Everything That's On My Mind

I've never endorsed a candidate, but in this case I'll make an exception.

Feel free to print your own yard sign.

In less than a month, we will once again have the opportunity to head to the polls and vote in a national election. This opportunity is a blessing from God that many people around the world do not have. It is also a responsibility and a spiritual discipline for Christians. But like most spiritual disciplines, there is a strong individual component to it. For spiritual disciplines such as prayer and bible reading there are some common principles (such as DO IT!), but how those principles are implemented (such as when, where, how long, etc.) is an individual decision between a believer and God. In the same way, there are scriptural principles that all Christians can apply to their voting decisions but how each individual Christian applies those principles will vary.

One of the worst aspects of the political process is the tendency to demonize opponents. Every one seems to try to paint their opponent as the worst thing since Adolf Hitler. Christians have too often fallen into this trap and not only demonized candidates but also demonized the supporters of those candidates. This is shameful. Christians need to learn to disagree with godly character, humility and love, avoiding the temptation to join the mud-slinging. To paraphrase Paul: There is neither Democrat nor Republican, neither Conservative nor Liberal, neither Left nor Right, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Godly men much smarter than I have written good guidelines for making voting decisions. (For example: here, here, here, here, and here.) I won't bother to reiterate their points, but I will add a few suggestions of my own.

• Do your homework
  This one is obvious and everyone says it, but not everyone does it. Here are some good resources:
  • OnTheIssues.org - See what national candidates (President and Congress) have actually said on specific issues.
  • FactCheck.org - Cut through the spin and distortion, particularly in political advertising.
  • VoteSmart.org - Another site with non-partisan information on candidates.
  • League of Women Voters - Non-partisan voters guides, often right down to local city elections. Oakland County's voters guide is here. Unfortunately, it appears the Macomb County LoWV hasn't joined the 21st century yet.
    
• Avoid playing in the mud
  When candidates or their surrogates (PACs, etc.) go negative, they almost always distort their opponent's position to make a point. Don't fall for it. Find out exactly what the candidates have said and try your best to find non-partisan analysis of those positions.
  
• Donkeys and Elephants are not the only animals God created
  It is my opinion that our political process would be much healthier if we broke up the two party monopoly. That is a daunting task, to be sure. Everyone loves a winner and everyone wants to be on the winning team, so nobody wants to support a third party candidate. I believe our focus should not be on picking a winner but on picking the best candidate for the job, regardless of their popularity.
  
• Don't discount the ugly duckling
  Charismatic people can be scoundrels, and effective leaders are not always Prince Charming. Personality can reflect a person's character or it can hide it. Far too often I hear people expressing opinions about candidates based on their appearance, how they smile or don't smile, their posture, etc. Character is what really matters.

Finally, remember that no matter what happens on November 4, it won't cause the sky to fall. God is still on the throne and whoever is in power is God's tool to accomplish His purposes, whether they know it or not. Our hope for the Kingdom of God should never be in the political process, but in the sovereignty of God and the power of the Gospel.

I left everything behind me, not only family. When you decide to convert to Christianity or any other religion from Islam, it's not (enough) to just say goodbye and leave, you know? It's not like that. You're saying goodbye to culture, civilization, traditions, society, family, religion, God — what you thought was God for so many years! So it's not easy. It's very complicated. People think it's that easy, like it doesn't matter. Now I'm here in the U.S. and I got my freedom and it's great, but at the same time, nothing is like family, you know. To lose your family —

For me it was a duty from God to announce his name and praise him (around) the world because my reward is going to be that he's going to do the same for me. So I did it, basically, as a duty. I (wonder) how many people can do what I can do today? I didn't find any.

So, I had to be strong about that. That was very challenging. That was the most difficult decision in my life and I didn't do it for fun. I didn't do it for anything from this world. I did it only for one reason: I believed in it. People are suffering every day because of wrong ideas. I can help them get out of this endless circle ... the track the devil (laid) for them.

Mosab Hassan Yousef
Son of a Hamas leader who has publicly announced his faith in Christ

A couple weeks ago the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Thomas Trask, resigned his position with two years left on his term. Before taking office in Springfield, Rev. Trask was my pastor. I have the utmost respect for him and I pray God continues to bless him in whatever he does. At the General Council meetings next month, new leadership will be elected. I don't think it's hyperbole to say that this is a significant turning point in our fellowship. It goes without saying that we need to be in prayer regarding this decision over the next two weeks.

Some of the "young guns" (younger than me, at least chronologically) in the A/G including Brad Leach from Church of the King in Berkley have started the FutureAG blog to discuss this decision. While it's advertised as a temporary blog just for the next few weeks, I really hope it turns into something more. The interaction I've seen on this blog so far has been very positive, thoughtful, and encouraging. Case in point, yesterday's post by Paul Stewart entitled Identity Crisis and the ensuing comments. While the conversation is primarily among pastors, feel free to at least eavesdrop.

