VPC pastor to teach 'Politics, Polarization & Peacemaking'

This fall, Valley Presbyterian Church will offer “Politics, Polarization, & Preacemaking with Pastor David Joynt.”

The class will be held 6–7 p.m. every Wednesday from Sept. 11–Oct. 23, using the book and curriculum from The After Party, a collection of resources designed by the nonprofit Redeeming Babel to “help move toward better Christian politics,” a newsletter announced.

The events of this past weekend, along with inflammatory rhetoric from social media and public figures, unfortunately highlight the deep divisions within our country, the newsletter stated. Unstable political climates upend churches, families and friendships.

This six-week course is not about supporting a candidate, political party or policy position, according to event details. It’s about how we are present in conversations and stay in relationship in the process. The aim is to reorient Christian thinking about politics in an effort to heal political divisions by equipping Christians to honor Jesus as they engage in politics and the public square.

Created in response to a sense that an “exhausted majority” longs for resources to navigate the turbulent waters that have come to define national politics and many churches, this course focuses on Christ before any partisan identity, according to event details.

Videos and workbooks from The After Party: Toward Better Christian Politics will spark conversation and reflection.