The DNC is in Denver this year and so I have spent some time listening to speeches. I have heard snippets. I honestly have not sat through an entire speech yet (although I did listen to the entire prayer by Donald Miller.) A recurring theme is change. Speech after speech talks about it being time for a change! And I have to agree 100% it is time for a change.
Unfortunately, the speakers are focused on changing the party of the presidency and my desire is for a change in the heart. It seems that more and more I get sick when I listen to politicians. I am tired of hearing how Republicans ruined this and Democrats destroyed that. How long will it take for us to move past our differences and make real progress? Do we really want to feed the poor, or just talk about it? Do we really want a better tomorrow for all, or just what works best for me?
I will likely vote this year, but I continue to struggle with what role I play in politics. Not long ago I abandoned the Republican Party because they simply did not reflect Jesus. Even worse they distorted the image of Christ to thousands of unbelievers. I did not switch sides, I am not a Democrat – they as a party are just as unlike Jesus as Republicans. This is the downfall of our parties. We try to wrap up who we are; we partially define ourselves, by our political parties. Jesus does not fit into either party. Jesus is bigger than a political party. We are all bigger than a political party and maybe that is my entire gripe about politics. We seem to have moved beyond ideological differences towards something more visceral. We have constructed two huge walls, one republican and one democrat, and all the issues we struggle with remain in the middle, unsolved.
If we loved the way we have been instructed to love, would there even be anything worthwhile to vote for?
Thursday, August 28, 2008
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3 comments:
stop
i wanna go home
take off this uniform
and leave the show
but im waiting in this cell
bc i have to know.
have i been guilty all this time?
Reading your post, I was thinking of a concept, which is wonderfully expressed by your last line.
If we as Christians were loving our neighbors, feeding the poor, and bringing the liberating message of Jesus to this country one person at a time, the government would have no role in the social things that it seems every politician and party gets wrong. Then the primary consideration in electing representatives would be to ensure that they preserve rather than infringe our rights to continue living charitably.
I'm in the middle of a (long) article right now that argues similar things about the state of affairs. However, since its author remains a candidate for the presidency, obviously the answer of his conscience is not to stay out of politics and simply live his faith as an ordinary man. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=71830
I think this is why I'm for limited government: because it forces us to take responsibility for being Christians ourselves, instead of expecting the government to be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, gentle, and self-controlled.
Good blog!
To God be all glory,
Lisa of Longbourn
i like......
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