Who Should Christians Vote For?

Political posts are dangerous. It seems any post that even contains the words Republican and Democrat, or worse, the names Clinton and Trump, is destined to be met with a deluge of anger and recriminations. As dangerous as political conversations can be they have seldom been more difficult to avoid. The two leading candidates for president carry so much baggage it is amazing they don’t need two planes to fly to each campaign stop. Siding with either candidate gives others the right to ask, “How can you can vote for them knowing they did all of that?”

It has been a particularly challenging election cycle for devout Christians, those who seek to allow the teachings of the Bible to inform their decisions. Many Christians have over the years based their voting primarily on social, moral and religious issues, as these issues are easy to argue and support from Biblical texts. One does not need to be a Biblical scholar to be able to find scriptural support for positions regarding abortion and marriage. This clarity made voting a comfortable and simple choice for many. This election has muddied the waters. Those looking for Biblical guidance can find reasons to reject each candidate more easily than to support them.

Christians need to be reminded that the Christian Bible has existed in its current form for almost two thousand years. It is intended to be a spiritual history of the people of God and a description of God’s eternal plan for redemption through the sacrifice of His son Jesus, not an election guide. The writers of the Bible, especially those inspired to pen the New Testament, showed remarkably little interest in the political issues of the day. These men were eternally focused and believed that a person’s eternal circumstances were far more important than their temporary ones. Eternal freedom from sin was more important than any earthly right or privilege.

This focus on the eternal continues to be relevant. I have heard many believers this election cycle talk about the importance of religious freedom. Many fear that a Christian’s ability to live and act consistent with his faith is under attack. There is no arguing the reality of this threat, but we need to remember that the danger associated with living out the Christian faith was far greater 2000 years ago in the Roman Empire that it is today. Emperor Nero covered Christians with tar and set them afire to light his garden parties yet the focus of the apostle’s teachings was on the blessings associated with following God in the face of persecution, not on eliminating the threat! In his first letter, the Apostle Peter told the persecuted church that their steadfastness under persecution was powerful evidence of the genuineness of their faith. True faith endures through difficult circumstances, therefore difficult circumstances were the test that proved faith valid to a questioning world.

In the writings of Peter and the other apostles we see other perspectives that differ from many modern American Christians. Christians in the early church did not live in a free and democratic society. Many were not Roman citizens and many others were slaves. Neither of these classes had the right to vote. Even those who were citizens and had the ability to vote had no way to influence the decisions of the emperor. The focus then was not in changing government but in accepting the sovereignty of God over government. The world was to be changed not one vote at a time, but one heart at a time. The agent for societal change was God, not the individual.

American Christians seem to have lost sight of this principle. We have grown up in a nation that emphasizes the right to vote and its importance. We have been taught since childhood that we could change the world. We are continuously bombarded with ads telling us that if we just vote for this person or this ballot measure that the “problem” whatever it is, will be solved. Government, not God, has become the agent of societal change, even in the minds of those who claim the faith. In almost every political post and article I read and in every political discussion in which I participate the emphasis is on what “we” must do, on how “we” need to change things. If only “we” could regain power and influence, if only “we” could get the right people on the Supreme Court, then all will be good again.

The evidence of the last few years has proven that the apostles were right. If we want the world to change for the better the battle needs to be won in the hearts of the people not in the voting booth. Our society is changing. Political and judicial decisions and actions are not the cause of the change, they are the reflection of it. The current debate over marriage is a perfect illustration of this truth. Christian conservatives who hold out hope that a 5th conservative Supreme Court justice will change things are deceiving themselves. A recent Pew survey revealed that an overwhelming majority of young people, 71%, favor same sex marriage, and that even 27% of adults who identify as Evangelical do as well. Same sex marriage, even if overturned by the Supreme Court of the land tomorrow, has become a value of our culture that will not be denied. Any who hope that this will be changed by an election are simply deceiving themselves.

In fact, one of the few blessings of this Presidential election is the manner in which it reveals the misplaced hope of Christian voters. It is time for us to remind ourselves that true, lasting, and meaningful societal change is dependent on our ability to influence the hearts of those with whom we come in contact, not with our ability to influence the leaders in government. The choices in this presidential election are so hopelessly flawed, dishonest and corrupt it is hard for anyone of conscience to stand with either candidate. The best arguments tend to be those made about standing against the other side. People of strong faith and conviction are faced with the choice of siding with someone who has defied a number of Christian values or not voting at all.

