I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers,
intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in
authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and
holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior - I Timothy 2:1-3
I am struggling with this election more than any other I can
remember. I honestly have no idea who I will be voting for on November 4th. As
I watch and observe the political ploys by the candidates, their surrogates and
the talking heads in the media I quickly become cynical to the entire process.
How could an honest leader ever emerge from a system so saturated in
corruption?
When I sit down and listen to both candidates in more civilized forums, like Saddleback or the first presidential debate last week, I find
myself agreeing and disagreeing with both candidates almost simultaneously. I
often walk away with more questions than answers…
Is it best to protect the unborn by electing a candidate who
will criminalize abortion or one who has a plan to reduce the number of
abortions? Was the financial crisis caused by too much regulation or not
enough? Is the best way out of Iraq through a series of objectives or a
definite timetable? Will we be safer as a nation by continuing to display force
or by increasing our standing in the world? Do we need a president who sees the
world primarily through the lens of past experience or vision for the
future?
On top of all that, the evangelicals seem to be
front-and-center (again) in this election - whether it be the old “moral
majority” or “religious-right,” or the “new evangelicals” - this year even the
“Pentecostals” have a stake.
Over the next few days I’ll be exploring how a Christian
should “vote” in this year’s election. However, for the purposes of this
conversation, I would like to expand the meaning of the word “vote” to
“influence.”
Shane Claiborne puts it this way in his latest book Jesus
for President:
"What is more important than how we vote on November 4
is how we live on Nov. 3 and Nov. 5… We vote every day with our lives... we
vote every day with our feet, our hands, our lips, and our wallets. We vote for
the poor. We vote for the peacemakers. We vote for the marginalized, the
oppressed, the most vulnerable of our society. Ultimate change does not just
happen every four years."
In other words, in the midst of the daily political
melodrama with all of the familiar characters - liberals, conservatives, red
states, blue states, independents, swing voters, and of course the crucial
idgit voters - what is the best way to rise above the madness and gain influence in our
nation and our world?