Hour of Clarity

Sundays are my favorite days. I've written about this before, but this was no more true than today. I realize that Sundays, especially the time of worship and teaching, is a rescue from the muddle of my week. During the worship service, I usually find a word in a song, a Scripture passage, or the sermon that anchors me in a truth that I desperately need.

Today, I had two words. The first was "wretch." I sorta wondered how much pain I'd spare myself (and others) if I more fully realized this about myself. Don't get surprised or humiliated by the failures. Just advertise that I'm a "wretch" and whenever anything more beautiful than that reflects through me, give all the credit to Jesus. 

The second was "power" and words related to it. And it chided me for being so strung out about this election. Power belongs rightfully to one Person, and He's not running for President. We're in good hands - Jesus is coming back as King someday.  

Tempting Faith

This is the title of a book by David Kuo, that I've just finished. This book is an important one for Christians struggling to understand their engagement in the political process. Over the last few days, I've been reading everything I can get my hands on to answer some of my own nagging questions like: In terms of politics, what hopes should we have for changing the world? How have important Christian leaders historically used their political power for good? (William Wilberforce, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King are the first examples that came to mind.) And what are the dangers of politics to which we as Christians should be alerted? (Here, I sought out Chuck Colson and Billy Graham). David Kuo himself speaks to many of of these questions.

He was an insider when the Republicans stormed Congress in 1994 and made the Contract with America. He later became an adviser to George W. Bush in the office for Faith-Based Initiatives. He's critical of the administration, but I don't think unfairly so. Kuo admires the deep personal faith of Bush. He believes that his passion for helping the poor was always genuine. However, Bush never put his political weight behind real policy for helping the poor. And what he saw from the inside of the White House was a string of empty promises (politically motivated as an means to court the evangelical vote) and double-speak to cover up the fact that he never delivered the goods on faith-based initiatives. 

This book is especially important for its discussion of power. Unfortunately, he talks about how Christians themselves are bought by this power. (He wasn't specifically referring to Bush so much as the pastors and Christian leaders who sought to influence the White House). Here's a look at some of his reflections on power: "The White House was also one of the most seductive places imaginable. Not just because of the perks, which are nice, but because of the raw power of the place hidden in a true desire to save the world. It is the ring of power from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. The longer anyone holds the ring the more he loves it, the more he hates it, and the more desperate he is to hold on to it. It becomes the most precious thing in his life. Priorities, loves, interest, life are lost in it. The ring owns, it is not owned."

I think reading this book helped me to wrangle less over the question, Who am I going to vote for?, and start the process of thinking more constructively about the power of the Church as an agent of change. I've got a lot more to say about this, but the kids are waking up, and it's breakfast time.

Life

This election has me tied in knots. And blogging is absurdly dangerous when it comes to talking politics. Here it is, forever in "ink," what I think regarding this election. I've said that I'm not entirely sure for whom I'll be voting. That's still true. (I'm leaning, yes.) But I may just bail on ever really revealing how I vote in the end. An act of cowardice? Maybe. But the truth is, I and you unfairly characterize people according to their political affiliations. Liberal, conservative, Republican, Democrat, have become our politely cruel shorthand for dismissing what someone has to say. I'm struck recently by what I'm reading in the book of Proverbs, wisdom to guide us not just in how we vote but how we critically engage in the process and respectfully disagree with others. Verses like Proverbs 18:13 (He who answers before listening, that is his folly and shame.), Proverbs 18:15 (The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, the ears of the wise seek it out), Proverbs 18:17 (The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him.) I myself am learning about what it means to be truthful in my characterizations, fair in my rhetoric, objective in my analysis, respectful in my disagreements.

In this election, protection of human life is of preeminent concern to Christians, and Christians are right to defend a culture of life in our country. I'm using my blog today as a platform to feature one such ministry doing this here in Chicago: Lydia Home.

We connected to Lydia years ago when we were members at Harvest Bible Chapel. I don't know exactly how it was that Ryan and I decided to involve ourselves in their Safe Families program, which is essentially short-term foster care, but in the summer of 2006, Juwuan came to stay with us for a week. His mother, a heroin addict, had gone suddenly into rehab. Juwuan (8) and his younger brother and sister spent the day at the rehab clinic waiting for someone, anyone to commit to caring for them. A state worker called in Lydia, and Tom Maluga started the placement calls. We agreed to care for Juwuan short-term until a more permanent home could be found for him. (Other families agreed to care for the brother and sister.)

Juwuan was a scrawny, agile boy with a wide smile and a tender heart. He was well-mannered and easy to care for. At the end of the second day in our home, he'd taken to calling me, "Momma." At the park, he could do a dismount worthy of Shawn Johnson from the swings. At home, he'd strap on Nathan's tool belt, take a wad of fake cash from the toy cash register, and saunter into the kitchen. "What needs fixed?' 

Juwuan left his home with nothing but a bag of dirty, old clothes: a random assortment of women's undergarments and over-sized t-shirts. He slept with the light on, and when I asked him why, he mentioned the nightmares. And the horror movies he'd seen.

