Faith and Politics...(gasp)...part one

So, I thought I'd wait a week before jumping in to comment on the recent election. One of my favorite blogs Stuff Christians Like recently joked about the obligatory post-election pastor response. If you were happy about the result, you praised God for his provision. If not so happy, you praised God for his sovereignty. Well, I didn't want this to seem obligatory. So a week later, it feels right.

Today, my general reaction.
Tomorrow, (faith and politics, part 2) I think I'm gonna tackle abortion.

So, a week after the election of a new president, I have to admit, I'm thrilled.
As a father of biracial kids, I still get tears in my eyes at the thought of being able to tell my kids "you can be ANYTHING you want" and for it to be true. I honestly did not dream of that being true in the near future. I'm gonna be honest with you, my perspectives on race have totally changed in the years since we adopted our kids. If you have a hard time believing that racism is an oppressive and daily reality for people of color, I'd love to tell you some stories about our personal experiences of that reality. So for me, I see this as a profound moment of opportunity for ALL people in our country. I am ecstatic.

I'm also deeply sad.
I'm sad because of the strong reactions I've seen people have to the result of the election. I have an especially hard time getting my hands around the volatile reactions of Christians. Jesus stood in front of Pilate (who would clearly be an objectionable choice for a national leader) and Jesus basically says, you wouldn't be in your position of power if my Father hadn't given you that position. But there Pilate was. The implications are significant.

I'm saddened at the cheap and ridiculous statements I see on people's Facebook status.

I'm sad at the willingness of people to make outrageous claims (and believe outrageous claims) about Obama's personal faith. Those who know our president-elect most deeply have consistently testified to the depth of his Christian faith and his devotion to the daily disciplines of prayer and study of Scripture. I'm humbled and challenged to know that our new president is far more consistent in seeking God in prayer than I am as a pastor.

And ultimately I know that, as a follower of Christ, it is my duty to pray for and support the president of my country. We can, and will, continue to disagree over the policies that will best promote the well-being of our neighbors. But as Christians, our first calling is to be about love, grace, and generosity. Can't help but remember the Corinthians passage that says (roughly) if we make alot of noise about a particular issue, but we don't have love, then we're just a banging gong. If you are a gong, please stop. You cannot understand love and fail to understand that it means you communicate in a different way. And you ACT in a different way.

I'm sad. But I'm also hopeful. And excited. And I'm more interested in politics than I've been in a dozen years.

Bottom line, I don't ask you to share my enthusiasm.
But I do challenge you to share my commitment to looking at our involvement in the political sphere, not through rigid political ideology, but through the love and mercy of Jesus.

PS. Feel free to totally disagree. That's what blogs are for!!! What do you think? Click on the "comments" link below to share your thoughts.