Alex Stayer-Brewington, a Presbyterian hospital chaplain and former pastor at Bethlehem Presbyterian Church in Saxapahaw, North Carolina, is a liberal Christian who is involved in political activism. Staff writer Sophia Wilhelm asked Stayer-Brewington, a 2009 UNC graduate, about his opinions on current politics and religion in North Carolina.
The Daily Tar Heel: How do you think religion and politics are connected?
Alex Stayer-Brewington: In my world view, everything is religious and/or spiritual, and everything is political. Religion is inherently political and that, speaking from the perspective of a Christian, I would say that I worship a partisan God, a God with a vested interest in creation. I think that has very real literal implications for those who would choose to follow that God.
DTH: What are the most important political issues to you?
ASB: I think the prison system, but not just mass incarceration, but I think just the existence of prisons and jails in particular is pretty offensive. The whole what we call criminal justice — police officers with guns — I think that is hard for me to really, to have with my understanding of what a just and righteous society looks like.
Marketing and economics and capitalism and any system that would attempt to assign someone a value based on what they do, in terms of work, rather than just their inherent worth as a child of God.
DTH: Which ones do you think we need to focus on in North Carolina?
ASB: I live in Durham. Our county jail is a very inhumane and ungodly place. I would say more equitable access to mental health care, I would say food insecurity... Over in Alamance County, we’ve got a pretty terrible Sheriff. He has implemented policies to kind of try to... be like a cowboy figure over there in terms of rounding up undocumented immigrants. I think just treatment of people who are new to our state, coming from other countries.
DTH: What are your thoughts on how our civil rights have been handled in North Carolina?