If you grew up in the evangelical church during the '70s as I did, Brother Andrew's autobiography God's Smuggler was unofficial required reading. In case you've never read it, it tells the story of Brother Andrew's efforts smuggling bibles into communist countries during the Iron Curtain days of the '60s. Needless to say when it comes to passion for the Gospel and the courage to do something about it, his credentials are flawless. That's why when he talks about a Christian response to radical Islam in Christianity Today, I take notice. I highly recommend taking some time to meditate on this article. What should a true Christ-centered approach to radical Islam look like?

As a child growing up in the 70's, I was addicted to ABC's Wide World of Sports. Every Saturday afternoon I would marvel at the exploits of people like Muhammad Ali, Richard Petty, and Franz Klammer. Jim McKay's voice still echoes in my head: "the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat".

While in the show's intro the "agony of defeat" was personified by little-known ski jumper Vinko Bogataj (yes, I had to look it up), I always thought that agony was most accurately portrayed by one man: Evel Knievel. It seemed like every week he was on the show performing some ridiculous motorcycle stunt; often with very painful results. He was anything but a role model, even after he stopped performing. Assault and battery, womanizing, substance abuse, weapons charges, and I'm sure much more I'm not aware of.

I'm always a little hesitant to trumpet celebrity conversions. It seems to pander to our celebrity-obsessed society. Celebrity conversions are no more significant than any other. Yet I know that such people can be used by God in unique ways to spread the gospel. Evel is apparently the latest example of someone God has chosen to use in such ways. On Palm Sunday, Evel publicly confessed his faith in Christ at the Crystal Cathedral in California, and inspired hundreds to follow his example. Like any other new believer Evel is going to have his victories and his struggles as he grows in Christ, but I pray God continues to use him in such powerful ways.

UPDATE: Apparently, not everyone can get to the Christianity Today article I linked to above. Here's another article on the same event.

I found this interesting article today. I don't highlight this article for political reasons. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of either politician at this point. What I find interesting is the ease with which human beings are able to claim they believe something without actually acting to do anything about it. It's not just politicians, it's all of us. We're all prone to hypocrisy. It's very easy for us to point out that trait in others, but how easily do we recognize it in ourselves? Jesus' instructions ring loud and clear: we need to worry more about the plank than the sawdust.

I was thinking about writing an entry in reaction to the recent elections, but as usual my schedule prevents me from doing it justice. Maybe someday I'll be able to have more of a content blog rather than a link blog, but for now...this is primarily a link blog. To that end, I offer a link to a great post by Ben Witherington today entitled "Evangelicals in a Post-Haggard, Post-Rumsfeld World". Dr. Witherington touches on many thoughts I've had in recent days.

We're called to transform the world through the Gospel, not through political influence. Let's stop being Republicans or Democrats or liberals or conservatives and just be followers of Christ. There are no shortcuts to a transformed society. It happens one soul at a time.

Get out and vote! In a democratic society, you have no right to complain about the government if you do not participate in the process. The right to vote is not just a privilege, it is a God-given responsibility. Scripture teaches that God holds leaders and those in government accountable. In a democratic society, that includes us. I don't care who you vote for, but research it, pray about it, and VOTE!

Politics

It's quite a challenge figuring out who to vote for when you're as disillusioned with politics as I am. I've come to the conclusion that one of the main problems with our government is the two-party monopoly on political discussion. To quote Shakespeare, "A plague on both your houses." I've decided I'm going to take a very hard look at the alternative parties like the Constitution/US Taxpayers Party. I hear you say "but they'll never get elected!" So what? My responsibility is to vote my conscience, not to back a "winner".

Religion

Keith Schooley posted a great list of characteristics to determine if a church is more interested in "maintenance" or "mission." The list is from a book by Harold Percy called Good News People. Boy, my reading list is getting longer and longer.

Culture

I don't even know where to begin to address the Ted Haggard situation. All Christians should be praying for Pastor Haggard, his family, and his church. There are trying times ahead and they all need our prayers. We should also be reminded of the truth of the scripture "there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed." We all need to guard our hearts very carefully and stay close to Jesus and to our spouses. Satan seeks to destroy us and our witness, but he can only accomplish it if we cooperate with him.

Ben Witherington, who was quoted in the Time article I mentioned in my last post, has extended comments about the subject at his blog. He includes a Letterman-esque "Top Ten Reasons Why God Doesn't Want You Wealthy." Check it out.

P.S. Witherington is a Gordon-Conwell grad, just like one of my other favorite theologians.

I really sympathize with Mark Roberts, who is one of my favorite bloggers. For those of you who don't read Mark's stuff, he's a PCUSA pastor who is much more conservative theologically than the majority of his denomination. It can't be easy watching your fellowship slip from its commitment to biblical principles. I appreciate the honesty and gentleness he has shown in his response to the recent changes in the PCUSA.

