piper on politics

Lisa Samson on politics

I want to share with you something that Lisa Samson wrote on her facebook page.  

I'll admit that I used to have problems understanding how a person could be a Christian and vote a certain way.  But as I become more aware of the diversity in the Kingdom of God, I have less problems with it.  

My hubby and I were talking today about how Jesus was not political at all.  He did  not try to change things through the political system.  And I'm not really sure that's working for us, either.  Perhaps if we want to change things, it needs to be done through how we live and love instead.  

God's Will Be Done

Today at 9:58am

A lot of my primary colored friends, both red and blue,

 are openly endorsing a presidential candidate. It's their right . . .

 and . . . I can't blame them. I'm the gal that seeks

 to be in a state of reconciliation with my 

brothers and sisters in Christ, so I normally 

try to concentrate on what we agree upon.

I've seen the political divide do more amputation 

in the body of Christ than anything else. 

Now is it true amputation? No. But in the minds 

of believers, they have, for all practical purposes, 

cut off brothers and sisters. I'm not willing to go there. 

Jesus' last wish before his ascension was that 

we be one. Does that mean we have to agree 

on everything? No. But it does say to me, 

at the very least, I can't tell you you're not in Christ

 or even go so far as saying what one fellow 

believer said if you don't vote for his candidate, 

"As a result, many Christians are no different 

than non-Christians in their worldviews 

and their actions." NO different? Really?

This type of rhetoric is something I abhor. 

It is cowardly because it immediately says 

if you disagree, you are not Christlike, and there's 

no reason, other than disobedience to God's word, 

you could possibly feel that way so you're not 

worth talking with. (The "you're a dumb-dumb" 

if you don't agree with me is another popular 

device but a bit off topic. Just had to get that out there.) 

Either way, I find no place for these sorts of line 

in good debate, but especially between Christians.

Because if we declare that those who do not vote 

with us are not good Christians, they have plenty 

on their side to support that you're not either. 

Abortion, gay marriage are the crying card 

of the believers on the right side of the spectrum - 

poverty, war, the death penalty, on the left. 

If you're Catholic like I am, you're really in a twist here, 

because not only do you decry abortion, 

but both Pope Benedict XVI and 

John Paul II (man do I miss him!) declared the 

invasion of Iraq unjust. Both candidates 

favor embryonic stem cell research. 

What's a person to do? 

Recently I started a group on facebook called 

"No Matter Who Wins" a call for prayer for 

whoever is the next President of the United States 

and, health permitting, fasting the day before 

and/or of election day. (Can I get an amen 

that day can't come soon enough?) I know the wide

 variety of my friends on facebook, and to see 

who believes prayer matters, and how diametrically 

opposed they are to one another politically 

makes me chuckle warmly, because these days, 

there's really only one place all Christians can join

 together, one posture--on our knees--

where we are the same. 

So I do not ask you to vote for one person or 

the other, (in good conscience I cannot vote for either), 

because by Nov. 5th, we'll all know, if we believe this 

from Romans 13 that "there is no authority except 

that which God has established," who God put into power. 

Does that mean everything that person does is God's 

will from then on out? I don't think so. But it can and 

does give us comfort that God is still in the kingmaking 

business and we can do what we can, but in the end, 

the choice is his.

So, instead of telling everyone who God wants, 

maybe it would be a better choice to say what you 

can only truthfully say, "This is who I want." 

Because God may have reasons you cannot 

know when putting someone in office. It may be 

judgment, it may be for peace in a way you 

can't now predict. (Hey, nobody expected the 

Messiah to be a wandering prophet from Nazareth!) 

And then rest in the fact that God's will most 

definitely will be done, and while his choice may 

not have been yours, comfort yourself that you just 

tried to do the best you could with the knowledge 

you were given.

In all of this, let's keep praying, and not only praying, 

but seeking each day to follow in the footsteps of 

our Master, to take his teaching and his example 

seriously, to love better, live holier, give lavishly, 

and learn how to be His Body in a way that will be 

the true healing of our nation. 


Feel free to pass this on. You don't even have to give me 

credit! (I like to share.)

politics

I guess everyone knows that we are having the Democratic Convention here in Denver this week.  If you are interested in that, my friend Jan at Bold and Free is actually participating and sharing on her blog.

I really am not interested in Politics.  I was a little more interested earlier in the campaign when there were some choices.  But now that it's narrowed down to bad or worse, well... I'm just tired of hearing about it all.  

I'm not an anarchist or anything.  And no matter who the President is, I don't like all the jokes and crude stuff that's out there.  I think the position itself warrants some level of respect.  Seems like that's been lost.  Sure we are free to say whatever we want, but I think the general attitude about the Presidency is kind of sad.  I don't know how many people use that as the ultimate of possibilities for their kids anymore.

I am thankful for our freedom and for our voice.  I am so grateful that I can vote and I do vote.  I just don't particularly want to talk about it, or hear about it, or watch it on TV.  That isn't interesting at all to me.  

I would like for it to go something like this:

Here are the candidates and here is where you can get info about their history - what they've done, where they stand.  Then nothing.  Shhhh.  Just leave us alone to think about it. No more campaigns.  It's all based on what they've done, not what they say they will do.  Then it's vote day.  Silence.  Nothing until all the votes are counted.  Then they announce the winner and we go on with our lives!  That would be cool.

politics

Jen has a couple of great posts on her blog that got me thinking about all this. Go look at her posts, too.

You will not see me post on politics very often. I can't stand politics. But it is the way our government runs and this side of the Millennium, we are just going to have to put up with flawed government.

Personally, I believe Jesus wasn't concerned with politics. He lived in a land that was under occupation by an invading army. The Romans were heartless to their subjects. But in spite of the people's expectations, Jesus never addressed the political system, other than telling them to "give to Caesar what is Caesar's." So, it makes me wonder how involved his people should be in these things. Certainly not to the exclusion of His Kingdom's concerns.

On the other hand, people argue, politics is the avenue to change and we, as Christians must be deeply involved, influencing our culture through our vote. (I did go to Jerry Falwell's school after all) I personally believe our influence should be on a different level, but that's for another time.

Now, about current politics:

I am a Huckabee fan, but it looks like he's out of the running, barring a miracle. Well, I guess fan isn't the right word. I'm not a fan of any politician, but he is the one I dislike the least.

Honestly I think about politics as little as possible. But because people that I know and respect have differing opinions, it has caused me to step back and look at politics in a new way.

I used to think "Republican all the way - it's the Christian thing to do."But now I know some godly people who think that dying in Iraq or Darfur is dying just the same as dying in the womb. That dying because you have no health insurance is still dying.

Pro-life is my main issue and always will be. And while I've always been aware of how the abortion climate spreads to infanticide, euthanasia, child abuse, etc, I am now seeing that pro-life extends even beyond that to some of the issues that the Democrats are more likely to address.

And that's only one issue. What about illegal immigrants? What about war? What about the Patriot Act? Our freedom vs our safety? It's such a complex world.

I take my comfort in knowing that it is God who establishes kings and brings them down. Whoever comes to power, it will be by God's hand.