Can Republicans and Democrats worship together in the same church?

Yes! We can!

Political divisions among the people of God are not new. 2 Samuel 1-4 recounts the difficult

journey of divided politics in early Israel. King Saul died in battle and David stood to succeed

him. But the followers of Saul remained loyal to his line and refused to support David. 2 Samuel 3:1 understates it, “There was a long war between

the house of Saul and the house of David...”

To his credit David did everything he could to

make peace with those loyal to Saul, in the end he was unable to control the murderous excesses of his own supporters even though he strongly condemned their violence, “So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been

the king's will to put to death Abner (Saul's general).” (2 Samuel 3:37) At the end of this

bloody rivalry David insisted on kindness to those not loyal to him, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” (2 Samuel 9:3) David protected and restored property to the descendants of Saul. This was the kindness of God to those who were politically different from David.

Democrats and Republicans can live together if they follow David in showing the kindness of God to those who are politically different.

The Bible warns us not to make partisan politics the focus of our hopes.

Psalm 146:3-4:

Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in

whom there is no salvation.

When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;

on that very day his plans perish.

It is a grave error to place religious hopes for the world into a certain political leader or a

certain political movement. Politics is human and because it is human it will inevitably disappoint. Leaders th