Monthly Archives: October 2012

Why I Want a Christian President

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I am a firm believer in the separation of church and state.  That is, I believe the government should neither promote nor prohibit any particular religion or religious practice.  But I still want a Christian president.  So much so, that to the extent that I have the choice, it will impact my vote.  I want to briefly share some of my reasons…

Here in the United States we enjoy the privilege of choosing our president via free elections.  We have, as Abraham Lincoln so eloquently stated, a “government of the people, by the people, for the people.”  Unlike some other forms of government, this means that we are not simply “ruled” by the President. Rather we are in a partnership with the President.   He leads, we follow; this arrangement is our collective choice.  Back in the nineties, the Republican Party talked about a, “Contract with America.”  The language of, “contract,” is another expression of what I’m talking about.  In essence, when we elect our President every four years, we are entering a contract or partnership–which brings me to the Bible.

In 2 Corinthians 6:14, it says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers…”    We most often hear this principle taught in the context of marriage.  However, I believe the principle applies in the context of our “government by the people, for the people.”  It is no stretch of the meaning to suggest that voluntarily electing a person to be our president for the next four years is “yoking” us to that person.  As a Christian, I cannot fathom voluntarily yoking myself in that manner to an unbeliever.  I believe doing so would be to ignore an important Biblical principle.

Perhaps you picked up from the previous paragraph that I don’t see the Bible the way I see any other book.  I believe that as a Christian, I ought to follow its teachings.  Its principles should shape my values, priorities, attitudes, and actions.  I believe that living according to Biblical principles is the best and right way to live.  It shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why I would want a President who also believes this!  I want a Christian president because I want a president whose values, priorities, attitudes and actions are shaped by the same Biblical principles that shape mine.

I want to return again to some words of Abraham Lincoln.  During the trying days of his presidency he once said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.”  That is more than just a sweet sentimentality.  The guidance and strength that God gives through the Holy Spirit to his followers in response to prayer cannot be underestimated.  As a Christian, I want a President that can and does rely on God for guidance and strength.

Now I have Christian friends who don’t see this the way I do.  They don’t think a person’s faith is relevant to their choice for a President.  Perhaps you are one of them.  Perhaps you won’t find the reasons I’ve shared to be persuasive.  I hope you at least find them to be something to cerebrate.

 

Force Fields & Compliance Chips

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God put Adam and Eve in the garden and made one rule:   They must not eat the fruit of that one tree.  There were no, “Keep Off the Grass,” signs.  He didn’t tell them, “no running,” or, “keep to the right.”  There wasn’t even the urgent command, “Put some clothes on!”  Nope, there was just one rule:  Don’t eat that fruit.  So what did they do?  They ate the fruit.   Hold that thought…

From time to time, I ride my bike to the mall for lunch.  It’s about 90% on a paved bike trail, and there’s a place just inside the mall that serves a good chicken sandwich.  Since I need my bike to get back home, before heading inside, I post a sign on my bike that reads, “DO NOT STEAL!”   Now I know what you’re thinking.  You’re thinking I’m not very smart.   Honestly, I am actually smarter than that.  The truth is, I protect my ride home with a cable and lock.  Which makes me think:  If God didn’t want Adam and Eve to eat that fruit, why didn’t he take measures beyond simply telling them not to?

I can even imagine a couple of cool scenarios.  For example, wouldn’t this have been a cool application for a science fiction style force field.  Eve is standing there conversing with the serpent who keeps suggesting she try the fruit.  After a while, she succumbs to temptation.  Having chosen to ignore God’s command, she nonchalantly strolls closer and closer to the tree.  Probably, she intentionally averted her gaze away from the tree.  She may have even whistled that familiar little tune that gets whistled when people try to seem nonchalant.  Finally, she’s within arm’s reach of the delectable fruit.  She quickly thrusts out her arm only to jam her fingers hard against an invisible barrier.  As they say, “That’s gotta hurt!”   Why didn’t God protect his fruit with a force field?

Or how about another great tool from science fiction:  A compliance chip?  Picture the same scenario, except this time as Eve begins to reach for the fruit something activates inside her.  Some kind of electronic chip embedded within her overriding her original will and effectively replacing it with a new choice; a choice to not pluck the fruit.  She gives up the effort.  The compliance chip immediately deactivates and she finds herself again wanting that fruit.  But as she begins to move her hand, the chip reactivates and once again changes her mind for her.    Why didn’t God protect his fruit with a compliance chip?

If not a force field or a compliance chip, why not something else?   Surely, the Creator of the Universe could have created an adequate security system.  I believe there can only be one answer:  Simply put, God chose to not protect that fruit.  Pushed further, I think that tells us a little something about one of God’s priorities.  Think about it.  Adam and Eve were given the ability to choose, and once they chose they were given the ability to act on their choice.  No compliance chips.   No force fields.  God certainly wanted their obedience.  He also wanted them to be free.  He prioritized the latter.  That’s something to cerebrate…