I have decided that my decision comes down to the value of my vote. I believe that my vote, like every action I take, is an extension of myself, an expression of my values and beliefs. If there are no candidates who reflect these values in any way, then there are no candidates to vote for. I will vote for neither of them.

This is not a usurpation of a societal obligation or an abdication of responsibility. It is an acknowledgement that the power to change society is dependent more on my character than it is on my vote. If I compromise my character I lose that power. I choose to live my life as a Christian more concerned with the eternal state of people’s souls than with the current state of American government. I will continue to vote for candidates who are worthy of my vote but I will put my hope in no man or woman.

To my Christian brothers and sisters who feel that the future of America rides on the results of this election I offer this reminder. Two thousand years ago the Church had no voice in the Roman government, yet the church endured and the Roman Empire did not. The church endured and the message it spread changed the world. God did not need politicians to accomplish His purposes then and He does not need them now. Let us focus on Him.

-          Bart

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Can Anybody Make America Great Again?

Donald Trump says he wants to make America great again. This is a catchy slogan and a worthwhile goal but it lacks clarity. While Mr. Trump has repeated the slogan ad nauseum he has yet to offer meaningful details on two important items. He has not defined what it was that made America great in the first place or what steps he will take to restore the greatness that has been lost. I don’t believe Mr. Trump has an understanding of either point. His world view is too simplistic and his understanding of history too limited.

He is not alone in his struggle to define the essence of American greatness. This election cycle has seen many definitions. On the Republican side the tendency has been to emphasize the founding documents of our nation and the principles espoused therein. On the Democratic side the emphasis tends to be on our history of fairness and equal rights. Both sides generally agree that the American economy has been exceptional in the past and should be in the future. Who is right? How do we make America great?

I have come to the conclusion that both sides are wrong in their explanations and in their solutions. American Greatness began not in a document or a policy but as all greatness does, in the hearts and minds of people. The greatness that led to the war for independence arose from the hearts of men and women who believed that men had unalienable rights that came from the Creator, not from a king. The unyielding belief in the value of every man ultimately gave birth to the nation. It was belief in something greater than led to greatness itself.

Every great deed done by Americans, from freeing the slaves to fighting tyranny in two World Wars, was done not for economic gain or personal reward. Greatness came about because there was a shared belief in doing what was right, as well as a shared belief that rightness was defined by the Creator. Deeply held beliefs that rightness was both desirable and attainable led men to set their personal interests and safety aside and fight for what was right. Moral clarity led to clarity of purpose and national success was the result.

I believe it is the loss of moral certainty, the disappearance of common definitions of right and wrong as defined by Someone Greater than us, that has resulted in America’s decline. We are becoming a nation where pleasure and self-preservation have become the greatest values. Doing what is right and good is no longer a primary consideration in the minds of most Americans. A recent survey of Millennials gives credence to this new morality (or amorality). When asked how they would make an important moral decision, only 22% of those surveyed said they would choose based primarily on what was right. A plurality said they would choose solely based on what was in their personal best interest.

A nation of individuals pursuing individual goals will never achieve greatness. A nation that demands excellence from neither its leaders or its people cannot hope to excel. If we want to make America great again, we will need to rekindle the desire for goodness and greatness in our hearts. We need to desire rightness and goodness more than pleasure and comfort, so much so that we are willing to sacrifice ourselves in the pursuit of the right and good. Then, and only then, can we make America great again.

-          Bart

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&%#@- Words Matter

“It was f---ing crazy!”

Foul language doesn’t usually surprise me. Over the last few decades vulgar speech has become increasingly common and can be heard in almost every setting and circumstance. This particular instance of the f-bomb caught me off guard because of the speech that had preceded it.

The F-bomber and I had just been engaged in a casual conversation at the gym. We do not know each other well but we have had a number of gym conversations, enough for us to know one another’s professions and injuries. There had also been enough passing references to faith to lead us to consider one another to be Christians. On this particular evening he had talked about his pastor and how he had been helping the pastor get in better shape.

Thirty seconds later, while talking with someone else in the gym, his speech became more colorful. I was surprised, not by the fact that he swore, but at the ease with which he transitioned from spiritual to vulgar dialogue. It was clear that he did not think word choice mattered at all.

