Separation of church and state? It's a hot button topic for sure.
Recently I took a 3-week internship at the Christian Institute on Disability in California. One question I heard asked by several lecturers talking about bioethics and other current issues related to disability is "Where was the church?" "Where is the church?"
I'm not sure the church has ever played a more prominent role in a presidential election - certainly not since John Kennedy ran for president as the first Roman Catholic. In this presidential election cycle most prominent have been the sermons and rhetoric of Rev. Jeremiah Wright from Chicago, Obama's former pastor.
Tonight Pastor Rick Warren - known world-wide for his book The Purpose Driven Life - is going to interview both Barak Obama and John McCain. Some may say "the church" should not step into the arena of presidential politics. But if Christians are going to do what Jesus said - be salt and light in a very sick world - then we need to know who the presidential candidates are and what they believe so we know where they are grounded. Rick Warren may or may not be up to such an awesome assignment, but - at least - he is taking the risk.
And that's where the church (which is ALL who have hearts being restored by the grace, love and power of God's Gospel) should be - in the arena and on the cutting edge of what some have called "societal evolution." If we don't risk to make a difference, who will?
Showing posts with label REv. Jeremiah Wright. Show all posts
Showing posts with label REv. Jeremiah Wright. Show all posts
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Obama and the Things Preachers Say
I've been married to a pastor for almost 41 years. I've heard my pastor say a lot of things over those years. I have seen him change, grow and develop in his ability to communicate truth. I have heard good sermons and bad sermons. I have heard long sermons and shorter sermons.
Just this past Sunday I heard an excellent Palm Sunday sermon. Now that's hard to do on a holiday - to preach something that challenges the heart and isn't the "same old, same old." This sermon I heard last Sunday definitely did challenge my heart and wasn't the "same old."
I have NEVER in all my years of being married to a preacher and hearing him and many, many other preachers preach heard such unbelieveable rantings as have played on the news over the last week or so from the lips and lungs of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. One has to wonder if they pass out doctored kool-aid at the door when people enter for them not only to sit still for such preaching and ranting but to actually respond emotionally to it. Perhaps it's a "Chicago Land" thing - one can only hope!
There is absolutely NO chance that anyone could sit anywhere in the vicinity of such "preaching" and ranting as Rev. Jeremiah spews forth with such venom and not know exactly what kind of "preaching" was happening! I seriously wonder why someone doesn't call for the "men in the white coats with the straight-jacket" to come for Rev. Jeremiah. He's so totally over-the-top that he's falling out of his "Afro-centric" clergy clothing!
I haven't had time to focus on what Obama had to say in his speech today, but I will. I was otherwise occupied this morning during the speech. I was at the ice rink at a ice bumper car birthday party. I think I made a wise choice.
God weighs in on this matter when Jesus says, "I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken." (Matt. 12:36) Words spoken and yelled with spit and venom in the name of preaching qualify for such a warning! Just because someone has the ability to move a crowd emotionally and whip them into a frenzy doesn't constitute responsible leadership nor is it the kind of spiritual/emotional influence we need over the leaders of our nation.
The fact that we are not horror-stricken is because we have grown numb to such horrors. We have seen, heard and read too much until "too much" becomes at least a tolerable "norm" of sorts.
Where is the balance? Where is the truth? Both balance and truth come from God's heart reaching into broken hearts and changing and restoring those hearts (one at a time) from within. Balance and truth never come from frenzied venom! Beware!
Just this past Sunday I heard an excellent Palm Sunday sermon. Now that's hard to do on a holiday - to preach something that challenges the heart and isn't the "same old, same old." This sermon I heard last Sunday definitely did challenge my heart and wasn't the "same old."
I have NEVER in all my years of being married to a preacher and hearing him and many, many other preachers preach heard such unbelieveable rantings as have played on the news over the last week or so from the lips and lungs of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. One has to wonder if they pass out doctored kool-aid at the door when people enter for them not only to sit still for such preaching and ranting but to actually respond emotionally to it. Perhaps it's a "Chicago Land" thing - one can only hope!
There is absolutely NO chance that anyone could sit anywhere in the vicinity of such "preaching" and ranting as Rev. Jeremiah spews forth with such venom and not know exactly what kind of "preaching" was happening! I seriously wonder why someone doesn't call for the "men in the white coats with the straight-jacket" to come for Rev. Jeremiah. He's so totally over-the-top that he's falling out of his "Afro-centric" clergy clothing!
I haven't had time to focus on what Obama had to say in his speech today, but I will. I was otherwise occupied this morning during the speech. I was at the ice rink at a ice bumper car birthday party. I think I made a wise choice.
God weighs in on this matter when Jesus says, "I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken." (Matt. 12:36) Words spoken and yelled with spit and venom in the name of preaching qualify for such a warning! Just because someone has the ability to move a crowd emotionally and whip them into a frenzy doesn't constitute responsible leadership nor is it the kind of spiritual/emotional influence we need over the leaders of our nation.
The fact that we are not horror-stricken is because we have grown numb to such horrors. We have seen, heard and read too much until "too much" becomes at least a tolerable "norm" of sorts.
Where is the balance? Where is the truth? Both balance and truth come from God's heart reaching into broken hearts and changing and restoring those hearts (one at a time) from within. Balance and truth never come from frenzied venom! Beware!
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