It's about time

First of all, I want to apologize to the four people who read my blog...I'm still new to this blogging thing and haven't made it a regular part of my day yet..I'm working on it, I promise. I want this to be worth your while. Anyway, on to some content...

I had an absolutely wonderful, thoughtful response to my last blog. I was particularly enticed by his/her question: How does the power of the presidency (and any elected position for that matter) intersect with our striving to work with God in the redemption of all things? What is the role of the government (if any), and ours as citizens who vote, in making God's kingdom a reality? I think this is the question that we have to wrestle with. Recently, Shane Claiborne and Greg Boyd wrote a book called Jesus For President. The book rightly points out that as followers of Jesus our ultimate allegiance is to Jesus Christ regardless who the president or prime minister or dictator is or what form of government rules the land. It seems that the authors are encouraging followers of Jesus to work outside the political system to bring about the kind of change we are called to make. The point seems to be that it really does not matter who is in power - that does not change our job as Christians. Having said that, I truly believe that certain candidates and certain platforms are worth voting for. Although these candidates are not perfect and have to play the political game to get elected (which may or may not cause them to lose their soul in the process) I feel strongly that if they are promoting a better way of life for people with real needs and have a means to bring about real change for these people, then we would be foolish not to vote for them. God has often worked through kings and governments to serve his purposes and to make his kingdom a reality on earth. There's no such thing as a perfect candidate but I think we miss out on a God-given opportunity not to vote for the person that we feel most closely aligns with God's values. In that way, I believe the power of the presidency (or any other elected position) intersects with our striving to work with God in the redemption of all things. For instance, I believe that the poor, oppressed, sick and broken are at the top of God's priority list. If there is one candidate who will increase relief to AIDS victims in Africa and those who are in poverty all over the globe and one candidate who would decrease that spending but spend more on weapons and defense, I think we are working with God and with the president/government to use our resources wisely, restore our world and bring God's kingdom to the darkest corners of the globe by electing the candidate who aligns more closely with God's vision for the world. I believe God can and will work through any and all people. We have to be on the look out for what God is up to and jump on the opportunities that are before us. Personally, I think this election provides our nation with a very important opportunity. It will be very interesting to see how our country, and those who call themselves Christians, will respond.

Rise Above This

Before I got my driver's license, I was a typical teenager: generally bored out of my mind with nothing to do (I am now 36). Growing up, we didn't have cable, so T.V. was a real drag during the day (I detest soap operas and game shows). There was no internet, so I couldn't waste my days away in that manner. I could only hang out with my friends for so long until that became more boring than being by myself. Since I couldn't get anywhere with speed and efficiency, that left me with one viable option (for me): read. Up until I was sixteen years old, I loved to read for pleasure (that pleasure would return again after college and Seminary). I ate up anything that had to do with history. And simply by association I would also read much about politics. I became very fascinated by history, politics and how the two engaged to form the world we live in today. I was a political science major in college and even considered at one time (very fleetingly) a life of public service (in the political realm). I grew up putting on a pedestal men like George Washington, John Adams, John Jay, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, etc. These men were heroes to me. They were creating a nation and a way of life that I have come to love dearly. Each one of these men understood inherently that in order to create a nation of unity, prosperity and equality that there would be a substantial level of personal sacrifice required of its leaders to make that happen. Our nation is not what it is today (even with all her faults) without great personal sacrifice from her leaders when the foundation was being laid. Personal sacrifice, however, does not seem to be a part of the skill set of the majority of our national leaders today. It seems that even the best of our leaders are in some way, shape or form in the pockets of powerful lobbyists and corporations who, it seems, steers the direction of our nation. In my most cynical moments I wonder, is it possible to reform the system? Will there ever again be grassroots politicians who can rise through the ranks and make a difference on a national level without selling out and losing their soul in the process? I honestly don't know. I think it's possible, but our political process is one of those things that will have to be chipped away at over the years. I don't see any short term solutions. This is where our leaders are going to have to be very far-sighted. We need a visionary or two to stand up and show us a better way to do politics. A way that benefits all Americans. We need a system where everyone's voices are heard - not just the one's with the most Washington's, Lincoln's and Jackson's.

We'll talk more about moving toward a possible solution tomorrow.