titles or actions?

The Washington Post wrote a very telling story today on Liberty University students’ campaign for McCain. The article briefly touches on the point that most evangelical, religious right folk originally opposed McCain, in 2000 and in 2008—and with much fervor, too. But now, they are falling in line, again, with the GOP and claiming McCain as their candidate.

Why? Is it just because McCain is Republican? Did the religious conservatives even examine Obama’s stances? Or have they allowed the framing of Obama’s “pro-choice” stance or "socialists" economics to cloud all other possibilities?

But that’s actually not the topic I wish to touch on today. Although it is one that deserves more thought.

What resonated most with me in this article was one of the student activists’ comments. "My goal is not to make laws Christian but to make government as small as possible so you can be as biblically Christian as you so choose," says Meghan Allen.

The role and size of the government is a question I struggle with often in my politics.

In my ideal world, the Christian church and other faith communities would be so active in caring for the poor, seeking justice and helping the oppressed, as Isaiah writes in chapter 1 of Isaiah. However, due to a number of reasons, the Church has departed from that—at least on a grand scale.

So do we put our hope—or at least our efforts—into a system of this world?

Maybe that’s not the ultimate answer. I think I’ve read somewhere that Jesus is the only way. But maybe, in the meantime, we do support a form of government that looks closest to Jesus’ words in Luke 4 and Matthew 25. Maybe we support a government that “brings good news to the poor,” feeds the hungry, clothes the naked and cares for the sick.

Maybe that government won’t do such things in the name of Christ. But maybe that doesn’t matter. Maybe, just maybe, actions mean more than words or titles. Maybe we shouldn’t be scared of the titles given to policies, but instead focus on what those policies look like, and how they line up with the words of the Christ we claim to follow.

pulpit politics

“Who would Jesus vote for?”

This weekend over 30 pastors nationwide gave their opinion on “God’s choice” for 2009.

Some pastors alluded to who they would be voting for while others went as far as to state that their endorsement was the only candidate approved by God.

This pulpit politics is a result of a meeting two weeks ago between 150 pastors and Alliance Defense Fund. The socially conservative legal group pushed their “Pulpit Initiative,” which encouraged pastors to speak up this past Sunday in an effort to “restore the right of each pastor to speak Scriptural truth from the pulpit about moral, social, governmental, and other issues without fear of losing his church’s tax exempt status.”

According to law, any political endorsement from a church official violates the laws that keep tax-exempt organizations from involvement in political campaigns. However, the Alliance Defense Fund promised to sue the IRS if the department threatens these churches. ADF is arguing that these pastors are being censored by not being allowed to share their opinion.

But no one is telling pastors they can’t speak their mind. They just can’t do so when taxpayers are subsidizing their organizations. And neither can any other tax-exempt organization. It’s not a faith-discrimination thing. It’s about protecting the taxpayer’s money.

Do I want my tax money subsidizing a Baptist church’s campaign to elect the “Christian” choice for a nation I do not believe to be Christian by Constitution? Certainly not.

For example, Pastor Gus Booth of Minnesota announced in his church that, “If you're a Christian, you cannot support a candidate like Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.” There’s no way I can support such a statement. So thank you, IRS, for protecting the use of my money.

As I go about trying to live according to the faith I’ve chosen to believe in, I try my best to picture Jesus acting in the context of our society. And I just cannot picture him standing in the synagogue telling listeners which Pharisee to listen to. Throughout the Bible Jesus continued to remind his followers that our hope is not in a worldly order but rather in a new government that is yet to come.

Maybe if pastors spent more time paying attention to the words of Jesus and less time listening to special interest groups more concerning with power than truth, our politics would look a lot different.