His first night in our home, we put him and our kids to bed, and I curled up with a book in the family room. Hardly five minutes had passed, and I could feel his warm breath on my neck. I turned, and his crocodile tears started to fall. Awkwardly, I took this gangly 8 year old boy on my lap. "It's going to be OK." He sobbed and shuddered, and in this moment, I knew something of what it meant to be the hands and feet of Christ.

Juwuan left our home after a week. Others came (Jevonte, Jaylyn). Each has broken our heart in different ways. Each has taught us more about the love of Christ.

If you're in the Chicago area, would you consider taking a child into your home? Safe Families is experiencing incredible growth. Recently, David Anderson, the Director of Lydia Home, met with Mayor Daley who wants every Chicago police station and school and hospital to know about this program. This is a ministry to support life: life of the born children whose parents struggle with addiction, joblessness, poverty. Any of you can also support the ministry financially as well.

Find out more at www.safe-families.org.

Apology

How apt that after my last post (re:chronic sin issues), I have to now issue an apology. God is good. More and more, I realize what is unfortunately true about me: I can be disagreeable just for the heck of it. I try to sound smarter than I am. I am not always even-handed and fair with my own criticism but will criticize you squarely when you're not. 

The apology is this: I've offended a friend with my 2nd political post (Smart Turk, Dumb Christian), and I deeply regret that. It wasn't that we had disagreed on the issues. Both of us, I think, welcome healthy debate. It was that she had seen it as a direct criticism against her earlier comment on my first political post. To be clear, the second post was not at all intended as a direct rebuttal - that would give me credit for remembering something for more than an hour, which frankly, I'm not sure I'm still capable of. But looking back, I can see that she could have reasonably interpreted it that way and had every right to feel embarrassed by my words. I apologize.

It's likely true that I overstated in the second post when I said that Christians who are one-issue voters are intellectually lazy. This was an unfair generalization. It is more fair to say that as Christians, we should engage in the issues as critically as we can, but for many, our moral convictions may trump all else when it comes to actually casting our vote. That is a respectable position.

Thank you, friend, for letting me know that this had embarrassed you. I think our phone conversation today was a great example of Christ calling us to keep short accounts. When we've been hurt, we've got to speak up to guard against bitterness and unforgiveness. And when we do the hurting, we've got to be quick to admit our faults. 

 

Waves

It's never easy when we confront our chronic sins of behavior and attitude. I'm easily discouraged, wondering whether or not God will ever change these in me. Just this morning, I have that very question in mind: how is it that God changes us? What does it look like for God's word to gain potency in my life? I'm reading this morning about King Josiah, who at the age of 26, hears (for the first time?) the words of the Book of the Law, realizes his sin and the sins of the nation, and instantly repents. God affirms his action saying, "Your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord." So Josiah had this definitive turning point (and I, too, had that at the age of 16). But life now is a lot more about the small choices of the everyday. What does it look like for God to really speak to me now, and how does it look for me to respond to Him? I'm wondering about this, and then I get a visual picture in my mind. I'm taken to an ocean scene where giant huge waves crash against a rocky shore. The rocks stand stubbornly against the waves and seem impervious to the onslaught of water. But they aren't as unmoved as they think. Little by little, as time creeps slowly by, the rocks erode and surrender to the power of the waves. And I think it's that way with my heart and God's Word. Daily, I keep soaking and saturating my heart with the truths of God's Word, and though I don't feel like change is occurring, I hope to look back in a year, or five, even twenty, and see that sins of pride, self-reliance, and the failure to love people well will have crumbled over time, eroded by the relentless voice of God.

Smart Turk, Dumb Christian?

I want to talk politics more. It's on my mind, and I suppose I wish I could have more thoughtful conversations with Christians to think through the issues confronting us in this election. 

I'm bothered by Christians who are one-issue voters. Abortion for them is the make-it, break-it deal as they determine their political leanings. I can appreciate their moral convictions, and I myself do not support abortion. But if abortion is the only issue we have to consider when choosing between candidates, we're never forced to critically engage in the other policy debates and the implications of the candidates' positions. It's a kind of intellectual laziness that I think is in no way Christian. It's not Christian to check your mind at the voting booth. That's why some of political emails and YouTube videos (that Christians themselves are circulating) are troubling. They either contain completely false information (i.e. Obama is a Muslim) or they prey on emotional gut responses (i.e. YouTube video of the Chicago labor and delivery nurse). Where are the Christians asking us to engage, not just our soul and heart, but our mind as we consider the candidates?

My biggest struggle, which reaches beyond just this election, centers on the question of character and competence. When judging the candidates, how much weight does one give to moral character (or personal faith), and how much importance does one give to actual job competency? In our country's recent history, we've seen examples of presidents strong in one area, weak in the other: Bill Clinton - a few (just a few) moral failings, but a president that has been judged rather favorably in terms of job performance. George Bush - a man of sincere personal faith, but a president who, in my estimation, has done more harm than good for the country. 

