“Presbyterians love elections,” the Rev. Betsy Lyles Swetenburg said in a sermon at Northridge Presbyterian Church in Dallas on Sunday before clarifying that she wasn’t talking about presidential elections. “Our life together as a community of faith is marked by elections,” added Swetenburg, who described how elections, committees and leadership bodies that vote on items of business guide Presbyterian polity and rule “our day-to-day business.”
Leaders of the three presbyteries in Nebraska are among ecumenical notables from across the state calling on residents of that state to “treat one another with kindness, respect and human dignity” as Election Day draws near.
It is the beginning of November again, and that means that Election Day is around the corner. For some of us, that excites the passions, reminding us of our right to participate in the governance of our country. For others of us, whose confidence in our government has been damaged or who are suspicious of the role of government altogether, this time of year may not hold the same sense of promise and hope. Politically, we find members of our denomination all along the spectrum of opinion. And increasingly our faith in, or our suspicion of, government, is a significant marker for where we stand along that spectrum.
With the Nov. 3 presidential election just around the corner, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has launched a campaign to increase voter turnout, particularly among people of color.
