A Brief Introduction to this Post:
As I begin to write this, citizens of the United States of America go to the voting booths for an election whose results will be historic regardless of which party wins. By the time this actually posts, we might have a new president-elect. I’ve been trying to avoid politics on my blog recently, mostly because I don’t feel politics, as they stand now, are actually helpful for the people, and honestly, my heart is warmed by the Gospel, not by the machinations of the political parties. So, while this post touches on politics, somewhat, that isn’t what it is about.
I was not going to write of politics in my blog, but after reading of Paul’s optimism in Philippians, I feel the need to.
Much of Obama’s appeal, besides the usual political can’t-nail-them-to-the-wall or hold-them-to-their-promises (regardless of political party), is that he has packaged the concept of hope well. Obama’s success should be a wake up to the church, not because of his politics, but because he’s repackage the quintessential Christian message―hope.
The church should not look at Obama’s campaign as a success of marketing (which it is), but the very reason why the church is not very healthy. We lost the message. Actually, that’s wrong. The message is still there in scripture. We just left it there.
As the church became party to the culture war (which it should have) and politics (which it should, in some regards, as its members are voters), it also became part of the negativity that go along with both, which it shouldn’t have. The church became obsessed with various pet agendas (pornography and so on on the right, justice issues and so on on the left) that they lost their focus―the hope that we have because of Jesus.
Forget church growth, forget being part of the culture, remember Jesus