Category: Religion

Is God a Republican or Democrat?

Kevin23 Comments

I’ve heard more discussion about this year’s election than I’ve ever heard in my entire life. This might be because I’m getting older and my ear is tuned more to politics, but it could also be an indicator that our nation is more interested in this election than any other time in recent history. There have been numerous stories of record early vote turnout and the expectation that there will also be long lines at the polls today. If the 75+ people that were lined up outside the church building this morning at 6:55 am are any indication this is no doubt true.

Being a full-time Christian minister I’m privy to a number of conversations that I most likely would not have otherwise heard. I’ve discussed and heard discussions about this year’s election from a number of different angles. I’ve heard people say things like “If you’re really a Christian you will vote Republican.” I’ve heard someone say, “I’m a Christian so that means I’m voting Democrat.” I’ve also heard people say that neither candidate is really worth of the Office, so they’re either not voting or writing in another person. This election is being hotly debated for sure.

The Bible has some things to say about the role of Christians in politics. It talks a lot about being submissive to earthly rulers:

  • “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment” (Romans 13:1-2).
  • “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men” (Titus 3:1-2).
  • “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men” (1 Peter 2:13-15).
  • “My son, fear the Lord and the king, and do not join with those who do otherwise” (Proverbs 24:21).

Christians are also instructed to pray for our leaders: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). One of the coolest ideas I’ve seen lately related to this concept is for us to “Pray Backwards” (RagamuffinSoul.com), which basically means to pray for God to bless the other candidate(s) that you did not vote for with wisdom in leadership. This is a valid idea and it also teaches us a dose of humility, since our way always seems the right or best way.

I’ve seen and heard a lot of discussion about praying that a particular candidate is elected President.  I’m not opposed to praying bold prayers (see Luke 11 & 18), but I also know that God will accomplish his will on earth regardless of who is in office. He’s done it before and he will do it again and again. As Christians, our hope is built firmly on the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ and His Kingdom alone, not the Office of the President nor any earthly kingdom.

So, should you move to Canada, France, Mexico, or another country if your candidate is not elected? Absolutely not. Will America be more of a Christian nation if a particular party is in power? No. Our Founding Fathers may have been religious people, and possibly even Christians, but it’s most likely that they were Deists. The laws they established may have biblical roots, but that is where the connection ends. Their goals was not to establish another Christendom. It was to establish a county with religious freedoms.

History has shown us that when the church has too much power it can become corrupt and unspiritual (think about the Crusades) and lose sight of its mission. When the church is in power it’s easy to get comfortable and forget that Jesus commanded us to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). We should be involved in politics, but our primary allegiance is to God and His true Kingdom: the church.

So if you’re hoping and praying that McCain will be President, but Obama wins, or if you’re pulling for Obama and McCain wins, don’t lose hope. Also, don’t get too confident if your man wins. They are earthly leaders and are prone to sin (Romans 3:23). Place your faith, hope, and trust in the unchanging power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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Interesting reads related to this topic:
http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/11/barna-the-president-and-our-mi.html
http://www.leadingsmart.com/leadingsmart/2008/10/a-single-issue.html
http://www.leadingsmart.com/leadingsmart/2008/10/donald-miller-o.html

New Post Coming Soon…

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I’ve been thinking about it for a little while and I’ve decided I’m going to do it. I’m going to write a post about the election in regards to Christians and political parties, but it will take a few minutes to write. In the meantime feel free to email/tweet/facebook me your thoughts about this issue.

Really, though, I’m writing this post to test out a new way for me to post to my blog that *might* make me post more. We’ll see.

Don’t sweat the small stuff…Pray about it

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The past few days have been somewhat frustrating around the house. We could not find our digital camera. This normally would be frustrating anyway, but we had not copied pictures from the card off of it for over a week, so there were a bunch of pictures of Emory and family on it.

Over the weekend there were two times that I know God was reminding me that he wasn’t kidding about wanting us to “pray continually” like he told us to do through Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. I knew I should pray about the lost camera, but it also seemed like such a small thing to bother God about. My brother-in-law Chris was the first person God spoke through. He told me that his normal routine now is to pray about lost items as soon as he realizes that he’s misplaced something. He told me about a time in college that he couldn’t find his wallet, stopped to pray about it, and as soon as he was done praying he looked down and the wallet was sitting right there.

The second time that I knew God was wanting me to pay attention was when my mom called me to tell me she found the camera. She told me that she had started looking for it, stopped to pray, and then the first place she looked she found the camera. Let me be clear that Brea and I had just gone over to my parents’ house the night before to look for the camera and had looked in the recliner where she found it. It’s not a coincedence that I didn’t find it. God had a lesson he wanted me to learn. He wants us to pray to him about EVERYTHING in our lives…even the mundane.

