My spirit grieves over this war, this administration and the division that has torn this country apart. I pray daily for the will of God to be done, knowing that he uses all things and people, good and evil, for his purposes. I have tried to express the truth in my writing, but I am constantly faced with people who do not wish to hear the truth. People who claim righteousness through Christ, through who all righteousness comes, yet who espouse most un-Christian opinions. Those are the people to whom I am speaking.
How much is enough for you? How many children have to come home in a box before you stop glorifying death and war? How much blood has to be shed for you to think you are "secure"? As the bible says to the rich fool, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you." We will not know the day nor the time. Security is an illusion. The only security we have is in our salvation. Man-made security, is no security at all.
So how may kids have to die? How many mothers of these children have to end up in a ditch outside of the President's ranch in Crawford Texas? Where is the Christianity in the man who ran on Christian values? You have been hoodwinked by a man who came in the name of Christ, but did not walk the walk. For it is one thing to say you believe, but another to show it. In the book of James it says, "Faith without deeds is dead."
Beyond economics, what has this president done to the planet God has entrusted us with? As a Christian, do you think it is a good practice allow more pollution, contaminate more water, withdraw from global warming agreements and insulate companies from responsibility when they hurt people? While you were trumpeting the nominations to the court he has made, I was actually looking at their records. They are not strict pro-lifers, they are strict pro-business judges. One of them, had a record of 177-0 siding with corporations against human beings. Is that a Christian value?
Beyond the environment, exactly what Christian value does he stand for? Because he says it? What has he done? Does he approach his work with humility? Ask yourself that question honestly. When you look at President Bush and he talks about the death he has unleashed upon this world, does he even seem the least bit humble, remorseful, at all? Was it humble when he joked about not being able to find the WMD he claimed Iraq had? Does he espouse the teaching of Christ from the Sermon on the Mount? Is he poor in spirit? Is he meek or merciful? Is he mournful? Can you honestly say that President Bush is a peacemaker? What Christian value does he represent then? His economic policies are decidedly anti-Christian. His environmental policies are decidedly anti-Christian. What does that leave?
Domestic social issues of course. The "wedge" issues he wielded so well against you in the last election. In the middle of the worst economic times we have seen in decades, in the middle of a failed war, and revelations that the war we were in was unjust, he managed to convince you that the really important thing was that gays do not marry and that he believed in a "culture of life." Take a closer look at this though and you will see beyond the smoke and mirrors. George Bush supports that exact same view of gay marriage as most democrats do. He supports civil unions but is against marriage. He has done nothing to push this issue, except when he needed the impression he was strongly against gay marriage. In the year 2000, he ran by saying he would pass a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, then when in office he conveniently forgot about it, until six months before the 2004 election. The he proposed it, knowing full well it would not pass anyway so he could give you the impression he was strong on the issue. Now that he is re-elected, you will never hear about it again. Do you even realize when you are being used?
What has he said about abortion? President Bush is on record as saying he will not seek to overturn Roe vs. Wade. In the run up to the election, he used the phrase "culture of life" to summarize how he feels. This is an empty phrase coming from a man who has supported death his entire political career. As Texas Governor, he presided over the execution of over 150 people, including the mentally retarded. How would Jesus Christ view that I wonder? One of the prisoners executed, then Governor Bush MOCKED when she asked for her life to be spared. Is that a Christian value? As governor he signed a law allowing corporations to decide when to stop giving life sustaining services to people who could no longer pay the hospital for those services. Translation? If you cannot pay to continue to have a person kept alive on life support, then this law allows the hospital, which is a corporation, to decide to kill you over the objections of the family. In fact when President Bush was being so dramatic about Terri Schiavo, his Texas law allowed a poor black child of six months of age, to be executed in Texas. Sun Hudson, never got the media attention that Terri Schiavo did proving that a poor black child's life must mean less then a middle class white woman's life to this president. Unfair you say? Don't complain to me, ask your "values president" why Sun Hudson had to die. Ask him if he believes that the God we serve is still a miracle working God. I see every week in the prayer and healing service at my church, God still heals the sick. Sun Hudson was very ill, but I know my God could have healed him but the "culture of life" president decided that the hospital, which makes decisions based on finances, could kill him. Where is the Christianity in that? How is Christ served? You cannot say that you are pro-life and be cross-enrolled in the National Rifle Association, be pro-war and pro-death penalty. There is a word for that, it is called hypocrisy.
When faced with this argument, inevitably, Christians will come back with the eye for an eye writings from the bible. Those are Old Testament; we are under the new covenant. God's hand is not short. It can reach down to the murderer on death's row and change his life. It can reach down to the most egregious offender, and save him. Maybe every now and again, it would be a better idea to remember where God had to reach down to save you. Pro-life has to mean, ALL life. We do not get to pick and choose which lives matter to God, they all matter. The argument that abortion is a blight upon humanity is only righteous if it is supported by respecting the lives of everyone on this planet, regardless of their current nationality, religion, or ethnicity. In the 1950-1960's, they demonized communists for us. Made us believe they were the evil in the world, they were the unrighteous. Now, they are doing the same with Middle Easterners. They are very good at telling us who to hate, who to fear. What Christians forget is that the bible says,
10As it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one;
11there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
12All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one."
13"Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit."
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."
14"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."
15"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16ruin and misery mark their ways,
17and the way of peace they do not know."
18"There is no fear of God before their eyes."
We have indeed lost our fear of God, if we are to support a war that was based on lies, and continues with seeming un-endless bloodshed. I have had Pastors argue to me that this war is just. I do not recall Christ teaching me about the justness of war. I do however; recall being charged with the Great Commission. I do recall how we are supposed to be a light unto the world filled with darkness. I do recall how we are supposed to preach the good news to all about the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. I do recall that Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. Do you?
My critics are fond of saying that the bible says we are to support our leaders, but it actually says we are to pray for them, and I do. We are not to blindly follow anyone but Christ. I ask them to honestly answer if during the Clinton years, they blindly followed their leader? I sincerely doubt it. No, the bible clearly states we are not to call evil, good.
This war is not just. Do not be so quick to deal in death. Death always wins out in the end for the unsaved. People have tried their best to change the subject and tell me that this is personal about George Bush. I have been accused of hating George Bush. Neither is true. My God does not teach me to hate. The truth is this has to do with children being sent off to die in a desert for no good reason. It has to do with the millions of dollars being made off of their blood. It has to do with a mother who had her son murdered, sitting in a ditch in the Texas heat waiting for a man who sold you on his Christian values to take one hour out of his vacation to talk with her. It is about Jesus Christ and what he taught us, and what he continues to stand for in a world that has fallen.
When the trumpet sounds and we go home, are you prepared to answer what you did with the talent that was entrusted to you? When asked about the souls you saved for the Kingdom of God, are you prepared to answer that you were fighting against gay marriage? Are you prepared to say that you did not witness about the love of Christ, but you worked hard to stop people from having abortions? Are you prepared to talk about the walk of other people, when you are being asked about your own walk?
This administration now has drawn up plans for tactical nuclear strikes against Iran. Will that be enough for you? After that, Syria is up next. Will that be enough for you? How many people, we were supposed to save through the glory of Jesus Christ, have to die a horrible death, before you say, "maybe this is not what Christ would have wanted?" We should not be praying for a political party, person, or persuasion, only that God's will be done. The arrogance I have seen from Christian organizations, to organize intercessory prayer for assumptions they have made as to what God wants, is staggering. I do not know if God wants John Roberts on the Supreme Court, and neither do you. Stop praying for your will to be done, and start praying for God's will to be done.
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