Who to Vote For & SPUR

The subject of politics challenges me in a monster way. The question of who will be the next President, the process of picking said President, and the leadership issues attached to it always fascinate and sometimes frustrate me.

Watching the state of the union address earlier this week, I was struck by a unique blend of disdain and gratitude. The disdain is for the ideas and ideals held by some of the people in that room (on both sides of the aisle) with whom I respectfully disagree. Strongly. Passionately. The gratitude is for the fact that for all of our issues as a nation--and we've got issues--the vast majority of us exercise those issues peacefully and orderly. Our democracy is loud, expensive, and frequently messy, but it's the best thing going on the planet.

Possibly the greatest challenge for me in the arena of politics is to maintain the political purity of the pulpit. It's a challenge because I hold strong opinions rooted in strong convictions. But, we're called to something much higher than donkeys or elephants.

(We have never considered this, but I've often wondered how fast LHC's tax-exempt status would be threatened if we hosted a conservative candidate in our pulpit on Sunday morning--just a thought I've had as I've watched other pastors endorse other political candidates from their pulpits. It's an interesting question.)

The only political endorsement I will make is to affirm the responsibility of EVERY Christ-follower to guard and exercise the privilege and responsibility of influencing the democracy God allows us to live in and to pray for those who hold political offices regardless of whether or not we voted for them.

Jesus' words to his disciples seem especially relevant to this political season: I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.