Pastor Thomas Rusert, of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Doylestown, uses gospel readings to make relevant points that are not directly political or partisan, writes Clare Ansberry for The Wall Street Journal.

The church’s “purple” congregation is made up of individuals with differing political views who still come together each Sunday, sit in the same pews, and sing the same hymns since who they are transcends their political affiliation, explained Rusert.

One of his recent messages of the day was, “Jesus loves the unlovely.” However, he did not specify who the unlovely are, which could sound partisan to either side.

“I leave it to my purple congregation to figure out how to love the unloved and who is unlovely to them,” he said. “People in both camps view the other as unlovely.”

When preparing for his Sunday sermon, the reverend often questions himself and considers referencing gender, race, or immigration.

“Am I making a political point or am I making a gospel point?” he said. “I have to really wrestle with this.”

Read more about Pastor Thomas Rusert and his recent “purple” gospel readings at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in The Wall Street Journal.

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