Presidential campaign endorsements from Black ministers have been sought for generations because of the high profile they have in their communities and their ability to reach large audiences.
However, if the 2008 primary season is a reliable indicator they could have more influence on who will move into the White House than at any other time in history.
This trend became clear during the recent South Carolina primary, when Illinois Sen. Barack Obama picked up a joint endorsement from over 130 Black ministers. Among the ministers were historical civil rights figures such as Rev. Joseph Lowery and Rev. C.T. Vivian, a close adviser to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“We believe Barack Obama will not use his religion as a crutch or a hammer, but will draw on the moral imperatives of our faith and apply them to the political, social and economic problems of our country,” said Lowery.
A week earlier New York Sen. Hillary Clinton had received the endorsement of 88 South Carolina pastors who were drawn to her views on health care, jobs and other issues.
“We need to look for a leader that is ready to lead right now,” said Rev. Timothy Brown of Cleveland Chapel in Spartanburg, S.C. “We don’t need to be filling our heads with hopes and dreams (from Obama).”
As it becomes apparent to them that Obama actually has a shot at winning the nomination some ministers have quietly switched their support from Clinton to him. This has helped Obama win in close primary states with high Black voter turnout, especially Georgia, Maryland and South Carolina.
Black ministers are also having fun on the Republican side this year, as many who endorsed George W. Bush in the 2000 primary are now backing former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, himself an ordained Baptist minister. With the strong support of conservative Black clergymen Huckabee won the Georgia primary this month against Arizona Sen. John McCain, the GOP frontrunner.
Of course, Black ministers have been active in presidential campaigns since the 1860s when Abraham Lincoln ran for president, and as former Democratic chairman Dan Fowler recently stated, “The church and individual members play an extremely important role in Black politics.”
While I agree with that statement, I think pastors should refrain from endorsing political candidates. In my humble opinion they should remain active in government, but not take sides in politics and drag their congregations into the election circus.
You see politics and government are actually two different things. Government is the forum officials and citizens use to get things done, while politics is a process used to elect politicians. Government can be (but is not always) divisive, while the election intrigue of politics is always divisive.
Ministers should indeed be involved with the institutions of government by encouraging their members to vote and working with elected officials in establishing initiatives to address critical issues in our community such as crime, drug abuse, education, employment and health care. It is also acceptable for them to run for public office themselves, as long as they have an issue and service-based agenda, not a political one.
However, putting your primary role as spiritual leader on the backburner and becoming a partisan player in the game of politics by endorsing candidates is not wise.
For one thing playing in the nasty boiler of politics can put a congregation in an awkward position. Some members might feel obligated to support a candidate they don’t really like because their pastor instructs them to do so. If you were an Obama supporter how would you feel about your pastor pressing you to support Clinton at every service, or vice versa?
Endorsing individual candidates can also burn bridges with other elected officials who should be used as partners to develop neighborhoods. It limits the bargaining power that they could have in a community that is politically, racially and economically diverse.
If I was a pastor, I wouldn’t want to see my candidate lose then have to crawl over to the winner and beg that person to help me get grants for my ministries or listen to my opinion on community issues.
Finally, partisan endorsements open the door to ministers being labeled as typical Democrats or Republicans instead of men and women of God who have the interest of everyone, regardless of political affiliation, at heart. Also, getting too deeply involved in campaigns can endanger a church’s non-profit tax-exempt status.
Rev. James T. Meeks and Rev. Billy Graham, in my view, offer great examples of how pastors can maximize their relationship with government and politics. Meeks represents a Chicago district in the Illinois state Senate. However, he ran as a grassroots independent and is not bound by partisan political bosses or special interest groups.
In his six-decade international ministry Graham has been able to advise and develop a personal prayer relationship with every president since Harry Truman. Why? He has dedicated his life to spreading the gospel above all and has related to our elected leaders as fellow servants, just as the prophet Nathan did with King David in the Old Testament. Since Graham doesn’t endorse specific candidates all of our nation’s leaders can trust that his opinion is based on spiritual beliefs, not a political agenda.
The most appropriate and effective way for ministers to be involved in an election is to encourage their congregation to get registered to vote, tell them to vote for who they feel is the best candidate and be prepared to work with the winner as a community partner.
For the most part our local Black ministers have done an excellent job of following this model, which is why they have had decent relationships with virtually every Indianapolis mayor and Indiana governor since the early 1960s.
However, it appears that the contest for the Democratic nomination will be carried on to the party’s convention in Denver. This means that every delegate from each state is crucial and the candidates will be paying attention to Indiana’s May 6 primary. For the first time, presidential candidates will care what our local ministers have to say.
The attention, glamour and glitz that come with national politics are very tempting. Only time will tell whether our local ministers will lead their congregations to dignified involvement or demand that their members “choose this day whom ye will vote for.”
