As a pastor, a Christian, and a parent, I have the sense that over the coming months, a number of things will be done in my name, and in the name of my religion, with which I deeply disagree. Some of them will make life worse, in specific ways, for people I know and love. Some of them have already begun.

Clergy are occasionally rebuked with phrases about “keeping politics out of the pulpit” and so on, and that’s fair enough. We minister to congregations whose members hold different opinions and vote in different ways, and political differences can’t and shouldn’t be allowed to affect that pastoral care. But at the same time, the Church holds values, rooted in our faith and our understanding of Scripture. Candidate endorsements and partisan politics are inappropriate for church leaders. But expressing our values and advocating for them is not only appropriate, but essential.

This week, I wanted to share a snippet from a statement by the Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relationships entitled “Affirming Our Values“: (click the link to read more details on anything below!)

Every two years, a new Congress comes to Washington and every four to eight years, a new administration arrives with new priorities, plans, and ambitions. While the elected officials in Washington, the party in power, and the political opportunities regularly change, the work of the Office of Government Relations in many ways stays the same. Indeed, it is because of the frequent changes in Washington – control of the House, Senate, and the presidency have changed with remarkable frequency over the past 20 years – that we always work in a bipartisan way, seeking to build strong relationships with both parties. We educate members of Congress about the issues of importance to the church to cultivate champions for our policy areas. We strive to have values-based conversations about issues, lifting up voices and perspectives

We urge our leaders to remember in their decision-making the tenets that are the pillars of our faith: love, dignity, and compassion…

In this spirit, below we outline some domestic U.S. policies that we support while opposing policies that seek to discriminate, marginalize, and harm members of our communities.

We affirm the rights and freedoms of transgender and gender non-conforming people, and we oppose efforts aimed at restricting their rights or limiting access to care…

We urge action to ensure the safety and security of all people in protecting our communities against gun violence. […]

We call for an expansion of voter registration, protection of voter eligibility, and making voting processes more accessibleto bolster our democracy. […]

We urge action to support the economically vulnerable through a robust social safety net program. […]

Our faith tradition proclaims that ‘God is love.’ With this biblical decree in mind, we call on Congress, the Trump Administration, career and elected officials, and each person in our communities to prioritize the dignity of all people, defend the rights of the vulnerable and marginalized, and work toward policies that reduce harm and hardship.