Category Archives: Politics

Good People

The poisonous political atmosphere shows no signs of ending soon. I will not be the one to end it. I will not be the one to influence anyone to pay attention.

No matter. I just need to declare that I think there are some good people serving our country, no matter what the political rhetoric may be today.

My wife heard on MPR yesterday someone making a comment that they guessed the presidential election was now down to voting for a “Muslim or a Mormon.”

It’s a disappointing thing to say. All right. I’ll say it. It’s an awful thing to say.

So, to those on the “right” I am about to tick off, just stay steady. And to those of you on the left… same thing.

I think Mitt Romney is a decent man. As is President Barack Obama.

While I cannot agree with either man on everything, I don’t find it in me to declare false things about either one of them. They may do things I disagree with, but I cannot find it in myself to fling nasty comments around.

There are good people trying to do good things in this nation. On both “sides” of the “aisle.” No one seems to be willing to acknowledge that. I will. Not that it will make a difference this election cycle.

Politics, Messes, Blindness, and Such Stuff

My friend, Joel Watts, is always trying to “out” me as a liberal. I love his effort. It’s futile, but it’s noble.

I am a fiercely political creature. I grew up talking politics and in my young adult years listening to talk radio. I still listen to political news, but with much more sarcasm than before. The days of an individual being able to actually engage an elected official with a meaningful discussion are long gone. No politician will listen to anything other than dollars going into their political campaign accounts.

To be honest, I’ve been a Republican. That’s so hard to type.

The main thing that has always kept me from being a Democrat is I am pro-life. And not just concerning the unborn. There are other key issues, but I am pro-life, and in the Democratic Party you don’t get higher up that city dog catcher if you let it be known you are pro-life. I understand over the last decade or so there have been many evangelicals try to be a part of the Democratic Party and hopefully influence them to a better conversation on the issues of abortion. And that has failed miserably.

The other thing that keeps me from being Democrat are people like Paul Krugman and Keith Olbermann. They are as vitriolic as Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage, but just like conservatives who live Rush, liberals refuse to acknowledge the foolish things Krugman and Oblermann spew out. Krugman’s column today is a good case. The world would be SOOOO much better without Republicans! All we need are sensible Democrats because there are NOOO extremists in the Democratic Party.

But that’s an easy case to make for me. (And I prepare for the cannon fodder to come.)

But the Republican Party is such an incredible disappointment as well. A colleague of mine has a personal story about how the extreme right of the Republican Party sabotaged his brother’s job. It’s becoming utterly ridiculous.

I have gone through the years of the Republican Party promising the moon to evangelicals on issues like abortion and family values … and then delivering nothing. They would argue, “Well, if we had a SUPER majority in the Senate…”

That was the mantra the Democrats held out going into the 2008 election…

My point is this: They are all sounding the same now. That could have been said 30 years ago as well. The difference 30 years ago was they all sounded the same and stuff could get done. Today, when I say they all sound the same, I mean they are all divisive.

It’s Krugman on the left saying the world would be a better place without the Republicans. It’s Rush on the right railing against anything that sniffs of the Democratic Party. It’s stupid… and no one is stopping it.

Truthfully, as Christians we should have never hitched our wagon to any political party. Evangelicals did it with the Republicans and got burned. Post-moderns are doing it with the Democratic Party and they will find the same result. At first they will just blame the Republicans (like I did the Democrats), and then the realization will slowly sink in: no one is listening. And it leaves a hard knot in your stomach.

A friend of mine who studies Church History loves Francis of Assisi. He tells the story of Francis having friendships with the Crusaders AND the sultans. There were times when Francis would ride between the battle lines calling out prophetically to both sides, urging them to not fight.

Both Democrats and Republicans are incredibly arrogant with their political gamesmanship. It’s foolishness. It’s foolishness to think that if the other party just didn’t exist things would go better. It’s foolishness to think that only YOUR side has something of substance to add to the conversation.

