He argues that if we spend as much time researching political candidates and reading headlines as we do serving at places like the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club, we may find the true, Spirit-filled satisfaction that sparks our optimism for bringing about healing and justice. Pastor Gunby challenges us to ponder the place for Christian witness as both our presence at soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and food pantries and our engagement with larger, structural policies and laws. Though we cannot depend on political progress to rescue us from all of our obstacles and barriers, we can attempt to live out our witness on the ground in our spheres of influence.

Learn more about Pastor Joe Gunby here: 

http://colbert-umc.org/about-us/meet-the-pastor/  

Find more information about Jubilee Partners here:

https://www.jubileepartners.org