Is 'Do Unto Others' the way to bridge the political divide?

Summary

Consider This from NPR: Is 'Do Unto Others' the Way to Bridge the Political Divide?

Release Date: November 27, 2024

In this thought-provoking episode of NPR's "Consider This," hosts delve into the efforts of Pastor Chris Morgan from Christ United Methodist Church in suburban Pittsburgh as he endeavors to heal the nation's political wounds through his "Do Unto Others" initiative. The episode explores the challenges and successes of promoting civility and kindness in a sharply divided political landscape.

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Setting the Scene: A Divided Community

The episode opens with a tense atmosphere unfolding at Christ United Methodist Church in mid-July. Just a day after a harrowing assassination attempt on then-candidate Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, Pastor Chris Morgan addresses his congregation with a call for prayer—not only for Trump and the shooting victims but also for the shooter’s family, who resides nearby.

Pastor Chris Morgan [00:45]: "We have a series we're doing in the fall called Do Unto Others, talking about showing kindness in the midst of the world we live in."

This balanced plea sets the tone for Morgan's broader mission to bridge political divides within his community ahead of the Election Day frenzy.

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The 'Do Unto Others' Initiative

Pastor Chris Morgan's "Do Unto Others" series is more than a set of sermons; it's a movement aimed at fostering civility and compassion among his congregation. The initiative includes a series of sermons, hundreds of branded T-shirts, and numerous lawn signs promoting the message of kindness.

Pastor Chris Morgan [00:45]: "We need to be praying that we do that and that people get that because there's a lot going on."

NPR's Frank Langfitt tracks the initiative's progress by visiting Christchurch both before and after Election Day to assess its impact.

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Community Reactions: Bridging Personal Divides

The episode highlights the personal stories of congregation members affected by the initiative. Tommy Longnecker, an ardent supporter of President Elect Trump, shares his experience with political tensions in the neighborhood.

Tommy Longnecker [03:19]: "I put a dozen signs up in our neighborhood this big. And let me tell you, Democrats don't like the sign. They've been destroying my signs all over the neighborhood."

His interaction with neighbor Bob Lewis illustrates a pivotal moment of connection sparked by the "Do Unto Others" message.

Bob Lewis [04:25]: "But I like the message that it gives, and I like the fact that we can still get along and not be hateful and mean to each other."

This exchange marks the first meaningful conversation about their faith and political differences, highlighting the potential of Morgan's approach to foster understanding.

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Impact on Personal Relationships

The initiative's influence extends beyond public displays to personal relationships. Parishioner Patty Goyette shares how the sermons transformed her interactions at home.

Patty Goyette [06:16]: "We've had a lot of struggles and I think the messaging I'm getting from church helped me change my perspective entirely into how do I fix this?"

She recounts a particular sermon that used the metaphor of being stranded on a long bike ride without sustenance, prompting her to reflect on nourishing her relationships.

Patty Goyette [06:57]: "I listen and I hear. When you do that, people stop yelling and start talking and it makes a difference."

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Mixed Reactions: Challenges Within the Congregation

While many found solace in the "Do Unto Others" message, not all responses were positive. Tony Rita, an usher at the church, felt that the initiative inadvertently politicized the sanctuary.

Tony Rita [07:30]: "I felt like that sermon series was bringing politics into the church."

Additionally, Stephanie White, a dedicated supporter of Pastor Morgan, critiqued the initiative for not sufficiently addressing the harmful rhetoric used by political figures like Trump.

Stephanie White [08:17]: "The piece that I think is missing was the willingness to openly identify the rhetoric being used in the campaign."

She argued that without calling out such rhetoric, the initiative risks creating a false equivalence between opposing sides.

Patty Goyette [08:26]: "Can we also talk about the terrible things that Trump says? And the response we get is, well, it's both sides. It's both sides."

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Assessing the Effectiveness: A Mixed Verdict

Pastor Chris Morgan reflects on the initiative's outcomes, acknowledging both its successes and limitations.

Pastor Chris Morgan [09:24]: "I think at an individual level, as you kind of heard, I think it did help some people a lot."

He notes that while some congregants embraced the message of kindness and returned to scriptural teachings, the visible uptake of "Do Unto Others" merchandise suggested varying levels of engagement.

Pastor Chris Morgan [09:24]: "But when I went to the services, I did not see that many of them, which also raised questions for me as to how much buy in there really was in the congregation."

Furthermore, he emphasizes the enormity of bridging political divides on a national scale, recognizing that sustained, widespread efforts are necessary to effect meaningful change.

Pastor Chris Morgan [10:20]: "If you were going to try to bridge this division in this country, you know, in any meaningful way, you'd have to have a lot of efforts along these lines, a lot of these programs, and it would take a very long time."