I can't imagine that any thinking person would always agree 100% with every decision made by their fellowship. I know I don't always agree with the decisions of the A/G. (NOTE: I said decisions, not doctrines As Christians, however, we're called to submit to one another out of love. Of course, that's infinitely more difficult for someone in Mark's position, where the changes address "hot button" issues.

It's a constant struggle for any thoughtful, sincere Christian to stand firm while showing gentleness and love, especially when it comes to disputable matters. I'm speaking on what I think is a "disputable matter" tomorrow, so I suppose I'll get some practice...and so will our church. Pray for me as I pray for Mark.

Chuck Colson gives a few more details on Abdul Rahman's situation in today's BreakPoint commentary. He also has helpful links for contacting the President and your members of Congress to urge them to put pressure on the government of Afghanistan to free Rahman. You can also contact the Afghan embassy in Washington D.C. at this email address. As Dave mentioned in the comments to my last post (thanks for the reminder, Dave), you can also find more information about the persecution of Christians worldwide at Persecution.org.

Pray for Abdul Rahman, an Afghan Christian who is on trial for being a Christian. Despite the changes there, it is still against the law to convert to Christianity in Afghanistan, and the punishment is death. His own family turned him in...he's actually been a Christian for years. I heard about him on the radio this morning, still looking for more details.

How easily we forget how blessed we are to be able to worship God freely here in the U.S.

Whether he knows it or not, Mitch Albom is doing God's work. If you haven't read his recent articles in the Free Press, check them out. I love football as much as anyone, but Mitch is right. It just seems so wrong that all these decadent parties crammed with millionaires are going on in downtown Detroit this weekend when so many homeless are crammed into shelters just a few miles away.

I hope having the Super Bowl here is a great boost for the city of Detroit, but I pray it also raises awareness and lots of money for the folks who care for the homeless. Mitch has started the "Super All Year" campaign to raise funds for the Detroit Rescue Mission. You can donate online here.

I'm starting this blog entry without knowing exactly what I'm going to say. It's going to be sort of stream of consciousness blogging. The impetus of this entry it the news of the day regarding the victory of Hamas in the recent Palestinian elections. It's a troubling event for the state of Israel and for world peace in general. I'm troubled because I don't know how this development will affect the peace process, but I can't imagine how it could be a positive change.

The Israeli/Palestinian situation has always created great conflict in my mind. I'm not one of those "support Israel no matter what" Christians. Some American Christians seem to forget that Israel has rejected their Messiah, and that many Palestinians are fellow believers in Christ that are being oppressed and threatened. In their desire to see biblical prophecy fulfilled within their own narrow interpretation, they seem to be willing to sacrifice justice and mercy for an entire group of people. I cannot see how Christ would be pleased with such an attitude. That being said, it is also true that Hamas and organizations like it are a direct threat to the peace and safety of the Israeli people. Bombs and bullets are flying in both directions, and innocent people on both sides are suffering and dying.

Both sides in this conflict have done wrong, and continue to do wrong. We can debate all day long which side is "more right" but in the end that doesn't accomplish anything. The reality of the situation is that both sides deserve to live in a land where they can live in relative peace and safety and have a voice in how they are governed. I don't see how the election of Hamas is going to improve the chances of this happening. Hamas is still an organization at war with Israel and committed to its destruction. They are not likely to repent that position any time soon. Their rise to power will not encourage Israel to continue the peace process, they will likely refuse to negotiate with them altogether. Given the history of Hamas, I can't say that I would blame them.

I belive that it is the responsibility of every Christian to pray for and support peace in the Holy Land, for both Israelis AND Palestinians. No matter what view of end-times prophecy you take, you must admit that God is sovereign and His will is accomplished on earth by His power and in His timing. We do not know how or when He is going to fulfill what He has promised. Trying to push the peace process one direction or another is not going to bring about God's timing any sooner, and may actually be working contrary to His plan. We are called to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before our God. I think many American Evangelical Christians (including myself) need to meditate on this verse and apply it to their politics and attitudes toward world events.

Reading this article reminded me once again that Hurricane Katrina hasn't stopped affecting people and churches. It also reminded me of one of the benefits of a fellowship of churches like the A/G. Lately, many churches have left their demoninational structures or have been started outside denominational structures. While in some ways it's attractive to be unencumbered by bureaucracy, there are definitely benefits to the structure provided by a fellowship of churches working together. Especially in times of crisis, it's good to have a safety net of other churches caring for you.

That being said, I'm sure there are many churches like the one mentioned in the article above that don't have those support structures and they still need help rebuilding. I did some Googling and unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any central place where support for non-denominational churches is being coordinated. If I find one later, I'll post it. In the meantime, you can contribute to the A/G Disaster Relief Fund for rebuilding A/G churches.