If you have any stories about answered prayers, even the smallest ones like a lost digital camera, I’d love to hear them.

Get a free commentary from Logos…for a limited time

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The Bible software that I use, Logos, is giving away a free copy of the Cornerstone Biblical Commentary on Matthew and Mark for free. Here’s the info from their blog:

We have arranged with Tyndale to give away the Matthew, Mark volume for free–no strings attached! For a limited time (until the Pre-Pub ships) you can head over to product page and add this wonderful title to your Libronix digital library absolutely free of charge. Use coupon code CORNERSTONE during checkout.

Check it out over at their blog.

Feeling like a dad

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One of the things that I thought would change once I became a dad was that I would feel different. I always assumed that since my world was about to get turned upsidedown that life would feel different at a very fundament level, that I wouldn’t ever feel like the person I was before Emory was born. Over two months into this new phase of my life I realize now that it’s not true. I’m still who I am and feel, for the most part, like the same person.

That’s not to say that my life is not different, but I guess I’ve always thought that fatherhood would touch the core of my emotions in a way that I would be reshaped into a new and different person. The feeling that I have about being a dad I can best describe as feeling right. I do, however, still feel like I am the same person.

I guess that what being a parent is starting to do, though, is to reveal more fully who I really am. I know that my weak areas (selfishness, laziness, etc.) are more obvious to me now. I also think that my strong areas rise more to the surface, too.

Maybe the reason for this “true self” that I feel like I’m becoming has to do with the fact that I’m more fully living out God’s command on my life. God told the original inhabitants of the earth, Adam and Eve, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28). I’m starting to “fill the earth” with my offspring.

Maybe this, also, was partly was Jesus was alluding to when he said “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). It shouldn’t be a suprise at all that when I live out and obey God’s commands my life will be more rewarding.

Faith & Politics

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These days it’s not popular to talk about religion or politics. That makes the email I got today so odd. Rick Warren, Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church in California, will be interviewing both presidential candidates for a nationally televised forum. The email he sent was soliciting questions to ask and prayer for wisdom.  This will be a blend of both faith and politics, which should make it a very compelling thing to watch.

Pastor Warren will have to walk a tightrope as a representative of a non-profit organization, which just so happens to be a church, too. As such he cannot officially direct people on how they should vote or he would jeopardize the church’s non-profit status with the IRS. There are some practices that are allowed, but others that are not (see this article for more details). Since Pastor Warren will be interviewing both candidates he should be safe, but you know that the ACLU and other politial watchdog organizations will be keep close tabs on what is said.

I do think it’s important for Christians to be politically active. We’re instructed to pray for our government officials, pay taxes, and submit to laws of the land. It’s valuable to have Christians in positions of influence that can enact positive change for our nation and its future citizens.

Check out the email below:

Dear fellow pastor and church leader,

This next Saturday, August 16, 2008, I will interview Senators John McCain and Barack Obama for an hour each at our nationally televised Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency. The following morning I will be preaching a message entitled “The Kind of Leadership America Needs.”

I’d value your opinion and feedback. What question would you ask BOTH candidates if you had the chance?  Please frame your question in a way that it could be asked of both candidates (to be fair) and email it to me at pastorrick@saddleback.net. This would be a great help to me.

We’re in this together.  I also ask you to pray I’ll have the necessary wisdom. This will be an historic event. Never have the two candidates been interviewed by a pastor in a church. It will be a great day for all churches, showing the importance of the local church being at the civil table.

I thank God he has called you to serve Him.  For the global glory of God.

Rick
Rick Warren
Saddleback Church
Purpose Driven Network
The Global PEACE Coalition

What part of “no one else” is hard to understand?

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In June, the Dallas Morning News published an article entitled “Most Americans say many religions can lead to eternal life.” This title in an of itself shouldn’t be surprising, considering the spiritual climate of tolerance that exists in the country today. It’s not politically correct or socially acceptable to claim exclusive ownership of true religion or the key to entering the afterlife. What was surprising about the study was that the MAJORITY of people surveyed who are connected to a Southern Baptist church agreed with this concept. “More than 60 percent of those who said they were Southern Baptists said many religions can be right about how to get to the hereafter.”

Why this surprises me is that the impression I get from Baptist churches is that they believe that the Bible is the ultimate authority for all spiritual matters. Where the Bible is clear on an issue they are typically ready to accept it as fact.

