There are many Christians who are quite angry about the outcome of the election, for seemingly good reasons… but are they really? I’ve probably lost some friends on Facebook because I can’t bring myself to agree with them.
And then there are other Christians who are now gloating over the results of the election, for seemingly good reasons… but are they really? I may lose some friends over this, because I just can’t bring myself to agree with them either.
The fact is that no matter which way this election went, I was grieved by it. I’ve already written several posts about why neither Barack Obama or Mitt Romney was a good choice, so I won’t bore you with repeating those facts. Instead, can I take just a few minutes to share my grief with you?
I’m grieving because once again, whether anyone intended it or not, or whether anyone is courageous enough to admit it or not, it’s become a black and white issue. For many black Americans, the image that Romney projected of a man who wanted to go back to the 1950s was repulsive, because their memories and views of the 1950s are quite different from the nostalgic memories of their white counterparts.
For black Americans, the 1950s represented a time of social injustice, in which they were forced to sit at the back of the bus. It was a time of segregation in which they were not allowed to dine in the same restaurants as white people, or heaven forbid! They were certainly not allowed to use the same toilets as white people. They remember a time when their children were not afforded the same education as white children, and when there were black neighborhoods and white neighborhoods, and a black person better not try to move to a white neighborhood. The “colored” people were allowed to work as servants for the white people in their neighborhoods, but they had to remember to always enter from the back entrance, never from the front. It doesn’t matter that most white people couldn’t afford servants, because whether they could afford them or not, the general attitude was that white people were smarter, more attractive and better than black people.
It was a time of inequality, that belied the words of our founding fathers, who wrote in the Declaration of Independence, We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
While these are the images indelibly engraved on the minds of many black Americans, many white Americans see things differently and more nostalgically. They remember a time when men and women married for life. They remember a time when hard work paid off with promotions and pay raises. They remember a time when children respected their parents, a time when children prayed the Lord’s Prayer in school, when the bible was welcome in school and even taught in some classrooms. They remember when the 10 Commandments were posted on the walls of schools, and when the biggest problems teachers had with their students in those days were chewing gum in class and talking too much.
So, who is right and who is wrong? And was that really all that this election was about? How could a group of people see things so totally and completely different? And where do we go from here?
Many Christian people are gloating over Obama’s victory, believing that with his victory, the many issues of this country will be resolved, blindly overlooking the fact that during his last 4 years as President, things have only gotten worse. Abortion is not only condoned by this president, but he even justified and encouraged it for his own daughters… “I’ve got two daughters, 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby. I don’t want them punished with an STD at the age of 16.”
Hello? For those Christians who voted for Obama, surely you understand that abortion is not biblical, and nowhere in scripture is having children considered a punishment! Indeed, when my own daughter got pregnant out-of-wedlock, I told her that while God hated the sin of fornication that she had committed, her pregnancy was not a punishment. The wages of sin is death, not life!
Further, Obama as we all know, endorses same-sex marriage, and for those proponents of same-sex marriage, who claim that Jesus never spoke against it, “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’ And He said, ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.‘ Since they are no longer two but one, let no one separate them, for God has joined them together.” Please do not even attempt to claim that your choice was based on biblical principles, because to do so is to make a mockery of God.
And for those Christians who voted for Romney because he stands on biblical values, give me a break! He serves a false god, and to claim that he has biblical values is ludicrous in light of that, because serving a false god goes against biblical values.
Let’s not forget what Christ has called us to do! We are to go and share the gospel, making disciples of all nations… disciples of Christ, not of the U.S.A. Jesus came and told His disciples, “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NLT)
Let’s remember our call, and do as Jesus commanded, loving our enemies, blessing those who persecute us, and lifting Him up before all men. Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” (John 12:32 NLT)
Finally, I leave you with one other message from scripture, and it would do well for all of us to remember this. Dear brothers and sisters, you are foreigners and aliens here. So I warn you to keep away from evil desires because they fight against your very souls. Be careful how you live among your unbelieving neighbors. Even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will believe and give honor to God when He comes to judge the world. For the Lord’s sake, accept all authority — the king as head of state, and the officials He has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish all who do wrong and to honor those who do right. It is God’s will that your good lives should silence those who make foolish accusations against you. You are not slaves; you are free. But your freedom is not an excuse to do evil. You are free to live as God’s slaves. Show respect for everyone. Love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God. Show respect for the king. (1 Peter 2:11-17 NLT)
Let’s stop bickering among ourselves about this election. Get your priorities straight, and let’s be about our Father’s business first and foremost, snatching as many souls from the pit of hell as we can, for the time is short.
© 2012
Cheryl A. Showers
Burning Fire Shut Up In My Bones 