I get this email yesterday from someone from my former charismatic club days. It's one of those chain type, forwarded emails that's trying to get the word out to "all christians" to vote for some proposition in the Texas legislature defining marriage as being man and woman. Or something like that. I admit, I pretty much deleted it as soon as I got the basic gist of the email, so I don't remember the details.
I guess this crusade is kind of weird because:
#1 - We're in freaking TEXAS. We're a far cry from Massachusets (however you spell MA), San Francisco, or flipping Canada. If the majority of Texans actually approved gay marriage in a public, voting sort of way, the ghosts of Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, and all the heroes of the Alamo would roll around in their graves so much as to cause an earth quake to sink Texas into the gulf. And besides, there's not enough liberals in Austin to even halfway pass something like that. So drop the fear tactic emails.
#2 - Since when did homosexuals become "the enemy"? Last I heard, my friend Jesus hung out with folks like this. Or I'm sure he would have at least had a beer with them once in a while.
Yea, sure. We followers are quick to say "hate the sin, love the sinner". Really? Do we love the gossipers but hate our own backstabbing words? Do we embrace the fat asses but hate our own experiences at feed-trough mega-buffets, front row parking, and drive-through fast food?
On the issue of voting in general, I'm not sure where to go with that yet. I'm not sure that the CEO would have me to be politically charged. Politics is not my mission. Maybe it is for others. Does fighting homosexuality in the voting booth bring the kingdom of God?
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6 comments:
Such a great question Agent B. Yeah, I'm rather stumped on this one. I take great pride in voting (especially in small local elections) though on the issue of homosexuality it's like...where do i go with this in the voting booth?
How do we expect a non-Christian entity (like America) to abide by Christian rules? How do we then ask citizens of a non-Christian entity to abide by Christian ethics?
On the other hand i believe that homosexuality probably isn't the most healthy lifestyle, either. And as a citizen i'm inclined to say that in the voting booth i would vote against it. but even then, i don't think that there exists this rouge agenda of homosexuals to corrupt this nation's youth and i'm inclined to say that the Constitution provides for "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
Maybe, we Christians are better off not voting on the issue?
Thanks James. You make some good statements. This is a brand new realm for me, believe it or not.
I've been outside the church (or...institutional church) for almost 3 years now. And during my church tenure I got hoodwinked into that James Dobson style political christian army. Well...I didn't get too carried away with it. But it was understood that as christians, we vote for XXX, etc. And I never thought too much about it until now.
I'm still not sure if we followers are to be full time political activists. Maybe some are supposed to. I don't know yet. I just can't see Jesus wasting his precious time fighting for candidates or propositions. Who knows.
I've become very comfortable stating that Christians who campaign heavily as political advocates are wasting their time. This generally amounts to little more than a fusing of church and state, and has little to do with bringing the Kingdom of God to fruition here on this earth.
agreed, i wonder however if their isn't a prophetic role to be played by the Christian. Even typing that makes me nervous, i conjur images of theocratic folk trying to make America into God's image.
i just can't get past the salt and light metaphores.
maybe it is to move beyond legislation, like when Mother T came to America and blasted us for neglecting the poor and killing babies?
i agree with james on the constitution, if we as christians want our liberty to worship and conduct hetero marriages we must grant that same liberty to homosexuals - it IS constitutional and we may have to live with that conflict of what Christ taught about what is moral and what the founders created.
i am affraid that if we were able to pass all the laws we seek (which are basically anti-privacy: regulating the bedroom, etc) we might one day find those same laws being used as a basis for other anti privacy laws that would regulate our lives.
b,
interesting post. i really appreciate the way that david dark approaches politics in the gospel according to america. i think we would all benefit from reading yoder's the politics of jesus as well.
fletch, i'm with you concerning the prophetic angle. of course, if we receive that mantle, or perhaps take it upon ourselves, we will have to get comfortable with the margins, for that is where the true prophets seem to reside.
that's all i got to say about that.
gentry
amen from the marginal one
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