the political aspiration

Few things are as divisive as politics and religion. Put them together and let the hate begin!

Possibly one of the most important elections of all time lay at the hands of American voters- in 27 days. With all the rhetoric and sub-divided niches of people there is quite the array of opinions and suggestions aimed at pushing our stand-still nation through the crossroads. With the economy teetering on the scales of an unstable market, many Americans are waiting for a leader to emerge and lift the nation atop what seems to be the brink of Great Depression Dos. Many are ready for change, some not ready for the image change that electing Obama would signify, and others are in the independent outskirts of political society. Now that I've given my brief, inconcise run-down of the political state of America, I have a few things to discuss.

1. I want to speak in a way that can't be spoken on the political platform. I want to ignore statistics and political theory. I want to see the country in the green terrain that it is, rather than the personified red and blue.

In reference to the current economy, one word comes to mind. Greed. Yes, I said it. It's a moral/virtuous term only brought out of the closet for Sunday School lessons and Parenting points aimed at getting children to share. Yet completely applicable to Wall-Street and mainstream-suburban America. If you want more in this society, you take it from someone else. Giant mortgage lenders that feed on citizens with bad credit and unrealistic aspirations have taken the hit. Return void. Prospective home-owners that feed on the unattainable American Dream are just as responsible. Greed works both ways. It feeds the ego, regardless of what side of the economic spectrum one is on. Hmm...this isn't addressed from the platform. It's the corrupt corporation! We need regulation! We need to filter in $700 Billion dollars in money that we don't have so people will buy more of what they don't need! This is the great paradox of politics. It is driven to make a society better while repressing the issues that need to be addressed the most. These are issues that can only be addressed on a personal level. Which brings me to...

2. Jesus was a liberal. Jesus was a socialist. Jesus was a white middle-class republican.

Jesus was none of these things. Jesus was actually the Son of God. Not much room for a political agenda there...the coming Messiah that spoke of loving your neighbor as yourself and caring for the widows and homeless had one agenda on his mind: the will of His Father. Everything fell under this ultimate purpose. The titles above have all been written about or conveyed through the various sub-groups and cultural identities of people across the world. But Jesus cannot be politicized. He is and will be who He said He was. Yes, he disrupted the political empire of his time by being a radical and agitated the religious by hanging around prostitutes, tax collectors and thieves. But his mind, energy and focus was still on the ultimate work of salvation that would occur through the final act of the cross. Understand that Jesus' life was the living, breathing example of how His children are to live, not a story for political cut and paste.

I am not divorcing Jesus and his teaching from political life, but I am divorcing Him from political labeling- whether outright or implied. The "social gospel" idea that is emerging in the world is limited in its scope. There are millions of people here and abroad in dire need of basic food, clothing and shelter. But the Christian community mustn't sell the heart-changing aspect of the Gospel for something simply seeking to satisfy our earthly cravings. It must be the Gospel in its fullness, the good news that Christ has come to seek and save that which was lost. And that covers all socio-economic levels.

3. This Nation was founded on Christian principles.

I'm not sure I even understand what that means anymore. Regardless of whether our founding fathers were deist or Neo-Evangelicals ahead of their time, we don't live in the 1700's. Christians cannot hold high the flag or political and legislative authority any longer. The culture is not willing to acknowledge Jesus Christ as authority of the Constitution. Gasp! Does this mean that Christians no longer have rights? No, I think its more along the lines of Christians being scared of not having political and legal power the way it seemed they use to. We can't look to the past and wish for a time where Ward comes home, kisses June and has a nice meal with the family. The mass media has made it easier to access all kinds of crap. (this goes for Christian programming, too.) Knowing this, we should be aware that sin has always been prevalent in our culture and well, our hearts. There aren't any new sins coming on the airwaves today. In response, Christians shouldn't be afraid of the meaningless garbage that fights for our attention. We should 1) be glad the Glory of Christ is much more evident and 2) be willing to fight it with the truth of the Gospel, not the moral majority. Yes, it's scary for our future children. But, if we don't do something about it, we'll passively watch our kids be educated by a culture lacking Biblical authority.

It's not the Christian's job to make sure that He has political power. It is his job to have the power of Jesus Christ and change lives through some classic interpersonal communication.

Well, I didn't say it would be easy, now did I?