SATURDAY CONTROVERSIES - ARE FAITH AND POLITICS OIL AND WATER OR CHOCOLATE AND PEANUT BUTTER? (PART 7)

Christians United Church, Indianapolis, IN

First, I know. This is being posted on Monday. Sorry I didn't get it done on Saturday, but better late than never! But if you notice I actually posted Monday's blog on Saturday (yesterday) and Saturday's on Monday. Of course, I usually don't have a Monday blog. 

Allow me to start with a list of items of debate between Christians involving politics.

• Should Christians vote? Some refuse to vote, some think not voting's a sin.
• Is it allowable for Christians to either leave one spot on the ballot blank or to vote for a "third party?" Some would claim that doing so is really a vote for your least favorite major party candidate; others would counter that  voting for the lesser of two evils is really voting for evil and that it's better to vote for a good candidate that has no chance of winning or to not vote than voting for a really bad candidate who has a better chance of beating a really, really bad candidate.
• What are Christians obligated to do or not do under Romans 13:1-7? Should Christians stand up against a tyrannical government and fight or should we be respectful and disobey only if what's commanded is directly disobeying God?
• If we have a choice between a morally sound candidate whose party has views that are opposed to their faith and a scoundrel who has better policy views, who should you vote for?
• Does the fact we're in a representative government mean we don't really need to honor Presidents and Congressmen? Or is the better view that we should show respect regardless of office or party?

No, I'm not giving answers to these questions. In fact, I rephrased one of these questions because I was letting my bias show (no, I won't tell which one). I'm just pointing out where there are disagreements between Christians, most of which have no verbatim Biblical commands. But instead, I'll give some challenges.

1. Between now and election day, pray for God's will to be done in the election. No, don't pray for your choice. Pray that God's choice prevails.
2. Commit to pray for the people who get elected, that God guides them and that they govern well. Yes, committing to this BEFORE the election means you might be praying for a candidate you either despise or fear. But when the apostles taught people to obey their governing authority, they were talking about Nero, and there's no absolute proof that either candidate is THAT bad! 
3. Realize - in spite of the hateful, ungodly campaign ads we get ad nausea... I mean nauseum - that ALL candidates are for justice, education, public safety, the economy, the environment, etc. The opposing candidate is NOT against these things; they just have a different opinion on how to do it. Thus, unless you're strong at loving your enemies, don't treat the opposing party candidates as enemies. 
4. Also remember - no party is righteous. Both try to appeal to Christians because ... well, they want our vote. When they get elected, they'll probably do what the party wants, and each party has ways their opposed to God's way. We won't get all the problems solved until the King of Kings returns and sets up His Kingdom.

 

2024 IN PREVIEW?

Turkey Run State Park, Marshall, IN

 You ready for 2024? 

No?

1. I don't blame you, and 
2. Tough. It will be here Monday.

Allow me to give several thoughts on this next year.

• We're facing a Presidential election. Some are talking about a rematch. When was the last one? Not in my lifetime. I'm guessing the most recent was McKinley defeating William Jennings Bryan in both 1896 and 1900. (The time before that was when Cleveland ran against Benjamin Harrison in 1888 and 1892, with the incumbent being on the losing end both times.) Me? I'm not going to predict. I will say the candidate I'm rooting for on the GOP side is Haley. Should it be Biden vs. Trump? I'd prefer one to the other, but if that happens, we should pray the country prove the theory a third party (e.g. Libertarian Party) cannot win the electoral college wrong. But odds are that most 
• Americans will be voting against one of the candidates, as we've had the past several years.
• Any areas coming up in my life? Well, I'll be hitting 65, meaning I'll get all sorts of calls for Medicare plans. Retirement? Good question. Please pray.
• Activities I plan on taking part of? Of course, NCFCA. The season has already started with a debate only on-line contest just over two weeks ago. I'm thinking of doing a pair more on-line contests and maybe the regional in early April in Louisville (not as close as last year's in Indy). I also will be wanting to do volunteer work at the Always 1 Ministries festivals (Kingdom Come and The Pit) and at the Southern Baptist Convention. By the way, this is the third national SBC even in Indy since I moved here: '04, '08, and '24. Yep, all Presidential election years!
• Movies I want to see? Well, actually I do all my movie viewing on the small screen at home. Definitely on my list is "Singing In The Rain." There was a time I wanted to see every James Bond movie; I've slipped since then, with GoldenEye being the last one I saw. (Octopussy is the only one before that I haven't seen.) I'm debating on catching up as far as Brosnan's; I'm not interested in the Craig ones. I also debate if I want to catch up with the final two of the Jurassic World trilogy. Plus, there are some older Marvel movies I might want to see (Captain America 1 & 2, Guardians of the Galaxy 1 & 2, and maybe the Black Panther movies).
• Reading? I'm going to do what I did last year and aim for 12 each of fiction and non-fiction. I might think about doubling the fiction should I re-enter my old habits.
• Music? Yes, there are groups I want to hear that I haven't yet: TheoTerran, Theody, Samuel Day, and Undefeated being on the top of my list (unless Daniel Band or Idle Cure decides to make the rounds). 
• Art? I would love to do more drawings. However, I'd love to get back on the keyboard and maybe guitar (I'll have to wait till I retire to learn the instruments that interest me: mandolin, oboe, French horn, and Timpani). I'm also feeling the novel writing bug coming back to life. Pray that I focus on what God wants me to do.
• This blog? Last year, I hardly wrote any interviews. I want to change that, so if anybody wants to be an interviewee (or someone they want me to interview), let me know. I have a few series in mind, but I'm not sure if I'll have a long Sunday series as I did the last two years.

Any questions? Any comments? Please?