The election is fast approaching. For much of the past 18 months, I have gone from not caring at all to caring just a little about the crazy political activities of our present and future leaders. Just when you think the media is going to give you something meaty, something of substance.....you instead find an article on your homepage investigating the merits of each candidate as determined by pet owners. This is not a joke. People are actually writing about that sort of thing.
The nations are raging. The economy is in the dump. Gas prices are all over the map. Our national debt is through the roof. People are losing jobs. People are losing their homes. BUT....not to worry it's all going to be OK because with a little tax navigation wealth can be shared. With some careful Supreme Court drafting, legislative loopholing and creativity, gay people can get married and abortions can be obtained with even greater ease than they are now. I mean, these are the important things in our country's life right now, right? Oh! I forgot that new "Fairness Doctrine" thing where all opposing view points will HAVE to get equal airtime in the media. Hmmm. I wonder how that will be policed and how fair such a 'doctrine' will be. America is about to get all this and more when we elect Barack Obama as president.
Barack Obama is an intriguing figure, no doubt. He has far more flair, charisma, smoothness and just all around like-ability than John McCain. I wanted to like him enough to want to vote for him, but I just never could get there. He certainly has more money to spend than McCain. His campaign is more lavish than any I've ever seen or remembered that is for sure. I do think it's ironic though.....you know, that it's the Democratic candidate that is throwing all this money around and is surrounded by all this glitz and glam, while the Republican candidate (who chose to keep his word) took public funds and now can't compete with Obama's media blitz. It's not ironic that we would see the Democrat spend more....we know that is what they do and I've never met one who denied this. What is ironic is that the Democrat is supposed to represent the little guy! Yet the Republican here is the one that is standing ground with the little guy.
More and more Obama comes off elitest and untouchable. He is clearly the media darling and I dare someone to argue that point with me. Aw shucks! I don't really want to get into a fight about politics. I really have kept my opinions to myself for the most part. It's just that I've always liked McCain. It's true, I have. I know a lot of conservatives havn't embraced him from the get go, and are only doing so now because they feel they have no choice. I've always liked him though.
He is more moderate than some would like, but I find it to be a good thing. A check against corruption if you will. That is my frustration with an Obama presidency. More and more, I fail to see the possibility for moderation in it. It looks very, very leftist and not very pragmatic. He has a lot of ideas, so many they make my head spin.....so many promises. I wonder if people realize he will not be the saviour they are looking for.
So why am I going to vote for John? Well because he's a maverick of course! ;> Sorry, I just had to throw that in. I like John because he's sensible and he's not making promises he can't keep. We don't have to wonder about him....he hasn't changed in 40 years. He upholds the things that make conservatism truly conservative. I feel confident that he is the best man for the job especially when it comes to foreign affairs.....and there is quite a bit going on in our world today regarding such affairs. I don't think our nation's future hinges upon what Europeans think of us or our president. Uh, have you seen what has been going on in Europe over the last century? They have enough problems of their own thank-you-very-much.
I think he means it when he speaks of energy independence and I think he could actually help to get this done. That would be pretty huge.
Since the congress will be mostly Democratic, John would bring balance, but he would also be able to get things done, because he knows how to work with others and he is respected by others. He's not giving any easy answers to really tough questions because there are no easy answers. I appreciate that he hasn't tried to make them up.
Bottom line, he's the real deal and.....NEWS FLASH! He is not George W. Bush. The notion that his presidency would be a continuation of Bush's is media-spun hogwash.
Sadly, I don't think the right guy is going to win it. The current economic turmoil coupled with our blatantly zombified, Obamaified media have turned too many voters away from the prudent and pragmatic John McCain.
Go vote your conscience, and remember.....God is sovereign!
In Him we put our trust.