So, does the Bible leave any room for the possibility that other religions can lead to the same destination: heave? Uh….no. See for yourself:

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Acts 4:12
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

John 3:36
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

There are plenty more examples I could give, but I think these get the point across. The Bible points to only one source of salvation, and that is the grace that is offered through faith in Jesus Christ. Every other way does not lead to heaven.

I think the real issue that this article addresses is people’s acceptance of the authority of the Bible and the amount of time they spend reading and studying it. It’s not fun to think about friends or family that don’t practice Christianity but seem like good people who have faith in another religion ending up in hell. But if you accept the authority and inspiration of Scripture, you have no other option. This shouldn’t make you mad. It should inspire you to do everything in your power to help them come to a saving faith in Christ. Not only will they end up receiving an eternal reward in heaven, but they will also get a full life lived her on earth.

Faith & Fatherhood

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Proverbs 22:6
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Ephesians 6:4
Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

These two verses are ones that most any Christian parent is no doubt familiar with. In fact, most every parent is at least familiar with the principle that it is a parent’s job to raise their child right so that they can be a mature, responsible adult. As Christians, our job is to raise our kids up to be people of faith. I think most of us are hoping to not mess our kids up to the point that they abandon their faith or become a mass-murderer. That’d be a good start.

I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit since we found out Brea’s pregnant. There are plenty of examples of kids raised by full-time ministers who hate going to church, don’t believe anything in the Bible, and in many ways turn out to be exactly the opposite of what their parents were hoping they would be. This type of thing somewhat terrifies me.

This leads me to the news story from last week that really got my thinking about this topic. Last Thursday on Oprah’s show they had a “transgender pregnant man” from Oregon on. “He” describes “himself” as “transgender, legally male, and legally married to Nancy.” In other words he is really a she who had a gender-altering surgery, but kept the internal female reproductive organs.

“He” also said “Wanting to have a biological child is neither a male nor female desire, but a human desire.” I agree about the wanting to “have” part of that statement, but not if “have” means giving birth. I don’t know any guy who has ever said they wanted to give birth to a child. In fact, most women I know who are or have been pregnant don’t really look forward to the giving birth portion of the whole ordeal.

I didn’t watch the program, but thinking about the situation made me fairly angry. It’s an obvious attempt to make people more sympathetic toward transgender and homosexual couples. Oprah tries to come across in her show as a spiritually enlightened person, but in reality she is a pluralistic, polytheistic, new age apologist. She thinks that everyone should have the same beliefs that she does.

But the show also troubled me for another reason. I know that my main task in becoming a father for our soon to be born daughter is to guide her into being a woman of faith. I don’t know the person’s story on why she decided she was really a he, but I know there was a father involved in the process at least at some point. What if that dad was a good Christian person? Where did he go wrong?

I really don’t worry too much about our daughter one day doing anything as radical as this person did. But I do wonder how I will respond when she first messes up in a big way. I hope that I will be able to have the grace to forgive her as the father of the prodigal son did (Luke 15:11-31).

Relating Apologetically to the World

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This was a discussion board assignment for the Apologetics class I’m taking. Here is a link to the article I had to read for the assignment.

The article by Williams was both inspiring and challenging to me. I was glad he pointed out that “intellectual activity is insufficient to bring another to Christ” but that it is still the duty and privilege of every believer to be ready to defend his or her faith with the world. I was also somewhat ashamed by my limited engagement with the world in an apologetic manner. His passion for the lost jumps off the screen and makes me want to step up my engagement with people who need Jesus.

The ineffective approach that I tend to default toward is the defeatist approach. I don’t see the church as a “safe place” for believers to meet, nor do I think it sufficient to just live a lifestyle that is evangelistic. What I most struggle with is having the heart and desire to be more evangelistic. My defeatist mentality tends to doubt that people will actually change so why bother trying to share the Gospel with them. What apologetics does for me is bolsters my confidence in knowing that my faith is indeed true and in turn motivates me to more fully live my life in the way that God has called me to live it.

The first three principles Williams discusses have major implications for me. First off, I really need to me much more intentional about going to where lost people are. As a minister, my full-time profession is working with Christians. My parents were both Christians. I attended Bible College. In a normal week I don’t cross paths with lost people very often. That being said, I need to make connections with people in intentional ways.

Second, when I do meet lost people, I need to make the most of every opportunity to share the Gospel with them. Since I know that I may not come into contact with lost people too often I need to capitalize on every opportunity as much as possible.

Third, I need to find more ways to relate to people. Since I’ve grown up in the church I don’t find the normal lifestyle of the world to be very attractive. It’s not fun to be around world people acting worldly, but I need to fan the flame of evangelism in my heart, knowing that Christ calls me to connect with people so that they can connect with the Savior.