LEAWOOD, Kan., Dec. 26 – As voters around the nation start narrowing in on their candidates of choice, one Kansas City pastor wants to talk about the issues and how to thoughtfully consider them during the 2008 election cycle.

The Rev. Adam Hamilton will begin a five-week sermon series on this topic beginning Jan. 5-6 with “Jesus – Liberal or Conservative?” He concludes on Feb. 2-3 with “A Vision for America.” During the series, he will challenge his 15,000-member mainline congregation to think for themselves, to seriously consider both sides of an issue, and then to live courageously and lovingly as they face complex decisions.

“Politicians, pundits and even preachers paint the world in black and white,” Hamilton says. “You’re forced into tidy boxes. You are labeled a conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat, for or against the war, pro-this or pro-that. Entire states are painted as red or blue. Candidates use slogans to demonize their opponents and energize their base of support. The election cycle seems perfectly designed to polarize our country.

“Do you ever wonder if life was meant to be more than just black and white?” Hamilton asks. “Are you hungry for solutions that don’t fit into a 60-second sound byte? Do you miss civility and thoughtfulness in politics?”

This sermon series is for anyone who answers “yes” to these questions, no matter where they fall in the political spectrum. It is based on a book Hamilton will release on April 1, “Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White.” Chapter titles include “Apes, Evolution, Adam and Eve;” “Abortion: Finding Common Ground;” “Homosexuality at the Center;” and “On Choosing a President.”

A video introduction to the sermon series is posted on YouTube™, along with five questions for people to answer regarding the issues. Hamilton has also started a blog where he will post questions and commentary on the issues. Links to both Web sites are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoO6Ua4VuCI for the video and http://adamhamilton.cor.org for the blog.

Hamilton is pastor of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection outside Kansas City, in the pivotal Johnson County area. His congregants form a microcosm of Middle America and how it will vote come November. A few of Hamilton’s previous books include “Confronting the Controversies,” “Christianity and World Religion,” and “Selling Swimsuits in the Arctic.”

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YouTube introductory video
Adam Hamilton sermon series