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Conclusion: A Step Toward Healing

"Do Unto Others" represents a microcosm of the broader quest for political reconciliation in the United States. While Pastor Chris Morgan's initiative has made significant strides in fostering personal kindness and understanding within his congregation, the episode underscores the complexities of addressing deep-seated political animosities. As the nation contemplates uniting during Thanksgiving, the lessons from Christ United Methodist Church offer both hope and a realistic appraisal of the challenges ahead in bridging the political divide.

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Produced by Katherine Fink, edited by Catherine Laidlaw and Courtney Dorting, and executive produced by Sammy Yenigun.

Transcript

[Pastor Chris Morgan]

Good morning. Welcome to Christ Church. I'm so glad you could join us for worship.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

This was the scene in mid July at Christ United Methodist Church in suburban Pittsburgh. That Sunday was a difficult one. A day earlier, a man had nearly assassinated then candidate Donald Trump. Forty miles north in Butler, Pennsylvania, Pastor Chris Morgan asked people to pray for Trump and the victims of the shooting.

[Frank Langfitt]

And he added this we want to be pray for the family of the shooter that lives two streets from this church.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Morgan had already planned a sermon series to deal with the nation's and his congregation's political divisions ahead of Election Day.

[Frank Langfitt]

We have a Sorry. We have a series we're doing in the fall called Do Unto Others, talking about showing kindness in the midst of the world we live in. We need to be praying that we do that and that people get that because there's a lot going on.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Morgan called the series a movement for civility built around a handful of sermons, hundreds of Do Unto Other T shirts and a whole lot of lawn signs. NPR's Frank Langfitt went to Christchurch the weekend before Election Day and the weekend after to see if the efforts there made a difference. Consider this as Americans prepare to come together at Thanksgiving, how do we bridge this country's political divide? And can we? From NPR News, I'm Mary Louise Kelly.

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[Mary Louise Kelly]

It'S consider this from NPR. Pastor Chris Morgan has a message for his congregation in Bethel park outside of Pittsburgh, Do Unto Others. It's a principle he hopes will help his parishioners manage their differences with people on the other side of the political fence. And NPR's Frank Langfit went to find out whether that message is resonating with congregants.

[Pastor Chris Morgan]

Tommy Longnecker is a huge fan of President Elect Trump. He's got the flag and lawn signs to prove it. This is an 8 by 4 Trump Vance sign. We put a dozen signs up in our neighborhood this big. Yeah. And let me tell you, Democrats don't like the sign. They've been destroying my signs all over the neighborhood. Longnecker's next door neighbor, Bob Lewis, didn't tear down his signs, but he wasn't a fan either.

[Frank Langfitt]

They're a little big, a little garish, a little bright.

[Pastor Chris Morgan]

A week before election day, Longnecker, you know, the guy with that huge Trump sign was out blowing leaves when he noticed something in Lewis's yard. I saw a sign about a Christian theme, and it was purple. And I walked over to Bob, I said, I really like your sign. It read, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It's from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. And it spoke to Longnecker because people had torn down his signs and sometimes given him the finger when they drove past his house. After he saw the do unto others sign, Longnecker told Lewis it seemed on point. Louis described their exchange following church services one Sunday.

[Frank Langfitt]

He said, yeah, it's obviously relevant in this times, and clearly not everyone agrees with everyone else's politics and you maybe don't agree with mine. And I said, well, that's probably a correct assumption. And at that point he said, but I like the message that it gives, and I like the fact that we can still get along and not be hateful and mean to each other.

[Pastor Chris Morgan]

The two men have been neighbors for nearly eight years. It was the first time they'd really talked about their faith. Longnecker is a non practicing Catholic. Lewis attends nearby Christ United Methodist Church. Christ church has nearly 2,000 members for services per weekend, including traditional services, which occasionally feature a handbell choir. Fix your eyes on Jesus Christ the wind, and contemporary services, which feature a rock band.

[Frank Langfitt]

How are you?

[Pastor Chris Morgan]

I'm fine, Pastor Chris. Nice to meet you.

[Frank Langfitt]

Nice to meet you as well. So I'm Chris Morgan and I'm the senior pastor here at Christ United Methodist Church. I'm in my 15th year.

[Pastor Chris Morgan]

Morgan, everybody calls him Pastor. Chris says his congregation is pretty evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, and the previous two presidential elections took a toll.

[Frank Langfitt]

So I had people just coming into my office thinking that the world was going to end. It was both sides, depending on the year.

[Pastor Chris Morgan]

So Morgan drafted a sermon series to give his flock some spiritual tools to help them navigate the country's divisions in the November election.

[Frank Langfitt]

We wanted to remind our people that no matter what happened, whether Trump won or Harris won, our job as followers of Christ is to remember that God's bigger than all of this. And our call as followers of Christ are to show people kindness and respect and love and humility and compassion, no matter what.

