remembering Ted Kennedy

My blogger friend, Allan Bevere, who is a bit to the right of me politically has an apt post on Ted Kennedy, well worth the read (not a long read, either). And another blogger friend, Andrew E. Larsen calls our attention to this report from NPR on Kennedy's work for civil rights.

I find it appalling when the only things Christians might be able to express about such a man are winks, laughs and words which are demeaning. I just don't fit into such a conversation, except to point to what is good about that person, or more likely just be silent, and hang my head, maybe saying a few words that might be appropriate.

Ted Kennedy most certainly had his flaws, but it's good to hear that in his latter days he sought to live differently with the help of his wife. I hope it was a true Christian faith which underlied that, as well. I certainly don't agree with his position on abortion. The goal in Washington D.C. should be to be rid of them altogether, by a good number of policies, some to help the pregnant women, so that they won't revert to "back-alley abortions."

But Kennedy's advocacy for the poor and minorities, and his work to bring good health care to all are to be applauded, even if we don't fully agree with him on how he wanted to accomplish those ends. And he sought to be a friend to those who were his political opponents, the way it used to be, and should be.

We in Jesus should honor such people and point out the good. Without burying our head in the sand as to what we strongly disagree with.

What might you like to add to this?

a powerful thought

Recently over at RBC Ministries, Mart DeHaan shared with us his thoughts and conviction in what we as God's people in Jesus should do during these times. This post and this post from his excellent blog are both helpful to us in sorting through difficult issues today. Mart doesn't pretend to have it all down, and these are over matters in which we Christians are sharply divided on, politically. I'm thinking here of Christians who agree for example, that abortion is the taking of human life, but are not in agreement on how to address the issue.

I quote from the first post I link above:

Maybe we need to return to the practice of the early church. In a society where abortion and infanticide were common, followers of Christ developed a reputation for not aborting their own children, and even for saving from the garbage other people’s children who were left to die.

I'm inclined to agree with Mart. What better good can we do for our country and for the world than simply living out a lifestyle that is in marked contrast to the "culture of death" surrounding us, to a culture sadly warped and crooked. In Jesus we need to be those who have and are experiencing God's salvation from this to a different way of life. They need to see a marked difference in our lives. This will make our words matter far more. And this will help us fulfill our true calling and vocation in this world as the salt and light in Jesus which we are.

I agree with Mart that we need Christians on both sides of the aisle in politics here in the U.S. And I believe Christians in both major parties as well as in other places. So I'm not speaking of disengagement from the political process. Not at all. But I'm referring to what we should be noted for. In how we live and what we do during these times.

What would you like to add on this?

abortion and voting

Scot McKnight and Mart DeHaan had recent helpful postings on abortion and politics, respectively (here's Scot's new post on this, today). I am wrestling over the issue of how to vote in the general presidential election. I am rather decided, yet trying to remain open. I'm not a registered Independent in Michigan for no reason.

This is a difficult issue, because I’m troubled that for many Christians all other considerations have to be cast aside in considering who to vote for- that this one issue, as weighty as it is, trumps all else, and in such a way that is constricted to overturning Roe v Wade. This is for me a weighty matter on the scale of consideration, but not the only matter.

We do see through a glass darkly here. We need much humility in the way we view our politics, as well as that of others.

Biblically I think it’s pretty clear for me. I don’t hesitate to affirm life beginning at conception. Abortion has been the paramount evil to me for years, right or wrong.

But I don’t know how we can read the same Book, without being deeply troubled over other issues as well. For me to think the Republican Party is pro-life is unthinkable. How can we say “pro-life” is about abortion only? From my perspective neither major party here really has shown either in its platform/policy and practice that it is really pro-life. Actually there are good measures passed by the influence of both parties, as well as sins of omission and sins of commission.

We also need to appreciate the different takes we have towards solving the common concerns, and we need to appreciate the different traditions within Christian orthodoxy from which we view them. My paradigm which is to a significant extent Anabaptist will cause me to look at issues differently than another Christian whose faith is also in Jesus, yet sees through another theological paradigm. Sometimes we therefore do disagree, or we don't see eye to eye on how to handle the problem. Appreciating our different takes so that we can hash them out together, can be beneficial. We can learn from each other. Then I can bless how you vote, even if I don’t vote the same come November 4.

Much more to say and do on all this, and not merely to vote for someone who holds the promise of appointing judges who may (or may not) vote to overturn Roe v Wade.

I'll probably post some more on politics before election day here in the United States. But I probably won't disclose who I end up voting for, as this can be divisive in ways that are not helpful.

What would you like to add to these scattered thoughts?

What is it about politics?

Some say we should never talk to others about politics and religion, because it's so divisive. Where I work at RBC Ministries, there is probably more talk than usual on politics lately. I have found my views as a registered Independent, and neither sold to the Democratic or Republican party, not fitting there quite often, and sometimes unwelcome. So I steer clear, and usually don't speak my mind. Though I do have a tendency to speak my mind when I think others are amiss in some way. Though as time goes on, I am more and more reluctant to do so, and want to do so gently when I do.

Politics has its place and much good has been done through it, or prevention of evil. But I think much of the confidence in it by both the religious right, and the religious left, is misplaced. Where is God's work of the kingdom in Jesus, today? Scripturally, I think it's in the church, Christ's Body on earth. Not in any government or nation. Not to say God doesn't use nations, because he most certainly does. But the church is the people of God; America never has been nor ever could be the people of God. We're not one nation under God, and we never have been. At best our Christianity has been a cultural one. Yes, true Christianity has been here, but that has not played out in making our nation practice true Christianity. Though I don't necessarily see eye to eye or follow everything in this book, I have found it interesting. Written by a professor at Liberty University- Michael Babcock, who was friends of Jerry Falwell to the end of Falwell's life, who as I recall, changed his mind around 2001.

We do need some good Christian thinking on this subject. I like to put my thinking elsewhere, and part of that is the turtle syndrome, in which I'd rather hide under my protective shell, and not be engaged in every controversy, or cause a controversy in some matters. And unlike some of my friends who see everything as cut and dried, black and white, I find complexity in this issue, and in many areas of life. For example on abortion, I don't find it a slam dunk in knowing which way to vote, as far as the two major parties. I'm unconvinced of "trickle down" economics, which while having some truth is definitely not the entire truth. The number of abortions beginning to drop started in Bill Clinton's presidency, and continues going down to this day. Of course it would be nice to see Roe v Wade overturned which would simply send the issue back to the states to decide. And we need bipartisan work against the tragedy of abortion. I'm glad Senator Hilliary Clinton has said that every abortion is a tragedy. We need to work to cut down the number of abortions. I don't believe in a woman's right to choose to terminate her pregnancy which means terminating a human life. But neither do I believe in voting for a party because of this issue, which has done little to end the holocaust. And I think Democratic policies tend towards less abortions. Though the whole matter is complex, and is a mirror of our national moral crisis.

So there you go. Just a quick glimpse of where I'm at. So I'll likely have the television on tonight. Yes, I wish I would have caught Michelle Obama's speech, and I will try to get it some other way. I'll have book in hand, and will be interested in the speeches, particularly Barack Obama's. Politics has its place. But our hope is in God, never in a nation, or a leader. Our allegiance is to God in Jesus, as the one holy nation scattered throughout the earth.

What might you like to say on this?