It's who we are

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

To all our friends, a reminder. This is who we are, it's not just what happened last night. The genius of the American system is the capacity for real change with civil and orderly transfer of power. We can err, tragically err. I'm very familiar with one of our errors - slavery - as my ancestors owned slaves, even though they came to America as indentured servants themselves.

In my lifetime I have drunk water from whites only fountains, gone to segregated schools, and been taught childhood rhymes that demeaned whole peoples. I've seen fights break out over race, and had riots occur in my home town. Affirmative action has slammed doors in my face and opened them for people of color. We struggled. We fought. We wrestled with this because who we tried to be was in conflict with why we were.

So even though I supported his rival, and bitterly disagree with him on many issues, Barack Hussein Obama will be my president. I will pray for him, while also praying for some of his stated goals to fail. But I will thank God that I lived long enough to see America reach this point.

Help me Obamawan, you're my only hope

CNN is using holographic technology tonight in their election coverage (which I'm not watching BTW) and it reminded me of better times watching the first Star Wars with my oldest son Adam (who is an Obama supporter now as well as a Bulldog fan - where did I go wrong?)

Love Is the Best Answer

“Yet, without true Christians loving one another, Christ says the world cannot be expected to listen, even when we give proper answers. Let us be careful, indeed, to spend a lifetime studying to give honest answers. For years the orthodox, evangelical church has done this very poorly. So it is well to spend time learning to answer the questions of men who are about us. But after we have done our best to communicate to a lost world, still we must never forget that the final apologetic which Jesus gives is the observable love of true Christians for true Christians.” Francis Schaffer, The Great Evangelical Disaster, pgs. 164-165

Division

On a night where I was teaching out of Ephesians 2 - "He is our peace", He has made peace", I found myself drawn into a conversation about how far any teacher at church should go in the direction away from the principles applied from Scripture and to or from a particular candidate.

Somewhere in the gathering darkness, I heard "divide and conquer" hissed.

Friends, we can seek God's will and act on it as we understand it when it comes to who to vote for, and for a believer that is the centering point.

And we can differ on what we understand that will to be.

Here's the one thing we must agree on.

That we love one another.

Lord Have Mercy

"Nearly half of all African American pregnancies end in abortion."

The report from the Guttmacher Institute is exhaustive. And there is some encouraging news overall, as abortions have hit a 30 year low.

But I could not get over that quote above.

Do we really want to elect someone who will remove all restrictions to abortion?

The report seems to indicate that we're on the right track. We ARE reducing abortions. Signing the Freedom of Choice Act, as Obama has pledged to do on his first day in office will not reduce the deaths of innocents - just the opposite.

As a side note - LBJ's "War On Poverty" - was a well intentioned attempt to help the poor. What it has done is capture them in a cycle of dependence on government, separate fathers from wives, and cast young mothers into peril.

And the "collateral damage" was devastating to millions of the unborn, and continues to this day.

Lord have mercy on us. Christ lead us in Your way and away from the world's solutions. Church stand up and live out your calling to be lovers of the needy.

If I didn't have the hope through Jesus Christ that He will right these wrongs...

What can the predominately anglo churches do to help our brothers and sisters reverse these great iniquities within their communities?

Right now, the most impactful thing you can do is vote against Obama.

How Would Jesus Vote?

I finished the book this afternoon, and come here to recommend it to anyone who would like a cogent and well written guide to the issues that American Christians are grappling with today. Like all of Dr Kennedy's books that I have read over the years, it is very well researched, and laid out in a manageable and accessible style.

The book is divided into three parts:

Part one - Jesus and Politics
Part two - The Issues
Part three - Final Thoughts

In part one, the author makes the case of Christian social engagement in the public square, hearkening back to NT days and racing forward to the present day.

Part two presents a list of the hot button issues of our day along with a reasoned and thoughtful understanding of what the Bible says and how that should be reflected in our everyday lives, not just at the ballot box.

Part three sums it all up with again a look back and a look ahead.

As a pastor, the book caused me to want to be far more effective in helping people live within a biblical worldview. It spurred me to present some upcoming messages on Christian social responsibility.

I'd recommend it to anyone who is seeking to understand a Christian's duty as a citizen.

Stream of Conscience-ness

Just some quotes I've been reading and rereading this week.

It’s extraordinary to me that the United States can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can’t find $25 billion dollars to save 25,000 children who die every day from preventable diseases…Bankruptcy is a serious business and we all know people who have lost their jobs…but this is moral bankruptcy. - Bono

For years we have tolerated incompetence, corruption, dishonesty — and yes, greed — in government while looking the other way. On those rare occasions when politicians have made principled stands, we have rewarded them with a firestorm of political assault, full-throated media ridicule and criticism, and enormous financial pressure from lobbyists pouring money into the pockets of those who purport to represent the people. We have elected a government of the people, in the most literal and disgraceful sense: we have elected, and kept in office, those who share our desire for self-gratification and materialistic acquisition at the expense of character, moral integrity, honesty, and prudence. The cesspool which is our current Congress is what we have reaped by our own actions — or perhaps more accurately, by our inaction. We have elected those politicians who are like us in every way — and we hate them for it. They are, after all, created in our own image. - from The Doctor Is In by Dr Bob

It is certainly a bad thing to promise something good, then not carry out your promise, as some Republican politicians have done in the prolife arena. (But though I don't always agree with him, George Bush—dare I even bring up his name?—did appoint two Supreme Court judges who have shown a respect for prolife issues.)

But it is even worse to promise something bad, something that is in fact evil—the furthering of the shedding of innocent blood—and then keep your promise.

We may want to show the world that we Christians are cool enough to support the coolest political candidate who’s come along in decades. I really wanted to. But I just can’t get past child-killing. That's a price for coolness that's just too high. Randy Alcorn

"Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land, which the LORD your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed." (Deuteronomy 19:10)

"Therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will give you over to bloodshed and it will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you." (Ezekiel 35:6)

"For God will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight." (Psalm 72:12-14)

Through us. Through us.

There are several different ways to be bankrupt in God's eyes. Being indifferent and uncaring about the plight of the poor is one of them. We've participated as a church over the years with several programs that don't just meet immediate needs, but provide a way for people to escape poverty. (Kava loans, Compassion's "give a goat")

In those ways, no CEO leaves with $26 million buyouts. And our love for God and our neighbors grows every time we let God's love flow through us.

On abortion - I echo the call of Mother Teresa - "give them to us." You have one choice for president and vice president that gets that. The McCains have adopted a third world infant. The Palins brought a Down's baby to term.

No candidate is perfect. No party is the party of God. They are all sinners. But look for what matters to God, not what makes you feel good.

Not A Chance

I received a postcard in the mail today from a group called "Alliance for Churches VS IRS"in Mossy Head, FL. The postcard was stamped with a message on the back.





Friends, I'm up to date on the laws regarding the limits of church and state. Personally, I can endorse and attempt to persuade others on issues and for candidates. From the pulpit I can do all God calls me to do - and will. There's not a chance a postcard or the whole federal government will change my determination to carry out the will of God.

Politics isn't what matters to me. The spiritual lives and health of the people God has placed me here to serve matter. If God calls me to speak a word about how a particular issue relates to His will expressed through the Scripture, then I'll do it every single time as long as I have breath.

/rant off