Current events have left us all in a whirlwind lately. Many of Donald Trump’s Executive Actions since coming into office have been controversial to say the least! They have spurred much debate and protest in our world. A question often arises among clergy how to speak about controversial events and issues from the pulpit. This week I read a couple of articles about the issue. One was in America Magazine, the Jesuit Review of Faith and Culture, and the other sent to me by a parishioner, came from the Wall Street Journal.
The America Magazine article reported on an informal poll the magazine had done with readers online after the January 28-29 weekend. In light of Trump’s Executive Order barring travelers from seven predominately Moslem countries, they asked readers, “Did your parish do enough to address current events? (Remember I was on vacation that weekend.) Their informal survey found that 80% of respondents felt that their parish did not do enough to address the issue and less than 1% felt they heard too much.
Often in Catholic circles I hear people complain that they don’t hear enough about current events in homilies. They claim they wished they heard homilies address current issues more often. I’ll have to admit to being gun shy when it comes to addressing in my homilies some controversial issues from the news. My reluctance comes from the fact that our faith leaves quite a bit of room for a disparity of opinions on how best to address controversial topics. That diversity of opinion surely exists in our parish too.
Another contributing factor is what the nature of the priest’s or deacon’s homily should be. Since the Second Vatican Council, priests have been encouraged to preach homilies rather than sermons. Homilies are talks focusing on breaking open the scriptures and applying them to daily life. A sermon is more a talk on a moral topic using scripture to support it. With a homily it is often more difficult to apply the Mass readings to a current event than in a sermon that picks and chooses scripture text to illustrate the importance of a current event.
The scripture reading for the Feast of the Holy Family, a feast we didn’t get to celebrate this year, speak very clearly about the issue of refugees and the displaced. So using that scripture to address immigration issues is probably a no brainer. On other Sundays trying to make the scripture theme for the day fit a current event would be too forced. However, a reminder that the Gospel on the weekend of January 28-29 was the Beatitudes and it doesn’t take that much creativity to use it to address any current issue.
The other article I read that addressed this topic was from the Wall Street Journal. It was entitled “How to Fix the Johnson Amendment”. The Johnson Amendment was authored by former President Lyndon Johnson in 1954 when he was a Senator from Texas. Donald Trump has promised to “totally destroy” the Johnson Amendment. The Johnson Amendment prohibits nonprofit organizations who receive tax deductable contributions from endorsing partisan candidates for public office. Johnson wrote the amendment in 1954 not to silence religious organizations from exercising free speech but political opponents who used nonprofit political organizations to accused him of being soft on communism.
Over the years the IRS included religious organizations as being prevented from endorsing specific candidates. Since the1990s IRS enforcement has extended that prohibition to even the use of code words such as pro-life or pro-choice. Early every election year I receive a form letter from Americans United for the Separation of Church and State warning me about the provisions of the Johnson Amendment. I always find it a bit intimidating. I’m sure that is their intention.
According to Erik Stanley the author of the Wall Street Journal article which appeared in his regular House of Worship column, Mr. Trump should not be so brash in saying he will “totally destroy” the Johnson Amendment. The truth is that the original purpose of the amendment, the prohibition of political expenditures or contributions by tax-exempt organizations is still a good one. He suggests that Congress instead pass The Free Speech Fairness Act that was introduced into Congress about the same time Mr. Trump made his remark. The legislation would, “get the IRS out of the speech-police business while prohibiting political expenditures or contributions by tax-exempt organizations.” He says, “It would provide a relief valve for speech by allowing all charities to speak on political issues, as long as the speech is done in the course of carrying out the groups regular activities. That would allow religious leaders to express their opinions on specific candidates and give them back their rights to free speech.” This seems to be a better solution than “totally destroying” the Johnson Amendment. It would save the good provisions and do away with the bad.
As a preacher I want to be helpful to parishioners deal with the challenge to live lives that confront the issues of our day in a Christian way. I struggle to try to be prophetic and not partisan in my homilies. I want to challenge my listeners but not completely alienate them. So, let me know what you think. Would you like to hear homilies where I address current issues more directly? Let me know I’m interested in your opinion.
Hopefully, you noticed the postcard we sent to every home in the parish this week as part of our Easter evangelization efforts. One was delivered to the rectory on Monday. As I have mentioned before, the mailing will hopefully scratch the surface of the hearts of fallen away Catholics and the un-churched. Each of us has to follow up on that by planting the seeds of faith in their hearts. This week invite five people who you know who aren’t coming to church to join you for Easter. Remember it takes an average of five invitations before a non-church going person will take up the invitation to come to church. Don’t get discouraged and keep trying. Each of us is the key to effective evangelization.