How does the Bible answer this question? Does character always outweigh competence? We say things like, "What you have, what you know, what you look like, these don't matter in God's economy." And they don't in terms of God's attitude toward us. He loves everyone the same, not valuing one more than another because she's prettier or smarter. It's also true that God often uses weak and broken people to accomplish His purposes (cf. 1 Cor. 1). He does that for the purpose of reserving glory for Himself alone. But this does not mean that education, eloquence, and even physical beauty are irrelevant? I don't think so. They can matter for the job you're called to do. They did matter for Esther, for Daniel, and for Joseph, if you recall. And if you're the president of the United States, it matters what you know, how well you communicate, and how well you can lead. These are essential questions of competence, not eclipsing the question of character but adding to it.

I don't mean to imply I think a vote for Obama is a vote for "competence" and McCain "character. I don't think we can make those kind of discrete judgments between these two candidates. But I do think the competence factor needs to be given more weight, especially in the Christian community. Martin Luther weighed in on this question hundreds of years ago: "I'd rather be governed by a smart Turk than a dumb Christian." 

Politics

For the past several weeks, I've been stewing about politics. I've been fairly invested in the political scene since the primaries. What else did I have to do in those winter months when I was either pregnant with twins (and spending lots of time on the couch) or nursing twins (and spending lots of time on the couch). For months, our kids thought Jim Lehrer, PBS news anchor, was a presidential candidate. 

Before the VP picks, I was not at all sure for whom I planned to vote. (And I'm still not.) And for as little as I've followed the conventions in the past, I did happen to catch Obama's speech in 2004. (Ah yes, I think I was nursing another baby at that time - Camille!) I recognized it as a historic moment (as did the rest of the nation) but could hardly have imagined that four short years later, he would actually be a presidential candidate. OK, so I'll out myself right here and say that I do like Obama. Perhaps I'm one of the naive fools captivated by empty rhetoric. Or maybe it's also true that I'm like a lot of other Americans who hope for change, and Obama, whether you consider him credible or not as a presidential candidate, is compelling when he speaks on this theme. 

I also like McCain. He is a true patriot, in many ways an admirable example of what are unfortunately eroding American values. My generation (and those younger than I) don't necessarily connect with words like heroism, sacrifice, honor, patriotism, and John McCain could perhaps return us to these American ideals. What's more, his record stands tall in terms of real reform initiatives and effective bipartisan efforts. We need someone to heal the bipartisan gridlock in Washington, and McCain plays well to that need.

So here's why I'm stewing. . .I'm not a Palin fan. (Gasp!) Please don't misunderstand. I've seen the YouTube clip on her speaking to her church in Wasilla. I respect her personal faith. I've seen her approval rating in Alaska, and I can respect that she's a decent governor. But I absolutely do not think that she is qualified to be President of the United States.

Phrases that come to mind from articles I've read: it would be "reckless" to vote for this ticket because of Palin, she is "preposterously unprepared," etc. (My personal favorite is the piece by Maureen Dowd from the New York Times on October 5th). I'll grant you that most of my sources are centrist to liberal (NPR, PBS, New York Times, and a conservative one for fun - WSJ). But my opinion wasn't formed necessarily by the liberal media but by her own poor performances in the media interviews and the debate. This is a woman who I'll grant is likeable and politically talented (loved her convention speech) and yet extremely uninformed on the issues. We are facing a global economic crisis, the nuclear armament of rogue nations like Iran and North Korea, a war on terror that we've got to win. McCain, I think, can face these challenges; Palin cannot. And with John McCain 72 years and counting, I just don't know if I can vote in good faith for the Republican ticket.

I haven't even touched on the major policy issues. No, I do not agree with Obama's positions on abortion. (They are abhorrent.) No, I do not agree that we should set a timetable to get out of Iraq. No, I do not want to see liberal Supreme Court justices legislating from the bench. But I don't agree with everything Republicans stand for either: we need better policies on education (No Child Left Behind has been an abysmal failure.) We need better policies that help the poor. And I don't agree with McCain's health care proposals. That's not even to mention what needs to happen globally: we need a president who can restore global trust in America, who can exercise both hard and soft power for the defense of our nation.

There's not enough time to speak to all the issues. Nor would I claim to be informed on them all. But as a Christian, I suppose I plead for even-handed and fair debate. These emails that circulate, calling Obama a radical Muslim extremist, are intolerable. As Christians, we need to be the most judicious of anyone in what we say and how we say it. Many of the accusations leveled against Obama are tantamount to libel, and the fact that Christians circulate this kind of unfounded nonsense is reprehensible. (I'm getting off my soapbox. . .now.) 

I keep hearing how "scary" this election is, and I agree that our nation and our world are facing enormous crises. I can also agree that this election will be a turning point, for better or for worse. But scared I am not. 

I won't vote this election because I'm afraid. I'll vote because I believe it my civic privilege and responsibility, and I'll vote with the most faith that I can muster.