These blogs share the personal opinions of Pastor Jack Marslender on a variety of topics. They are not necessarily the opinion of the church as a whole.  In Baptist life, a pastor does not have the authority to speak for the entire church. 

The government shutdown is over, but—at least for me—it highlighted two issues in American life that we need to think about and pray about.  And rather than respond with political anger, vengeance, or placing blame, we need a different approach.

What did I learn from the shutdown?  And how can the church respond?

Two things stood out for me.

First, America is deeply divided.  The issues that led to the shutdown were not so great that they could not be solved by godly men seeking a positive outcome.  We didn’t see that.  Instead, we saw a refusal of leaders to engage in serious conversation about tough issues both before and during the shutdown.  Could leaders not talk to each other across party lines with some real questions and real dialogue?  (What are your issues?  What are you asking for?  How can we solve this issue without a shutdown?  Where can we compromise?  What is best for our country?  And if we can’t agree on what is best, can we at least avoid doing what is bad for our country?) 

Those are congressional level issues, but what should the church do?  Rather than play “political hardball” and “name calling” as both American parties are doing, believers must choose to follow the words of Jesus, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”  (Matthew 5:9, NIV)  Our role is not to escalate tensions with anger and harsh words toward “the other party,” but to speak respectfully.  We must show the world that we can disagree on issues both major and minor without being disagreeable. 

We can also seek out and vote for leaders and representatives who can lead with the love, respect, and kindness of Jesus.  Americans tend to vote for candidates who say outrageous things; those are the candidates who make the news.  We should instead vote for those with wisdom and the ability to make peace in a divided country.   

Furthermore, should not the church encourage wise members of all ages to run for political office?  Doesn’t our country deserve our best?  In encouraging young (and older) people to seek God’s will for their lives, shouldn’t we hold up service to our country as a serious option? I’ve encouraged a few to run for office over the years. I will do more of it in the future.

Secondly, the shutdown highlighted the fact that many Americans are in financial trouble.  The numbers of people who were in serious danger of going hungry when their SNAP benefits were delayed, the numbers who were in serious danger of not being able to pay their bills when they lost a paycheck, and the numbers who don’t believe they will be able to pay for health insurance reminded me that the poverty issue in America may be even worse than we imagined. 

Overall, America is a prosperous nation, but wealth is highly concentrated.  (A 2024 CBO report found that the richest 10% of Americans control 69% of America’s wealth.)  A huge number of people in America are unable to pay their bills, and many more are just hanging on—only one medical issue or one car breakdown away from financial disaster. 

That opens the door for real ministry in the churches of America:  Financial literacy classes?  Food pantries or partnerships with food ministries?  Active benevolence ministries to help our own church family?  Homeless ministries?  Actively teaching wealthy members to go above and beyond in being generous to church and other non-profit ministries?

Each church and every believer must find a way to help people, Proverbs 14:31 says, “Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.”

The government shutdown was not our finest hour.

But it should teach believers a better way to respond than political bickering.  We need action—and it can and should start in America’s churches.