[Pastor Chris Morgan]

Parishioner Patty Goyette said the sermon series helped her deal with personal and political divisions at home.

[Patty Goyette]

I can tell you in my personal life I've engaging with my significant other much differently. You know, I don't want to go into too many details because it's personal, but you know, we've had a lot of struggles and I think the messaging I'm getting from church helped me change my perspective entirely into how do I fix this?

[Pastor Chris Morgan]

Goyette recalled one sermon where Pastor Chris spoke about becoming stranded on a long bike ride because he hadn't had enough to eat or drink.

[Patty Goyette]

That hit me because realistically, was I feeding and watering my relationship? Was I nourishing that? So that was a turning point sermon for me.

[Pastor Chris Morgan]

How have you nourished your relationship?

[Patty Goyette]

I haven't gone into a confrontation with a higher heart rate and clenched muscles. You know, I listen and I hear. When you do that, people stop yelling and start talking and it makes a difference.

[Pastor Chris Morgan]

The Do Unto Others program helped Goyat, but other parishioners had problems with it. Tony Rita ushers at one of the church services. He thinks the sermon series encouraged people to express their political opinions. I felt, and I've told Chris this, I felt like going to church was.

[Frank Langfitt]

An hour of peace and quiet and.

[Pastor Chris Morgan]

Trying to be closer to Christ and I felt like that sermon series was bringing politics into the church. Rita says some in the congregation openly criticized Trump, which he found especially disturbing after Trump was nearly killed north of here in Butler, Pennsylvania. There's people that have flat out saying.

[Frank Langfitt]

I can't believe they missed after the assassination.

[Pastor Chris Morgan]

People at church have said that, yes, they have. I returned to Christchurch last weekend after the election and met parishioner Stephanie White at coffee hour. She's a big supporter of Pastor Chris but thought the Do Unto Others program didn't go far enough. White says Trump speaks hatefully about others and wishes the church had called that out.

[Patty Goyette]

The piece that I think is missing was the willingness to openly identify the rhetoric being used in the campaign.

[Pastor Chris Morgan]

Whites is failing to do so creates A false equivalence.

[Patty Goyette]

I understand the valid criticisms of the Democratic Party. I would never argue that the Democratic Party is any kind of saviors. They're not. But can we also talk about the terrible things that Trump says? And the response we get is, well, it's both sides. It's both sides.

[Pastor Chris Morgan]

But Pastor Chris Morgan says Do Unto Others isn't about calling outsides.

[Frank Langfitt]

This series was not about making a statement about anyone's morality outside of the pulpit. I personally will stand up for what I think is right and what I think is wrong. And I have done those things. My job as a pastor when I am preaching is to help people grow in their faith and become as much like Jesus as we can.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Reporting there from Frank Langfitt, and Frank is with us now. It's fascinating reporting. My question is, did it work, the Do Unto Others program, did it make a difference?

[Pastor Chris Morgan]

I think at an individual level, as you kind of heard, I think it did help some people a lot. And I think what it allowed them to do was instead of sort of approaching this from taking a fraught personal approach and looking at it through a political lens, it allowed people to sort of go back to scripture and focus it from a Christian perspective, from kindness and compassion. And I think that did help people deal better with what has been an incredibly emotional issue for so many voters in this country. That said, they distributed a lot of these do and other T shirts at the church. But when I went to the services, I did not see that many of them, which also raised questions for me as to how much buy in there really was in the congregation.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Well, and I have to also ask, I mean, this is, it's lovely. It's a lovely effort, lovely story. But it's one pastor, it's one church. Is this being replicated?

[Pastor Chris Morgan]

It is. I mean, this is one of a number of United Methodist Church who have similar programs like this. And Pastor Christ has no illusions that he's going to change the country, but he had to start somewhere. And he'd seen these problems earlier in 2016 and 2020. I think the big challenge that I think you're getting at is this is a, you know, the United States is a huge country. 150 million people voted this year. The election was decided by fewer than 3 million votes, which means you have enormous numbers of people on either side of this election, and their feelings and thoughts are deep and wide. And if you were going to try to bridge this division in this country, you know, in any meaningful way, you'd have to have a lot of efforts along these lines, a lot of these programs, and it would take a very long time. We're talking about something that could take.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

A generation, that is. Frank Langfitt, NPR's roving national correspondent. Thank you, Frank.

[Pastor Chris Morgan]

Happy to do it, Mary Louise.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

This episode was produced by Katherine Fink. It was edited by Catherine Laidlaw and Courtney Dorting. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigun. It's Consider this from npr. I'm Mary Louise Kelly.

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[Patty Goyette]

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