The next morning I had a medical appointment to get my knee brace adjusted. The brace adjuster is a nice man I have seen on a number of occasions to get my custom brace sized and fitted. In the course of our session I had learned that he was active in his church, hosting a small group Bible study and serving as a camp counselor for a week each summer at a camp for troubled children. In the course of my brief visit with him he used all of the language I had heard in the gym the night before. He did so with ease and without hesitation. It was clear that this was how he talked all of the time. I drove home thinking, “When did Christians quit caring about the language they used?”

My childhood home was anything but Christian and vulgarity was common. My step-father had been a sailor and he cursed like one. Like the father in the movie “A Christmas Story” profanity was an art form to my step-dad. In spite of his foul language I grew up with a clear understanding of the difference between good words and bad words. I learned that good people used good words whenever possible.

While I may be out of touch with current social mores, my sense that there are words that should not be spoken by good people, particularly Christians, is not a belief of my own invention. The idea that there is speech unbecoming godly people was clearly described by the apostle Paul almost two thousand years ago-

“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” Eph 5:3-4 NIV

Paul makes it clear that what we say matters. Christians are to be heavenly minded people who are continually thinking of the world in the context of their faith. As people who embrace the reality that we have been saved from our sin and called to be different we should seek to be better and different in every aspect of our lives. The desire to be different and better should extend to our speech as well as our actions. True followers of Christ take His teaching that “the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.”

Taking Jesus’ words to heart leads to the conclusion that our words matter. When, over and over again, God calls His people to be holy, he is calling His people to be clearly distinct from the world around them. It seems this teaching that Christians need to strive for higher standards of behavior has been swept under the church carpet.

My greatest concern is not that Christians use bad words. Far more important is what the casual use of profanity represents. Too many Christians are no longer concerned with sin. Excellence is no longer a virtue or a goal. It seems that many believe it more important to display our commonality with those outside the church than it is to show our differences. We are more concerned with being “one of the guys” than we are with being “one of the chosen.”

People of faith will do well to consider Paul’s instructions in a letter to his friend and protégé Timothy to “set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1 Tim 4:12

Bart

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Why Would Anyone Want to be a Police Officer?

I posed the question to a police officer this week and he could not give me a good answer. Morale among officers is the lowest he has ever seen. He is not alone in his thinking as I have received similar answers from other officers. The job is difficult, dangerous and increasingly thankless. For these reasons many officers are considering leaving the profession and there is a fear that the quality of future officers may be on the decline. Excellent candidates may choose other careers.

In California recent law changes have made it easy on criminals and hard on everyone else. A state ballot proposition passed in 2014 converted many felonies into misdemeanors and made many crimes the equivalent of a parking ticket. Repeat offenders who used to get jail time are now given nothing more than a citation and sent on their way. The inability to remove many lawbreakers from the streets has been demoralizing to officers who want to protect society.

Recent events have highlighted the dangers that officers face on a daily basis. While shootings such as the one in Dallas get national coverage the dangers of the job are not limited to firearms. Police officers often find themselves attempting to detain uncooperative suspects who are bigger and stronger than they are. A police officer patient of mine recently related a terrifying story of fighting for his life. He was in a five-minute fight with a suspect in the midst of a hostile crowd. Punches were thrown, bodies were slammed into cars and weapons were drawn. It never made the news but it left him seriously shaken.

This officer and others like him have told me that they often worry about being killed or injured. They all relate the same primary goal. They want to go home alive at the end of the day. Many have told me of fearful spouses who have difficulty sleeping while their loved one is at work. Stress levels are incredibly high and depression and anxiety are common.

For men and women in a career filled with danger and stress attacks on the profession wage a heavy toll. When protestors march and chant about harming cops and when racism is assumed in every interracial interaction officers are on edge. Their work has become so highly politicized they fear that every interaction carries the risk of criticism and disciplinary action. One officer I know discharged his weapon at a suspect who was reaching for a gun while holding a hostage. Even though he missed and no one was harmed he was subjected to a grueling and demeaning performance review that lasted for over a year.

Adding insult to injury is the fact that many officers are not paid well. Starting salaries in the United States are as low as $26,000 a year, about $12.50 an hour. Patrol officers make on average less than $40,000 a year in 11 states and less than $50,000 a year in over half of the states. We cannot expect the best and brightest of our citizens to put their lives on the line when we do not pay them well or appreciate them enough.

