Going to Church is Political
In the second episode of our Lent podcast series, ecological ethicist Byron Smith, is joined by ministers Graeme Anderson and Erica Mandi Manga, to explore Jesus’ prayer for the church in John 17.
In the second episode of our Lent podcast series, ecological ethicist Byron Smith, is joined by ministers Graeme Anderson and Erica Mandi Manga, to explore Jesus’ prayer for the church in John 17.
As Jesus prays, he calls his followers to be in the world but to live by the truth, inviting us to see reality as God does rather than through the lens of worldly power. This episode unpacks how Christian unity is not about uniformity but about making space for doubts, disagreements, and gracious listening. True unity emerges when voices that are often excluded are not only acknowledged but empowered to contribute, shaping a new kind of community. Rather than placing our trust in human institutions, we are invited to root our faith in Jesus and the work He is doing in and through the church.
Listen to this podcast episode below
You can also download the episode via this Google Drive link.
A transcript of this conversation can be downloaded here.
“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
John 17:13-26
________
We invite you to pray and continue reflecting on this conversation today.
Reflect:
What part of Jesus' prayer in John 17 is most impactful for you and why?
What are some different ways you have heard the phrase "in the world but not of the world" used? How do you feel it is best lived out?
What are some practical ways churchgoers might create a culture where doubts and disagreements can be discussed well?
Pray:
Lord Jesus,
We pray for our churches just as you did on your way to the cross. We pray that they would be places of truth, where we are shaped together to be more like you. May they also be places of real unity. Help us to talk about our differences in a healthy way and may all our discussions be filled with grace. Thank-you for giving us each other.
Amen
Go Deeper:
Further resources recommended in exploring this topic:
Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God.
A collection of teachings of Brother Lawrence, a 17th-century Carmelite friar, compiled by Father Joseph de Beaufort. The compilation includes letters, and records of his conversations kept by Brother Lawrence's conversational partners, focusing on the development of an awareness of the presence of God at all times.
Miroslav Volf, Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation.
This book explores how Christians can respond to conflict, injustice, and division with reconciliation and grace. Drawing from theology, psychology, and personal experience, Volf contrasts exclusion—rejecting the "other"—with embrace, a Christ-like openness that acknowledges differences while seeking reconciliation. He argues that true peace requires both justice and forgiveness, and that embracing others, even enemies, reflects God's radical love. The book is particularly relevant to discussions on identity, reconciliation, and pursuing justice.
For the 2022 Federal Election, Common Grace collected resources for people thinking about voting from a Christian perspective, including the article Hearing and Responding to the Margins by Graham Hill. You can find the complete list here.
