Church and state are even more clearly separated in the USA than in Germany. There's no church tax, politics stays out of religion – and religion out of politics, too. Actually. But there are also exceptions.
One of these exceptions is the United Church of Christ. A church where also times against Donald Trump is preached.
"The morning after the election, I didn't have the breath to breathe. A president found his way to the White House through lies. Lies on the backs of the disadvantaged. He would bring back their jobs, create better health care, build a wall and limit immigration. All this accompanied by hatred and violence. The very same day I got myself some medication against depression." You can tell the preacher, who fled to Florida from Cuba as a child, is moved by the words. Moved and defiant. So much so that she also takes a stand against President Trump in her sermon.
It is unusual for a church to speak so clearly in political terms. In the USA even more than in Germany. We are in Coral Gables, a suburb of Miami in Florida. The United Church of Christ is a breakaway from the Methodists. Barack Obama also belongs to this denomination. Laurinda Hafner is the church's chief pastor: "We are unique because we have the freedom to take a political stand. That doesn't mean we dictate who people should vote for. But we can express our concerns about what is happening in our country."
The full service in video
Old faith – modern thinking
"Our faith is 2000 years old, but our views are not." This is the motto of the parish. In the concert of different churches, the United Church of Christ is on the progressive side, claiming to be the first fellowship to make a woman pastor, as well as the first black, the first slave or the first homosexual. Community considers itself a social leader. They are all the more vocal in their criticism of the Trump administration, explains Pastor Laurinda: "What the president is saying is fundamentally contrary to our faith. His actions and words, his warmongering. I also think what happened in Charlottesville is his fault. He has rekindled the sparks of hatred in our society."
The solution for the congregation in suburban Miami is: keep fighting. Working for a better future, toward the American dream. "Keep your hand on the plow." Keep your hand on the plow and work on and on. A sentence that one hears again and again in the church service.
Community takes in refugee
This work looks like the congregation is consciously working for understanding. By vote, the faithful have decided to take in a refugee from Libya so he won't be deported. But there is also understanding on a very personal level. For example, the congregation hosts an interfaith cooking class where Christians and Muslims prepare food together and learn from each other. Not just when it comes to cooking.
But can pastor with progressive views understand why Christians in U.S. voted for Trump? Not understand, but can at least understand the train of thought. The big irritant here is called: Abortion. In the USA the abortion laws are much more liberal than in Germany, for many Christians not acceptable. When Trump's Republicans come out against abortion, that's already an election argument. Laurinda Hafner: "As long as he speaks against abortion, he can despise women, mock the disabled, criticize Muslims and other faith communities. For some constituents, the abortion ie is so significant that they even sell their souls in some ways."