"A time to keep silence, and a time to speak," said the Preacher of Ecclesiastes. This fall, as Election Day approaches, American preachers face the quandary of what to say and what not to say. Unfortunately, Solomon isn't around for counsel.

I went to a large church this past summer and listened to a nationally known guest minister. A U.S. senator and several other political dignitaries were there as well, and before the morning was over, Christian faith had been thoroughly mingled with conservative politics.

I sat thinking about two or three friends of mine, members of that church, who are leaders in the "other" party. They are Bible-believing, spiritual men who love God, but they must have felt like foreigners that morning-in their own church. This is wrong, I said to myself.

But must pastors say nothing about political affairs? Is the whole subject taboo?

We have been tripped up by our labels. We've been talking about being conservative or liberal, right-wing or left-wing, rather than ...