We need healing from our blindness. I know I’ve needed healing from my own blindness.

I want to be able to pastor Democrats AND Republicans. I want to be able to ADD to people’s lives… not destroy them philosophically or with some political rhetoric.

I wish I could mount a horse like Francis of Assisi and ride between the battle lines of the Republicans and Democrats and cry out, “A pox on BOTH your houses!”

Instead, I will take the hits from those who have been offended by turning on the Republicans… or railing against the Democrats.

Such is life.

Passion and Facts: Invisible Children

My youngest son is involved in the group “Invisible Children.” A lot of kids in his high school are incredibly passionate about this project.

One of the exciting things I see in this generation is passion for great causes. They raise thousands and thousands of dollars for projects like “Invisible Children” and Project Rescue, which gets kids out of sexual slavery.

One of the hottest viral videos on Facebook right now is “Kony2012”. I just don’t do viral videos, so I’ve held back wondering what this is all about. It involves the leader of this LRA group in Uganda that is pulling all these kids into armed conflict. This is the group targeted by “Invisible Children.”

A couple of great pieces I found this morning kind of cover the issue well for me. THIS ONE is an interview with the head of “Invisible Children.” THIS ONE is a more in-depth commentary in Foreign Policy.

BOTH make good points.

We need passion. We need to have our dulled, calloused lives crushed by the reality of this world and the issues that face millions of people we just don’t see. There needs to be something rising up in us that causes us to get from our couches and get into action in some way.

On that point, I see what the head of “Invisible Children” is doing. He keeps the message simple. He stirs the passion. Get upset! Get involved! Do something!

But we need knowledge as well.

I fear these viral videos are this generation’s email chain letters. They might spin things in a way that stir quick emotion and little else. And, worse, they can be just plain wrong and we react to something that isn’t even factual.

We need to find out more about the issues as well. But we need to ACT when action is called for.

The point in the Foreign Policy article is well-taken: the children in Uganda can still be invisible once we’ve given our money or wear a bracelet. We need more involvement. Africa’s issues are deeper than a video and a bracelet.

What would be insanely great is if a handful of people would take this incredible passion and turn it into a lifelong solution.

Give yourself to true, deep, systemic change. Give yourself to something that you are so deeply committed to you keep at it when the video isn’t viral and when no one else is looking.

What if a group out of this generation became the new David Livingstone’s and gave themselves in a new way to Africa?

What if another group out of this generation rose up and gave themselves to Asia, like a William Carey?

Something deep, long lasting, and life changing for an entire generation could occur.

It’s one thing to get a video set up and then send it from the comfort of your American home. I know of groups that do bike rides across America to raise money for causes all over the world.

But we need the group that will GO to these areas and stay there. The Mother Teresa’s and Mark Buntain’s of Calcutta. The David Livingstone’s of Africa.

I have one friend who has dreamed of going to the hardest place on the face of the earth I know. He has dreamed of it for about 15 years. He now has the opportunity to go there… with his young family. I can’t even imagine the incredible risk this man is willing to take, and his family is fully passionate and committed to this task.

THIS is a man (and family) I will support with all I can over his lifetime. He’s not going to make a video and then get out. He’s not riding his bike across America to raise money (about 1/3 of which might actually get to the place of designation). He is laying it on the line. He is passionate and he is fully aware. Knowledge on fire.

These are the David Livingstone’s we need.

Is it really time for civil disobedience?

The issue in the last couple of weeks with the Obama administration and the Catholic church has been over healthcare policy and contraception. Originally, the Obama administration was going to enforce the policy that any organization over a certain size had to provide a health insurance policy for employees, including the option for contraception. This would apply even to religious organizations. The Catholic Church was up in arms because that would affect their schools, hospitals, etc.

It is an unnecessary position by the Obama administration, because states like Hawaii demonstrate ways to get around it.