Kara
This is one area where you and I, my good friend, will have to agree to disagree. I am in somewhat stunned disbelief at some of the things you have said about both candidates. While it is certainly no secret that I tend to lean a little to the left, I have like John McCain in the past, when he used to actually stand for something and be an actual moderate. This election has convinced me, however, that he is neither moderate nor pragmatic. You make much of the spending of each candidate and it is true that Obama has far outspent McCain. However, McCain's pledge to run completely on public funding is disingenuous, at best, as that does not take into account spent on his behalf by his party and other sources. I am also getting a little annoyed at the "elitist" label being used against Obama. A man raised by a combination of a single mother and his working-class grandparents and who, on his own merit, went on to attend really great schools. A man who then eschewed the life of luxury afforded by a silk-stocking law firm to work in his community. I am bothered by this label, particularly in an election where his opponent does not even know the number of million dollar homes he owns. As regards the fearmongering, on both sides, regarding both abortion and gay marriage, I am simply over it. You and I have discussed where I see the role of government with regard to these issues. I do not believe that Roe v. Wade will be overturned if McCain is elected or that the red carpet will be rolled out for free-wheeling on-demand abortion if Obama is elected. Also, Obama and Biden have both indicated that they do not support gay marriage, although they are open to civil unions. Since my definition of marriage comes from the Bible and not from the government, I am not terribly bothered by this stance. Anyway, peace and love (no really ;0), from your left-leaning sister in Christ.
ReplyDeleteRenee
Another Mama for Obama
Renee, it is so good to hear from you! I wish we could have this conversation in person. I love you and respect you and you have challenged me and inspired me in my political and sociological thinking. Perhaps I need to read more Tony Campolo, but I am not yet ready to swing around to Democratic ideology. As you know I am not really a proud Republican either. I do appreciate compassionate conservativism however. Ideally, I think these two things can and should go together, even if they rarely do in practice.
ReplyDeleteJohn McCain, in my estimation, embodies that kind of conservativism better than most of the rest of the Republican party. I do see where he could be seen as pandering to the far right of his party in order to get their support. Personally, I am sad that there would even be a need for him to do that, but it is what it is. This pandering thing, however, is a wash between both candidates as I feel certain a similar case can be made about Obama. That said, I feel that I could trust John McCain to continue to be the John McCain that he has been in all his many years of consistent service to this country.
Well, it's a mute point I think, so......I hope you are right about Obama, in which case, I'll gladly eat crow!
LYMYWY,
Kara
ps. Do you know a gluten-free recipe for crow?
Hi Kara,
ReplyDeleteI agree with much of what you have to say...though I do find myself a bit more 'conservative' than you. I believe that John McCain represents the USA as its constitution reads...I believe Obama has another 'ideal' for the USA ...socialism. That is not good. Here is an article I recently read and was 'set straight' once again... you are right God is Soverein...and that is where our trust is.. I will go out on that limb and say that I believe an Obama win is a 'judgment' on this country ..not a blessing. I hope you enjoy the article. Diane in Salem
Let Christians Vote As Though They Were Not Voting
October 22, 2008
By John Piper
Voting is like marrying and crying and laughing and buying. We should do it, but only as if we were not doing it. That’s because “the present form of this world is passing away” and, in God’s eyes, “the time has grown very short.” Here’s the way Paul puts it:
The appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:29-31)
Let’s take these one at a time and compare them to voting.
1. “Let those who have wives live as though they had none.”
This doesn’t mean move out of the house, don’t have sex, and don’t call her Honey. Earlier in this chapter Paul says, “The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights” (1 Corinthians 7:3). He also says to love her the way Christ loved the church, leading and providing and protecting (Ephesians 5:25-30). It means this: Marriage is momentary. It’s over at death, and there is no marriage in the resurrection. Wives and husbands are second priorities, not first. Christ is first. Marriage is for making much of him.
It means: If she is exquisitely desirable, beware of desiring her more than Christ. And if she is deeply disappointing, beware of being hurt too much. This is temporary—only a brief lifetime. Then comes the never-disappointing life which is life indeed.
So it is with voting. We should do it. But only as if we were not doing it. Its outcomes do not give us the greatest joy when they go our way, and they do not demoralize us when they don’t. Political life is for making much of Christ whether the world falls apart or holds together.
2. “Let those who mourn [do so] as though they were not mourning.”
