Election

To the Christian, this is a precious word. Election means that God has chosen us. To the American, this is almost an equally precious word. The American experiment is based upon the supposition that every man and woman of voting age has the right to choose his or her representative. As Christians, we have an even greater call to choose because we are called to civic stewardship. Ours is not just the right to choose the people who best reflect our hopes, dreams and desires but the responsibility to seek out people who represent godly values, who have wisdom and understanding in the implementation of policy, and who carry themselves with integrity. Having said that, let’s take a look at what the practical implications of such high browed words mean.

What are the issues of our time? Ask ten different people and you might get ten different answers. Some would argue corruption in big business and Wall Street while others would say energy dependence on the Middle East. Some would argue the integrity of the traditional family while others claim unemployment. Some would say health care for all citizens while others would argue global warming. The Christian has too long been a one or two issue citizen. Many in this country are coming to terms with the need to be involved in and engage our culture with many of the above-mentioned issues of our day and what they think is Christ’s perspective. For example, Christians have begun to take an interest in environmental issues and extreme poverty in Africa. A broader interest in topics of our day has produced in my opinion a split in the Evangelical community. What of the responsibility to care for the environment? God definitely has a position on our earth and the responsibility to care for His creation. We are called to be wise in the products we use and how we dispose of them. God has not called us to pollute and destroy what He has not only created but also made to reveal His beauty and glory. What of healthcare? Has God called us to care for all mankind in such a universal way? What about caring for children of those who reject their responsibility to their own children, or for those who simply cannot because of tragedy or loss take care of those whom they love. While a parent’s love cannot be questioned, foolishness and poor decisions (in addition to tragedy) can sometimes interfere with the application of that love. Should we abandon those children and leave them to their parents’ sins? What of other moral issues of our times like abortion and homosexuality? Are we to protect the embryonic unborn even though stem cell research promises so much? What of our dependence upon Middle Eastern oil? Should we continue in our oil dependent ways because we are afraid to change or experience the financial and economic disruptions that a different technology would bring? Should we drill off our coastlines? Can we risk destroying the habitats of many endangered species? Should we drill in ANWAR? What of corporate salaries and golden parachutes? What of enormous profits for CEO’s while pensions are lost for the average employee while companies declare chapter eleven bankruptcies?

I would argue that for the Christian all of these issues are part and parcel of an intelligent discourse. If we as a Church are going to have a national dialogue regarding the direction of our nation, we must not be a people who neglect the essentials of sound national and foreign policies (regarding which God has spoken and has a strategy) for the exclusivity of a handful of moral values. Having said that, we must above all distinguish priority. Is the condition of our environment, healthcare for the disadvantaged, the economy, and energy important? A thousand times yes, BUT how does it compare to the defense of the unborn. There are few moments in history that speak so powerfully as the Nazi occupation of Germany in the 1930’s. This regime chose to denigrate life for the disadvantaged of many stripes for the pursuit of genetic purity and supremacy. This country chose the path of nationalism at the expense and even the destruction of millions who did not live up to that very narrow definition of a true German citizen. Other nations have stood at this cusp and fallen headlong into such depravity, while a few have pulled back from the brink. In our national discussion and struggle, we must fight for the lives of the unborn. God has called us to defend the poor, the widow, and the orphan (those who cannot care for themselves). These children are abandoned by their parents to the gods of death, however naively they offer them. While abortion is indiscriminately perpetrated for the sake of convenience, it is often reserved for the disabled unborn child. It is the baby with Down’s or some imperfection that is given to the rage of this killing machine. The Church must stand for the rights of these children and create an environment that not only protects but nurtures them. As a father of two children with disability my heart recoils at the ignominy given to these precious gifts of God. I cannot imagine my world, the joys and sorrows, the challenges and the encouragements, without my two precious children and the beauty that they have added to my life.

In closing this post, let me leave you with a dictionary lesson that I heard explained just a few days ago. The word is “infant”. We often think of this word as meaning “baby” and so it is defined. But even more explicitly, the word “infant” means “without a voice”. Read with me as I copy a quote from Wikipedia, “. The term "infant" derives from the Latin word in-fans, meaning "unable to speak." "Infant" is also a legal term referring to minors;[1] that is, any child under the age of legal adulthood”, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infant). In this now post election season, I leave you with this question of election, “are we not as the people of God, called to give voice to those without one?”