Some have said this is an outright attack on religious liberty. It might be. Those early salvos have to be tested because there will continue to be issued where human rights will clash with “religious liberty” in our society. If you always want to land on the side of your version of “human rights” you will have to battle “religious liberty” at some point. This is quite possibly a way to test the waters early.

Those who have called this an outright attack also say it may be time to think about civil disobedience. THIS POST links to several other articles and calls.

This is a tough call and it is certainly yet another opportunity to truly understand who we are as Christians.

Immigrants and Strangers

As James K.A. Smith would say in his book, Desiring the Kingdom, everything calls for allegiance. All of life has liturgies all around. Which liturgy will call out for our allegiance and we will respond?

We are in the thick of political season in the U.S. Let’s face it, as long as there is a media and as long as there are lobbyists and politicians, we are always in the thick of political season. It’s the only way to fill up a 24 hour news cycle.

And in this season we are once again hearing the calls of allegiance to one party or the other. Certainly on the extremes are those who say voting for one party is actually voting against God. (This is on the right AND the left.)

Political parties call for allegiances. Every election cycle the fate our nation hangs precariously in the balance and if we don’t vote correctly (insert your party beliefs here), America will blow up. (And so it has gone for over 250 years.)

Christians in America play this game. We play and get played. For all the frothing about evangelicals being in the back pockets of Republicans, there is simply the same to be said in the other direction as well. On the extreme left or right we really act like the government is our own little theocracy. We want to the government (which is secular) to act like the Kingdom of God. On both extremes, if one is willing to admit it, that would equate the president as pope or bishop. Since neither extreme is willing to admit that, we cloak it in more “righteous” terms.

This is not some plea to NOT be involved in voting or your duty as a citizen. It IS a plea, as believers, for us to continually evaluate our allegiances. We need to be reminded more than ever that our citizenship is in a different place. As such, we need to pick up the signals from the Kingdom we should be serving.

11 Dear friends, since you are immigrants and strangers in the world, I urge that you avoid worldly desires that wage war against your lives. (1 Pet. 2:11, CEB)

The liturgy of political games is a strong liturgy. The liturgy of consumerism and materialism is a strong liturgy. We have strong liturgies all around us.

Which liturgy will win your allegiance?

Willing to Yield

My wish for the political season as it kicks off: Everyone running for office needs to read the Book of James.

Knowing that will not happen, I am still struck by the words compared to the political arena.

17 What of the wisdom from above? First, it is pure, and then peaceful, gentle, obedient, filled with mercy and good actions, fair, and genuine.18 Those who make peace sow the seeds of justice by their peaceful acts. (James 3:17-18, CEB)

The Common English Bible puts a phrase like this, “filled with mercy and good actions.”

In the NIV one word translated “submissive” also means willing to yield.

It’s not just for politicians. It’s for all of us. If I am walking in wisdom from above, I know I don’t have to always be “right.” In fact, I need to quit faking that others are “right” when I know I’m right! Winking smile

Am I willing to yield? Am I filled with mercy and good actions?

Let me revise my beginning statement: ONLY politicians should read the Book of James! (That gets me off the hook.)

Preaching the Prophetic or Preaching the Politics?

Today seems to be a day where a bunch of preachers are going to “climb into their pulpits” and brazenly give their political views. First of all, not too many conservative evangelicals (and that is what they are talking about in this story) “climb into pulpits.” They kind of dance onto a stage, I think. Well, “dance” may not be the right word… but I digress.

As I read this article (and cringe), I am reminded of a saying:

The preaching of the gospel is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

Whether it’s a “liberal” church allowing a Democrat office holder to take the pulpit, or a “conservative” church allowing some Tea Party politician to take control of the stage, it is dangerous territory.

The Church, on either side, will have lost its true prophetic voice when that happens.

I honestly don’t care one way or the other what the position of the IRS is on tax status. The Church does not serve the IRS. But the Church shouldn’t serve the Republicans or the Democrats, either.