By Way of (Re)Introduction

During the autumn 2017, I wrote a series of daily reflections leading up to the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. One writing a day for roughly 40 days. When the writing exercise was coming to a close, I thought I would continue writing a reflection every few weeks. That did not happen. Lately though, I’ve felt inspired to write a new series of reflections.

For my second wind here on relevantreformation.com, I will strive to publish one reflection each week, between now and Reformation Day 2020 (October 31).

Last time, I explored a variety of topics and looked at how the Protestant Reformation can be, should be, and often is still relevant. This time, I am going to zoom in a bit and write about a specific topic, viewing it from various angles. If last time was a flight on a jumbo jet with a 10,000 foot perspective, this time the experience will be more like a walk in the woods, seeing a specific landscape from various vantage points.

The topic I will wrestle with over the next 10 weeks is “faith and politics”.

Yes, the two topics you are not supposed to talk about in polite conversation. I hope to examine the intersection where faith and politics meet. To be true to the original intent of this blog three years ago, I will bring in some elements of the Reformation and lean heavily on the words of Jesus.

Now, before we continue on, it has become more and more clear in our modern times that one can not divorce faith belief entirely from worldly circumstance. To that end, it is important for me to confess my biases (or, share my background) before we begin this journey:

I like to primarily consider myself a follower of Jesus Christ and a lover of humanity. I am also a United States citizen and my reflections (especially this time around) will be greatly influenced by that reality.

I grew up in a household where both faith and politics were considered personal decisions for me to make.

When I was young, I chose to accept Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and was heavily involved with Evangelical/non-denominational churches for a long time. For nearly the past ten years, I have been involved with a Lutheran (ELCA) church.

My political leanings have varied over the years; from conservative ideology, to liberal, to various stances in between. Often I find myself holding a mostly-moderate political opinion. (If you’ve read my previous reflections on this blog, this probably does not surprise you.)

Other stats you may want to know: I identify as a white gay male. I am college educated, married, and do not have any kids (or pets). I have the privilege of living a “comfortable” lifestyle. I work in the not-for-profit cultural sector. I am often an optimist, though not always. I consider myself blessed and I also consider myself greatly flawed.

Now that you know a bit about me, let’s begin…