Christians mourn with real, deep, painful mourning, especially over losses—loss of those we love, loss of health, loss of a dream. These losses hurt. We cry when we are hurt. But we cry as though not crying. We mourn knowing we have not lost something so valuable we cannot rejoice in our mourning. Our losses do not incapacitate us. They do not blind us to the possibility of a fruitful future serving Christ. The Lord gives and takes away. But he remains blessed. And we remain hopeful in our mourning.
So it is with voting. There are losses. We mourn. But not as those who have no hope. We vote and we lose, or we vote and we win . In either case, we win or lose as if we were not winning or losing. Our expectations and frustrations are modest. The best this world can offer is short and small. The worst it can offer has been predicted in the book of Revelation. And no vote will hold it back. In the short run, Christians lose (Revelation 13:7). In the long run, we win (Revelation 21:4).
3. “Let those who rejoice [do so] as though they were not rejoicing.”
Christians rejoice in health (James 5:13) and in sickness (James 1:2). There are a thousand good and perfect things that come down from God that call forth the feeling of happiness. Beautiful weather. Good friends who want to spend time with us. Delicious food and someone to share it with. A successful plan. A person helped by our efforts.
But none of these good and beautiful things can satisfy our soul. Even the best cannot replace what we were made for, namely, the full experience of the risen Christ (John 17:24). Even fellowship with him here is not the final and best gift. There is more of him to have after we die (Philippians 1:21-23)—and even more after the resurrection. The best experiences here are foretastes. The best sights of glory are through a mirror dimly. The joy that rises from these previews does not and should not rise to the level of the hope of glory. These pleasures will one day be as though they were not. So we rejoice remembering this joy is a foretaste, and will be replaced by a vastly better joy.
So it is with voting. There are joys. The very act of voting is a joyful statement that we are not under a tyrant. And there may be happy victories. But the best government we get is a foreshadowing. Peace and justice are approximated now. They will be perfect when Christ comes. So our joy is modest. Our triumphs are short-lived—and shot through with imperfection. So we vote as though not voting.
4. “Let those who buy [do so] as though they had no goods.”
Let Christians keep on buying while this age lasts. Christianity is not withdrawal from business. We are involved, but as though not involved. Business simply does not have the weight in our hearts that it has for many. All our getting and all our having in this world is getting and having things that are not ultimately important. Our car, our house, our books, our computers, our heirlooms—we possess them with a loose grip. If they are taken away, we say that in a sense we did not have them. We are not here to possess. We are here to lay up treasures in heaven.
This world matters. But it is not ultimate. It is the stage for living in such a way to show that this world is not our God, but that Christ is our God. It is the stage for using the world to show that Christ is more precious than the world.
So it is with voting. We do not withdraw. We are involved—but as if not involved. Politics does not have ultimate weight for us. It is one more stage for acting out the truth that Christ, and not politics, is supreme.
5. “Let those who deal with the world [do so] as though they had no dealings with it.”
Christians should deal with the world. This world is here to be used. Dealt with. There is no avoiding it. Not to deal with it is to deal with it that way. Not to weed your garden is to cultivate a weedy garden. Not to wear a coat in Minnesota is to freeze—to deal with the cold that way. Not to stop when the light is red is to spend your money on fines or hospital bills and deal with the world that way. We must deal with the world.
But as we deal with it, we don’t give it our fullest attention. We don’t ascribe to the world the greatest status. There are unseen things that are vastly more precious than the world. We use the world without offering it our whole soul. We may work with all our might when dealing with the world, but the full passions of our heart will be attached to something higher—Godward purposes. We use the world, but not as an end in itself. It is a means. We deal with the world in order to make much of Christ.
So it is with voting. We deal with the system. We deal with the news. We deal with the candidates. We deal with the issues. But we deal with it all as if not dealing with it. It does not have our fullest attention. It is not the great thing in our lives. Christ is. And Christ will be ruling over his people with perfect supremacy no matter who is elected and no matter what government stands or falls. So we vote as though not voting.
By all means vote. But remember: “The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17).
Voting with you, as though not voting,
Pastor John
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