Stepping in it...On Purpose

Almost daily, I get forwarded emails from people that want to say bad things about our President.  I've posted about it a couple of times and I know that some people have read it and immediately said to others, "I bet he voted for him!"

Before I begin, let me start off by saying that I was taught growing up that your vote is a deeply personal issue, best kept to yourself.  When my parents voted, I never, ever, had a clue which way they cast their ballot.  I was taught that sharing your own preference is of NO benefit to anyone, especially yourself.  The world is divisive enough without having to choose sides around politicians.

So, for those reading my posts, rest assured that I will NEVER tip my hat one way or another about who I have or will vote for. 

A young man sent me one of those forwards today - a college student I know with the intention of going into full-time, evangelistic ministry.  I popped him a quick reply to try to share some wisdom with him.  You see, as ministers, we don't have the luxury of opinions a lot of the time.  If I pass along my political views to others, I may gain additional "support" from some, but simultaneously offend or turn off others - people who may have voted for or that may agree with the politician that I disagree with.  I run the risk of burning bridges for the sake of a joke or making a point - bridges that may be best used to share the Good News of Christ with others.  Despite popular opinion, God is not Republican or Democrat - God is much bigger than either side of the aisle and he's about people, not politics or issues. 

I am a minister of the Gospel first.  For that matter, I might recommend the same advice to anyone who would prefer their faith to be of greater importance than their political views.  End of disclaimer.

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Not far from where my parents live, the Mayor of Arlington, Tennessee has declared some pretty outrageous politcal views, and like many he dragged God into his disapproval of our President.  Read about it HERE.

I've heard, several times over, arguments that our nation's leader is a heathen Muslim and is disrespectful of the fact that our country is a "Christian" one.  I may have heard it one too many times today. Especially since I was more interested in what the President's military plan would be in Afghanistan - where I have friends and family - would be than I was in watching Charlie Brown Christmas for the hundredth time - as I imagine several of Mayor Wiseman's constituents did as well.  Somebody buy this guy the Charlie Brown Christmas on DVD already!

I do want to help us set the record straight. 

I was in seminary when George W. Bush and Al Gore John Kerry were pitted against each other in the 2004 presidential campaigns.  At the time, one of the professors at Candler offered a class entitled "Religion and Politics in America".  I enrolled and looked forward to getting some good stuff.  The class ended up being dreadful - I actually cut at least half the classes (though I still passed with an A).  It was the kind of class where the professor would have us read the material and would spend the whole 3 hours reading it back to us.

I did learn some things about our nation's history though. 

I was reminded that we are not officially a Christian nation, though throughout our history the majority of our citizens have claimed Christian faith.  Our country was founded on Christian ideals - which are also Jewish and Muslim (to some extent) ideals - but not on Christian belief.  Our Bill of Rights outlines religious freedom:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

We call these our First Amendment Rights.  They give us the right to worship as Christians, Jews, Muslims, Mormons, Buddhists, Hindus, Rastafarians, Zoroastrians, or any -ism we choose.

In fact, if you go back and study the faith of many of our founders, you'll find that several who signed their names to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution weren't Christian, they were Deist.  Deism is a "religious and philosophical belief that a supreme being created the universe, and that this (and religious truth in general) can be determined using reason and observation of the natural world alone, without a need for either faith or organized religion."  (read more here)  Thomas Jefferson actually took scissors to the Bible and made his own by cutting out all the parts about miracles, the divinity of Christ, and all other non-Deist beliefs.

I will go on record as saying that I'm a proponent of the separation of church and state.  Look at Iran and the mess they're currently in because the state IS the religion.  Look at the history of the UK and how many wars there were as proponents of Catholicism and Anglicanism came and went from the monarchy.  Heck, even Nazi Germany claimed to be its own brand of faith.

When there is a separation of church and state, the church becomes the accountability for the state.  When there is no separation, there is no accountability.

I am a Christian.  I have devoted my life and all therein to loving God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  I thank God for the privilege of being born in a part of the world where I can proclaim my faith freely, not to mention earn a living by doing so.  I thank God as I remember the people in the Middle East and Asia who don't have that freedom and as I pray for them.  I am a Christian and I am an American.  The two are as different and unconnected as the fact that I am a male and I am right-handed.  I am proud of my faith and my citizenship, but neither is responsible for the other.

I don't know what faith Barack Obama claims as his own.  His autobiography talks about the encouragement his mother gave him to explore all faiths until he found one that fulfilled him.  He also attended a United Church of Christ.  It may be that he is a man of deep faith, but called to lead people of many faiths, and chooses to not advertise that faith.  I don't agree with that, but his decision is between him and God.

Maybe instead of trying to object to how a politician ties his shoes, what tie he wears, or how he expresses his faith, we should look at how we express our faith.  Maybe we should also look at how we express our politics, get our facts straight, and determine if our politics are damaging to our witness.

The world will be a better place when all people have the freedom to choose whatever faith they want and Christians remember to act like Christ so that all of those free people will want what we have.

I guess that even if my viewpoint isn't favorable to you, I probably won't have as many political forwards to delete from my inbox.  In an age where we are instantly accessible with Blackberries and iPhones, any forward is a bit offensive, don't you think?