Church in Los Angeles struggles to balance politics, causing some members of the congregation to leave the differences.
The Reverend Jonathan Hall was trying to figure out “what is ‘too political’ for a place of worship — or whether ‘being political’ is the whole point of the Gospel,” according to a report by The Washington Post.
Hall’s First Christian Church of North Hollywooda “politically mixed community,” struggled with political differences before and after the presidential election, when President-elect Donald Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in a landslide victory.
Hall, a native of Alabamaled a church north of Los Angeles for two years. His goal is to unite the church, but it was a challenge.
The First Christian Church of North Hollywood, a “politically mixed congregation,” struggled with political differences before and after the presidential election. (Google maps)
“Convincing the Republicans, Democrats and independents on his benches to stay and pray with each other is getting more complicated,” the Post reported.
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The Post further reported, “When he preaches what the Bible says about the mandate of caring for migrants, Hall focuses on the story of Mary and Joseph, not on modern wanderers. He chose a book of scripture readings that presents a specific text for each Sunday, so that no one could doubt whether his chosen ones were making a political statement.”
“And when someone tells him he thinks the sermon was aimed at a certain politician, he says, ‘That’s one way of looking at it!'”
Los Angeles has been a typically liberal city for several decades. The city is not voted for the Republican mayor since 1993
Data from the presidential elections in November shows that Los Angeles residents voted more for Trump than many polls predicted.
According to The Washington Post, Reverend Jonathan Hall was trying to figure out “what is ‘too political’ for a place of worship — or whether ‘being political’ is the whole point of the Gospel.” (iStock)
Trump won more votes in LA than in 2020, receiving approximately 40% of the vote compared to 34%. Furthermore, Trump improved his share of the vote across the country, starting in conservative areas but spreading into deeply Democratic states.
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Several believers left the church due to political differences. One member cited a film Hall planned to show about Christian nationalism as “too one-sided” and “anti-Republican.”
Others left after discovering their peers were coming to Trump’s inauguration.
“Someone else left the service early Sunday after the election, feeling the leader on stage was too focused on comforting the people who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris,” the Post added.
“If you’re at a football game, one side wins and everyone leaves. With the church [and the election]like they’re all still there,” Hall said.
He went on to say, “There’s still popcorn on the ground, Coke glasses, a mess. Fifty percent of the people are upset, and we’ve got to pick up the pieces.”
First Christian is part of the Disciples of Christ denomination and serves over 1,000 members. The origins of the denomination were established to “unify Christian groups that had diverged over theology and styles of worship.”
One member of First Christian left the church after they discovered their peers were attending the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
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“If I’m a good pastor, I comfort you and confront you. But I also have to be a prophet, right? You should come to church asking questions that will change your life.”
“Before Hall, the same pastor led First Christian for 52 years. Worshipers say the late Rev. Robert M. Bock didn’t speak out about contemporary political issues in the church — not even during the Vietnam War, which marked the beginning of his tenure. Hall is trying to forge a new way.” , Post reported.
