God and Politics?

     Today I will write my one and only blog on "politics."
     I should tell you, however, that I care about such matters only because God's Word tells me to be a good citizen. Romans 13:1-7 means that as a citizen in the USA I must vote, and I should do so as an informed voter. I generally don't focus very much on what human systems are up to, and I certainly do whatever is necessary to stay focused on Papa, which eliminates paying much attention to what the adversary is doing (hence I check the news, via web, only rarely). But having said that, my desire to obey Jesus compels me to give some thought to "politics." And I have felt a nudge for quite some time to share the basic convictions that guide me as I make decisions about elected officials. You may or may not agree with them, but I think they are fairly sound and grounded in the heart of God as revealed in Scripture.
     First, I never vote or endorse anyone who is morally confused. Anyone who is so confused as to believe that an unborn child is a target for extinction based on a mother's "rights" has already demonstrated that s/he is unable to make clear moral judgments. If someone misses on something as basic as protecting the most helpless and innocent human beings, it's unlikely that their moral compass will work in other areas. Yes, I know there are other moral issues, and I often struggle with the fact that persons who are clear on the right to life are not so clear on social justice, but I just can't get past the fact that moral confusion at this most basic level disqualifies someone from leading anything.
     Second, I never vote for or endorse someone who sacrifices love for the sake of being nice. Our culture has confused "being nice" with being loving and kind. It is not loving or kind to suggest to our (covertly miserable) gender-confused friends that they are beyond the reach of God's healing and delivering power. It is not kind nor loving to leave such people enslaved to the enemy by suggesting that they are just "different" and not damaged and confused.
     Third, I try never to vote nor endorse people who focus more on emotion than on good thinking. History is littered with demagogues who stirred up emotion and raised a following because people made decisions based on feelings rather than good thinking. Given the sad state of and low value placed on thinking in our nation these days, I pray more than ever that a true awakening will break in upon the church.
     Fourth, I never trust a leader who "looks in the mirror when things go well and who looks out the window when things go poorly." In his book, Good to Great, Jim Collins rightly states that truly great leaders give credit to others when things go well (look out the window) and roll up their sleeves and accept personal responsibility when things go poorly (look in the mirror). Leaders who resort to blame to explain failures cannot ever lead effectively, no matter what the context.
     Fifth, I am not confused as to what is the Kingdom of God and what is "the American dream." I am fairly sure that the latter often gets in the way of the Kingdom of God, and when I pray for our nation I pray not for a restoration of the American dream but for a genuine awakening of God's people that will transform culture. The same God who cares about unborn children also cares about the effects of American greed and materialism not only on us but on the poor in other nations. An awakened Church will not only address issues like abortion, abuse and family but also the worship of the many false gods of American culture (you can discern what some of these are, I think!).
     Finally, I am aware that it's impossible to find a "perfect" candidate, but in my opinion  it dishonors people to talk about "the lesser of two evils." When has that not been true in one sense, eh? Unless Jesus were one of the candidates, it's always a choice of the better of two "less-than-perfect" candidates! Perhaps it's best to think in terms of God's leading us to support someone in terms of her/his moral strength, clarity of purpose and proven leadership ability. Thinking again of Jim Collins Good to Great, I find myself asking which candidates get closest to the Level 5 leader Jim's research discovered: people who were humble, quietly determined to do what's best for those they lead, who think not of themselves but of coming generations and look out the window in success and in the mirror in failure. (See Good to Great, page 36, for a more complete list--it's very compelling even in a secular context.)
     So there you have it: my one and only "political" blog entry. And even at the heart of this entry I trust you will find that it's intimacy with God that informs, guides and empowers us during these critical times for our nation and world.

In the World but not of the World,

Tom, one of Heaven's citizens