Monday, March 11, 2024

Separation of Church and State

Read: Deuteronomy 18:20

I have been a Republican Precinct Delegate in Grosse Pointe Woods for quite a while. For those who do not know, Precinct Delegates (PD) are the lowest elected positions in both the Democrat or Republican Parties and form the initial official grassroots structure for participating in campaigns and elections. It is a formalized volunteer position, and can be as active or passive as interest, skills, and time allow.

Here in Michigan when I first got elected as a PD, getting involved was mostly a straightforward process, with Party members working together to accomplish common goals to get quality candidates elected. They are organized in various groups: Congressional Districts, County Districts, and of course, the Michigan Republican Party (MIGOP) State Committee. Leaders can participate in more than one entity, and they operate cooperatively, but still each entity has a distinct individual and separate hierarchy.

What you might have noticed since the MIGOP State Committee elected new leadership early last year, is that there has been a serious disagreement between the elected leadership and a faction that has torn itself away and denounced the elected leadership as being ineffective and self-serving. Lawsuits and emotionally charged meetings have ensued, some with violent altercations.

Being a PD, I am automatically included in receiving correspondence from both sides of the conflict. The writing is difficult to read, strenuously emotional, inquisitory, and frankly, nasty on both sides. The thing that highly bothers me the most is that both sides utilize inappropriately Christian quotes as justification (and religious authorization) for their viewpoint.

Frankly, I am embarrassed that the organization that I initially joined has degraded into an ugly chaos. I was hoping to continue and “wait out” the final outcome until the Party can get back to its true functionality. We will see.

So why is this a Devotion? As I sat in the back pew on Sunday January 28, 2024, I looked over our congregation and realized how fortunate GPUMC is that the Christian Word and corresponding action, is based on adherence to the true intent of the Word. It was reinforced by the Old Testament reading that morning (Deuteronomy 18:20) with the phrase: “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name which I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.” Pretty harsh stuff, but the intent of it certainly is applicable to the current MIGOP State Committee and their warring factions.

Prayer: Lord, please give me the patience and wisdom to help this organization get back to its true intent and approach or give me an alternative path to follow. Amen.

David DeWitt