Church Voices

I’ve got the post election blues. And its got absolutely nothing to do with who won or who lost*. My post election blues stem from the reactions of Christians on both sides of the political aisle, because there’s enough classlessness to go around.

I’ve seen McCain supporting Christians (or at least anti-Obama Christians) use rhetoric that amounts to ex communicating their brothers and sisters over who they voted for. These same people are willing to tolerate people in their church having a positive view of health and wealth preachers like Joel Osteen or TD Jakes, but if you have anything less than a negative view of Obama apparently that calls your salvation into doubt.

I’ve seen Obama supporting Christians accuse their brothers and sisters of hating the poor, and of being racists.

And the predictions, the predictions are the worst. I’ve seen predictions of the coming economic cataclysm (I can only imagine what it looks like to, say, a Zimbabwan when Americans wring their hands about recessions, meltdowns and the sky falling), predictions of concentration camps full of Christians, predictions of first amendment redaction, and predictions of the coming anti-Christ. Do you really expect people to believe your testimony or to take you seriously when you give the gospel when you make wild eyed predictions like this? Or how about when you tell people about the sovereignty of God and how God is our father who cares for us?

Don’t get me started on the classlessness. I shouldn’t be surprised by it now since the realm of politics has become synonymous with those who are willing to say the worst possible thing about their opponent even if those things only have a tenuous connection with reality at best. It hasn’t ended with the election of Barak Obama either. The demonization of Sarah Palin has continued right through the election, and of course the heat is turned up on Obama as well. I’ve seen Christians on both sides using derogatory insults that only differ from playground insults in their greater degree of viciousness. These classless and derogatory insults and accusations are venom and saltwater pouring from the mouths and minds of a people who claim to have the water of life.

I guarantee you that sooner or later your political ideology will be defeated. The question that remains to be answered is whether or not your discipleship survives. Jesus told his disciples they would be known by their love for each other. Are we loving each other in this post-election?

*The issue I was most interested in was the restriction of payday loans to interest rates of 28% in Ohio, which overwhelmingly won, and made me quite proud of the Ohio electorate, the second issue that interested me was the issue that would have allowed casinos in Ohio and it failed which also made me proud of the Ohio electorate, casinos do nothing but transfer wealth from the poor to the rich and produce nothing of value.