It's been quite an election season. It's even had an adverse effect on ... my church. This election has turned a politically diverse church (that mine is) into a politically divided church. Theological differences don't hold a candle to the impassioned and, at times, embittered political differences dividing the pews. The Calvinism v. Arminianism debate is a snore-fest compared to the Obama v. McCain vitriolic arguments breaking out in "fellowship" groups.
It strikes me as a little ironic. The Christians at my church stand hand-in-hand on the grand, all-important, eternity-weighing issues: God, salvation, heaven, etc. But on the "smaller" issue of who to vote for, there is raving, rabid, rejection of one another. Or, total condescension: like the college freshman who told me that I was entitled to my "idiotic" position (I took the high ground: I told him that I would fast and pray for him until God showed him the light). But hey, we love each other. 1 John 4:9.
There is not much more to say which hasn't already been said about the election. Here are some random things I've overheard and (for one reason or another) has stuck.
Somebody told me that she could not vote for Obama because of the mole by his nose. Excuse me? Because, she said, every time she saw the mole, it reminded her an equisized, unborn fetus.
Sarah Palin has turned Christian conservatives into total hypocrites. At least those evangelicals who espouse the woman-cannot-lead-or-teach position. The contradiction of this conservative Christian belief and with the wholesale lovefest for Palin by evangelicals (who will vote to put Palin one heart beat away from being the leader of the free world) stinks of rank hypocrisy.
The leftist bias in the media is appalling. When even Dan Rather thinks so (here), you know there's got to be some basis for republican gripe. And if you disagree, well, you've been had, my friend, hook, line & sinker...
Obama got a pass on the Jeremiah Wright controversy. So did the highly-regarded evangelical preaching website Preaching Today (a subsidiary of Christianity Today), which had years ago published one of Rev. Wright's sermons.
Perhaps the Republicans overplayed the William Ayres card. Maybe. But one thing is for sure: if McCain had a similar relationship with a member of a white supremacy group, his campaign would have been decimated within two days. Make that two hours.
When your church pastor prays "for the upcoming election, for His will be done" what exactly does that mean? That one candidate is in God's will, and the other is not? Hmm...that really makes you stop and pause.
There are all kinds of daffy ideas coming from
that segment of christians that views itself to be
the epitome of avant garde christian-cool because it loves Christ and
votes obama. For example, Shane Claiborne suggests that one way we can practice racial reconciliation
is by asking a black person who we should vote for. And then to vote accordingly. Err...Mr. Claiborne, how exactly is handing over to another
person - carte blanche - my intelligence, my opinions, my sense
of right/wrong re: political issues, my independent thought,
etc., supposed to bring about racial reconciliation?
the vast majority of people - even the most ardent supporters - have scant idea what their candidate really stands for, and how that position practically differs from the other candidate's respective position. Deep down, most people have little more patience or want for anything more than bumper sticker slogans and soundbytes. It's a little like christians. deep down, we are not theologically-inquisitive, and prefer the WWJD-like soundbytes and slogans. Obama! McCain! Jesus!
And finally, I would like to say this. I have a deep respect for those people who have refused to see this election as just an entertainment spectre or as an excuse to have a debate or to "join a cause" or to have an opinion because it is suddenly chic to be politically-minded. To those conscientous men and women, Republican and Democrat, who have an ernest appreciation of the political issues, and, more than anything else, who have a deep-seated, yet unshowy love for this country, i thank you because the way you love something bigger than yourself is inspiring.
hilarious, true, disgustingly disappointing for the church, and a confluence of other emotions rang through me when i read this.
perhaps it points out how much we love THIS world more than the next. i mean, politically charged conversations aside, is it so hard for us to accept and understand that people will get to the point where there is no reasoning you can do to convince their hearts to change... or that people will naturally vote their interests?
oh how the nasty little hearts of people love to come out... was it not neihbuhr that said something like, "because of sin we can never have a true democracy, yet it is because of sin that democracy is necessary."?
You based the idea of the media being tougher on obama on what exactly? That article? It seems to not have looked at the news the past week. I've seen more news on Biden's interview with the tv anchor and the hanging of the palin figure in california than anything else. On Meet the Press, McCain couldn't think of what secretary of states endorsed him. That was a pretty big gaffe, but none of the media outlets picked it up. We have people yelling the n-word at a palin rally... no media coverage. Come on now... all this talk of media bias is garbage. If you want biased media, you can find it. If you want objective media, you can find it as well. The market place is going to force the stations to fight against bias in order to maintain ratings or they simply give into the bias and find a niche like fox or msnbc. I'd recommend Beloved_Spear's recent blog on the subject.
I think the media has a responsibility to not just report sound bytes. So when one candidate says its raining outside and the other says its not, the news is not biased for saying it's not raining.
i have to follow up and retract slightly. i just saw the latest pew research for the past month that shows mccain was spoken of negatively 2 to 1. So I grant you that the media over the past month has given a negative light to the mccain campaign recently. the question behind this study though is whether this is the media or whether it's a reflection on mccain being behind in the polls, in-fighting, etc.
so i wanted to backtrack slightly, but i'm not sure the media is the problem per se.
@freethinker777 - while we will still have to disagree to agree (no sic) at a fundamental level on this issue, i commend you for your follow-up (slight) retraction. It is the kind of honest and accurate blog-comment sorely missing in this contentious political climate.
btw, if you want people to believe that democrats vote with their heads while republicans vote with their hearts, you'll have to change your profile pic. the dude's head is wrapped in republican red, while his heart is covered in democrat blue.
Comments (4)
hilarious, true, disgustingly disappointing for the church, and a confluence of other emotions rang through me when i read this.
perhaps it points out how much we love THIS world more than the next. i mean, politically charged conversations aside, is it so hard for us to accept and understand that people will get to the point where there is no reasoning you can do to convince their hearts to change... or that people will naturally vote their interests?
oh how the nasty little hearts of people love to come out... was it not neihbuhr that said something like, "because of sin we can never have a true democracy, yet it is because of sin that democracy is necessary."?
You based the idea of the media being tougher on obama on what exactly? That article? It seems to not have looked at the news the past week. I've seen more news on Biden's interview with the tv anchor and the hanging of the palin figure in california than anything else. On Meet the Press, McCain couldn't think of what secretary of states endorsed him. That was a pretty big gaffe, but none of the media outlets picked it up. We have people yelling the n-word at a palin rally... no media coverage. Come on now... all this talk of media bias is garbage. If you want biased media, you can find it. If you want objective media, you can find it as well. The market place is going to force the stations to fight against bias in order to maintain ratings or they simply give into the bias and find a niche like fox or msnbc. I'd recommend Beloved_Spear's recent blog on the subject.
I think the media has a responsibility to not just report sound bytes. So when one candidate says its raining outside and the other says its not, the news is not biased for saying it's not raining.
i have to follow up and retract slightly. i just saw the latest pew research for the past month that shows mccain was spoken of negatively 2 to 1. So I grant you that the media over the past month has given a negative light to the mccain campaign recently. the question behind this study though is whether this is the media or whether it's a reflection on mccain being behind in the polls, in-fighting, etc.
so i wanted to backtrack slightly, but i'm not sure the media is the problem per se.
@freethinker777 - while we will still have to disagree to agree (no sic) at a fundamental level on this issue, i commend you for your follow-up (slight) retraction. It is the kind of honest and accurate blog-comment sorely missing in this contentious political climate.
btw, if you want people to believe that democrats vote with their heads while republicans vote with their hearts, you'll have to change your profile pic. the dude's head is wrapped in republican red, while his heart is covered in democrat blue.