My Christian Change of Heart in Republican Indiana
Don’t give up on Trump-supporting loved ones. If I changed, so can they.
I’m proof that when it comes to political and social issues, hearts and minds can change. Here’s how it happened for me.
Growing up in the ’80s in a white Christian household just north of Indianapolis almost assured you became a Republican. When political jabs were made at Democrats from the church pulpit the congregation would laugh and clap. Reagan and Bush were heroes; Clinton was the villain. I grew up only knowing that status quo.
I went to a small private Christian school from K-12, then graduated with a degree in Pharmacy and Pharmacological Studies from Purdue University. Practicing pharmacy for 21 years feeds my passion for the sciences, but I have an even bigger passion for relationships and connections with my family and my patients.
Fifteen years ago, I survived cancer. During my battle, I got so much support from friends, family, and church that I told myself if I came out the other side alive, I’d help other cancer patients any way I could. These days, I try to listen, provide a shoulder to cry on, or just be there with a hug.
Seeing with a narrow Republican lens
As an adult, my political worldview was focused on defeating the Democratic Party rather than fighting injustice and corruption or challenging our government. I got my information from Fox News, Breitbart, Glenn Beck, and Rush Limbaugh — I believed Democrats were evil and Republicans were the caring party.
That said, I was never really interested in the political process. I didn’t engage in political discussions because my circle of influence was filled with like-minded people. There was no point: I knew I was Republican, I voted Republican. And yes, in 2016 I voted for Donald Trump.
My change began on a Facebook post
A few years ago on Facebook, a high school classmate of mine named Jeremy was debating climate change with my brother. “Climate change” is a big buzz word in the Republican camps, but Jeremy was one of my few Left-leaning friends on social media. His dad was a science teacher at my school, and I’d always appreciated his father’s enthusiasm for the sciences.
More than just appealing to my interest in science, I noticed Jeremy never got upset or attacked his critics on Facebook. He presented science and facts and stuck to the data, not opinions and talking points. I messaged Jeremy to learn more about climate science, and he turned out to be a wealth of knowledge, sharing articles and studies, and pointing me to objective, agenda-free sites.
My journey may have started with Jeremy, but I along the way I’ve found plenty more people of faith and people of political persuasion who’ve helped reshape my worldview. Here are some important steps I’ve taken with them:
Point of Change: Christian climate scientist Katherine Dr. Hayhoe
Thanks to Jeremy, I discovered Dr. Katherine Hayhoe, a climate scientist with an enthusiasm for teaching. Dr. Hayhoe debates with conviction and passion while maintaining devotion to her faith.
I was hooked. As someone who loves science, how could I have denied this type of research my whole life? Suddenly I was getting information from actual scientists instead of Right-leaning pundits who wrapped science in a Fake News burrito and shoved it down my throat.
Point of Change: Smart Politics
As I researched and followed climate-based Facebook pages, I found the group Smart Politics. Its members not only welcomed a soon-to-be-former Republican, they were also eager to learn about my changing worldview, valuing my experiences rather than condemning them. The friendships I’ve made in Smart Politics have taught me to converse and connect with people from different ideologies and to find new reference points.
Point of Change: Seeking diversity in church and community
I grew up in the church and still attend — in fact, my wife is our church’s children’s pastor. I was shocked when she told me that during staff meetings with our pastor, topics like climate change sometimes came up. At the time, it hadn’t occurred to me that people of faith would be interested in those things.
Not long after that, our pastor began to ask what it would look like if our church community was multi-ethnic. It was a bold initiative, and frankly it scared a lot of the predominantly white congregation. Some members resisted, but we moved forward and asked more people of color to speak to our church. As those guest speakers shared their journeys, stories, and Christian experiences, we quickly realized that people of color saw the world through a different lens and even experienced Jesus differently than we did.
Point of Change: Operation Find and Feed
A church friend, Tony Washington, took me under his wing and invited me to go downtown with him on Sunday mornings before our service. Nearly every Sunday we helped Operation Find and Feed prepare meals for homeless men and shared with them a message of hope from the Bible. After several months of this, my teenage daughter noticed changes in me and wanted to join us downtown. Each week we talked with the men, who thanked us for the mandarin oranges we brought. Tony taught me that these men may not currently have homes, but they have names and value and are beautiful human beings.
Point of Change: Walking in others’ shoes
One of our church’s lead elders, Anthony Dumas, was an influential voice during our community’s transformation. He takes our church members on a three-hour “Walk of Downtown” along the same streets many of the homeless walk so we can try to understand the reality of their lives. In addition to being a loving and beautiful person, Anthony helps run Outreach, which ministers to homeless youth, giving them hope, assistance, and a place of refuge.
Point of Change: Understanding systematic racism
Our church also hired Josh Riddick to help guide us towards racial reconciliation. He organized workshops on the history behind systemic racism and the damage it’s done to the Black community. Josh was tireless and a true guide — when we lost our way, which was often, he continued to lead us in the right direction.
Point of Change: Listening to different life stories
Benjamin Tapper works closely with Josh Riddick as part of a group called WeAreKindredCollective. As prominent, positive Black voices in the Indianapolis community, they and the group strive to promote equality and justice.
When Benjamin was invited to preach at our church, his words and life experiences as a person of color reminded me how narrow and shallow my worldview can be. Many in our congregation were a bit taken back and even a little offended by Benjamin’s message that Sunday, but it helped me realize I had to work harder to listen and learn from people with a radically different life experiences.
Point of Change: Pursuing justice, equality and reconciliation
The driving forces behind my church’s reconciliation goals have been our lead pastor Erik Thein and his wife Emily. Erik’s been our constant voice, and Emily is a terrific writer, theologian, and justice seeker. Together, they’ve reshaped how I see the world, challenging me to treat people as God wants; to be an agent of change; and to speak out against injustice and inequality.
Seeing the beautiful picture
This is my journey, and I know that on it I’ll continue to struggle and slip on occasions, sometimes falling victim to my old prejudices and biases. But these days, I have a wider network of friends who care about me and pick me up. And I have more diverse teachers helping me continue to learn.
I know my story of awakening, awareness, and growth is not the only one. My hope is that others like me will wrestle with their beliefs and find a way to see and understand new experiences and perspectives. I pray that, like me, they learn to put aside political and social blinders and see a different, more diverse picture. I think it’s a beautiful one.
This article is part of Progressively Speaking’s series “Change Happens” by and about people who’ve moved from right to left on the political spectrum. If you have a story you’d like PS to share with our readers, please send your draft link to progressively.speaking.medium@gmail.com.
