Pastors and Politics

A good friend sent me an article link concerning pastors' view towards politics and more specifically - why they 'punt'.
You can read the article HERE.

Here is my response:
Since the article is directed towards pastors, I feel inclined to respond to this one.  Once responded, I want the 15 minutes of my life back.

First response - "Get in line" - he is acting like a child in which to he claims that pastors do not talk about their special topic or concern (in this case - politics).  Why is it that everybody feels like they have to have the pastor's support.  We are God's servants - not mans'.

Let me quickly and briefly hit his top 10 reasons -
1.  Fear of man - junk.
2.  Ignorance - possibly.  That is why I have a friend who provides current event updates to help keep me informed.  Yet, with time that is already crunched - I choose to cheat something or someone.  Some things get more priority and that is the way it is.
3.  Division - nah.  There is already enough division within the church - there is not time to instigate political division. 
4.  Last days - nice try, but no. 
5.  Sloth - yeah right.  There is a reason why Peter Drucker named Pastors as the hardest job
6.  Tax Exempt Status - nope.  That change has been coming down the pipeline already without having to worry about what to say.
7.  Paltry Pietism - hhhmmmmm.   Things of God before politics.  With limited interaction with the congregation as it is (the limited 'God box' time of Sunday morning), there is enough to relate the truth of the Word of God.  I do agree that 'issues' are important as they relate to the issues of being Christ like.
8.  Radical Muslim Comparison - wha????  I have never even heard of this one.  Crazy
9. Not being able to say No to minutiae - well - obviously, he has not lived very long in pastor's shoes.  While boundaries are important, his sweeping statement is too far off the deep end.
10.  Likey the money - he is off base here directing much of his conversation to larger churches - there are thousands upon thousands of pastors who are barely scraping by being bivocational to make ends meet.  While there are some who may likey the money, I will show you 2 dozen more that are in it for the people.  Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Interesting article.  Appreciate the conversation.  Not saying 'don't be involved in politics'.  On the contrary, we should - that is beauty of our nation.

Bottom line:  Let pastors teach the Word of God from the pulpit.  The time is limited as it is.  That is our calling.

Your thoughts?