Recent police shootings illustrate another seldom discussed reality of police work. Even well-trained, educated and experienced officers can sometimes struggle to perform in high stress situations. It is one thing to know what to do and to be trained on what to do. Doing it in a life or death situation is a different story all together. I have seen this in my own profession. I have observed firsthand as experienced doctors who had passed all the tests and completed all of the training melted down in a life or death situation. They had good intentions and wanted to do well but they did not have the psychological make up to perform under intense pressure. Regardless of training, we cannot escape the reality that we are all human.

I wonder if this is not a major factor in many police shootings. As I watch the videos from Minnesota and Louisiana I wonder if panic and fear were the primary factors leading to poor decisions and actions by the officers involved. From what I know of police officers, and about people in general, this is far more likely than racism to be the root cause of the tragedy.

If we want to minimize police errors and mistakes we will have to create an environment in which the best and brightest among us pursue careers in law enforcement. If we continue to attack and question the motives of police officers, if we paint with a broad brush and accuse them of racism or other ill motives, if we continue to pay them poorly and treat them poorly, the best and the brightest will turn to other careers. All of us will suffer as a result.

Bart

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When Schools Can't Be Trusted

The words on the page took us by surprise. The graphic description of the rape of a young boy was not something we expected to find in required reading for our 15 year-old daughter. We did not expect the faculty of a public school to go out of their way to encourage morality or protect the innocence of students but we did not expect that vulgar material would be chosen and assigned.

I arranged a meeting with the teacher and the principal to bring my concerns to their attention and see if there was a possible remedy. My concerns were summarily dismissed. While I expected my concerns to be ignored the reason given for the choice of reading material was not expected at all. One of the teachers said, “It is our job to expose children to mature content.”

I did not hide my anger well when I replied, “No, it is your job to teach them how to read and write. It is the parent’s job to decide what children should be exposed to.” The reality that teachers and administrators believed it was their responsibility to determine when and how children should be exposed to sexual content was deeply disturbing to me. The belief seemed to be that it was up to parents to simply shut up and go along, to allow the “experts” to teach morality to their children.

I had two goals in meeting with the principal and teachers. The first was to get an alternative assignment for my daughter. The second was to get them to reconsider their policy on assigned reading. While I was able to get an alternative assignment for my daughter, I eventually gave up the second  fight, convinced that there was nothing I could do to change the minds of the faculty and administrators.  For the remainder of her years in school I did my best to teach Biblical values to my daughter and to teach her how to determine right and wrong. There were a number of times when that meant correcting things her teachers said but I did not make any further formal protests. She graduated from high school a few years ago and the issue faded from my mind.

The issue returned to my mind this week. Recent developments in the state of Washington reveal that the sentiments expressed by my daughter’s teachers are not isolated. It seems that the belief that public schools are responsible for determining when and how children should be exposed to sexual concepts is widespread.

The State of Washington’s recently released K-12 learning standards include a section of “core ideas” to be a part of the sexual health portion of the health and safety education of elementary age students. It is suggested that kindergarteners “understand that there are many ways to express gender” and that by second grade children should “understand there is a range of gender roles and expression” and that by grade 4 children should be able to “define sexual orientation.” In the eyes of educators, hand washing, tooth brushing and basic nutrition are no longer enough. 5 year-olds need to be introduced to the concepts of gender identity.

The presumption that all children need to learn these concepts at such a young age is absurd. There are many families who try to protect the innocence of their children. I did not know where babies came from until I was 11 years old. My son was 10 when we had “the talk” and he was clearly overwhelmed with the concept. I did not think he was emotionally ready at that age but was compelled by the reality that his elementary school was going to have a class on the topic the following month. I had to change my parenting plans because of a school program.

Parents who wish to defer exposing their children to sexual concepts are going to find themselves increasingly at odds with their school districts. According to the state of Washington, almost all children as young as 9 are all old enough and mature enough to be able to understand sexual orientation. The fact that a significant percentage of families of faith do not believe that all sexual orientations should be expressed and acted upon seems to be irrelevant. It is the responsibility of the public system to teach morality. 

I am left wondering how it is that our society has evolved to this point. Public schools across the nation are failing in their essential responsibilities to teach children reading, writing and arithmetic, but they are deciding to take on the additional responsibility of teaching young children about sexuality. More remarkably, parents are allowing it.

It is clear that concerned parents need to be increasingly involved in the education of their children. Parental responsibility extends far beyond simply making sure students get their homework done and have good attendance. Parents need to know exactly what their children are being taught and be willing to stand up for their innocence. It is likely no one else will.

Bart

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reference: http://www.k12.wa.us/HealthFitness/Standards/HPE-Standards.pdf