Will God Judge You For Your Vote?

I started to write this article in large part as a response to what Dutch Sheets wrote in response to the US electing Obama. (For the record I think Dutch is wrong on this one, but if history proves me wrong, I'll apologize. Any chance Dutch will do the same?) But as I wrote I realized how little I've done to end abortion in this nation, so this is more of a confession than anything else.

I have not done what God showed me to do years ago when I was praying about my role in ending abortion in America. Basically he showed me sitting on a bench outside of Planned Parenthood and praying. I have not done that. Oh, sure I've done it some, but not to the extent that God called for. For this I repent, and God willing I will pray more.

Only recently have I become concerned over what the women getting abortions are going through or what drove them to get abortions.

Even with this new found compassion I have yet to do anything that would positively effect these women's lives and give them a realistic alternative to abortion.

I have become cynical that God will actually do anything to end abortion in this land.

I have not been arrested for sidewalk counseling mostly because I have never sidewalk counseled.

Nor have I been arrested for protesting the killing of Iraqis.

Nor have I let my concern over the war drive me to actually do anything about it.

Nor have I prayed as hard and long as I should for the blessing of God to be poured out on the enemies of the United States of America.

I have been more concerned with fitting in and not rocking the boat than I have with speaking and doing what God has called me to.

I have, alot of times, chosen TV over God.

I have often responded to others out of fear or anger or annoyance and not in love. This includes those I disagree with politically and theologically.

I have also done numerous more things that I should not have done and have not done numerous more things that I should have done.

Of all these I repent and pray that God will give me the grace to live as he wants me to live.

I however, do not repent of the way I voted. First of all, I live in Illinois does anyone seriously think my one vote was going to change the outcome of the election in Illinois? Maybe if the presidential election was based on popular vote my one vote could have tipped the scales (but I doubt it).
Secondly, I don't think God is going to judge me for one vote. He is much more likely to judge me based on how I live the rest of the year.

The main problem that I see in the words given by Dutch Sheets and others is that they place too much emphasis on our political leaders and not enough on us. They told us to vote for Bush. Is the US really any more godly as a result? Have we made progress in making abortion illegal? Do we have more compassion for our neighbors? For our enemies? Does voting for someone who is pro-life negate the fact that he supports the killing of Iraqis? Or are our unborn more precious to God than the lives of boys and girls, men and women living in Iraq? Does voting for Obama mean that all the other things we do to defeat abortion mean nothing? Does a vote for McCain and Sarah Palin mean we are off the hook the rest of the year? Is how we voted more important than why we voted? If I am a racist and I voted for McCain does that mean I escape God's judgment?

Another problem with these words is it turns Obama and those who support him and those who did not support McCain into enemies rather than brothers and sisters. I do not agree with Dutch Sheets on his political stance, but I do not think he is evil. But he seems ready to judge me as such without really understanding why I voted the way I did.

To summarize (for those of you who want to skip everything else I wrote above): God is not going to judge me or any one else for how we voted. God will judge us based on how we live out our lives. I have lots to repent about.

Jesus for President and Abortion

I was recently reading the book Jesus for President and was startled to see the authors make a statement I often hear from abortion supporters. The statement is basically, "If you are not willing to adopt, you shouldn't speak out against abortion." I think I understand their intent in making this statement. We who are pro-life should be compassionate toward women in difficult situations, and we should be part of the solution. If this is what is meant by the statement, I agree. However, I find the statement itself to be rather, well . . . stupid.
I mean no disrespect to the authors, who seem very intelligent, or to anyone else who has uttered this phrase. But having a lack of people willing to adopt newborn children is not a problem. So, even if a pro-lifer is unwilling to adopt, it is likely they know someone who is willing.
But there is a greater problem with this statement than just not knowing the current U.S. adoption scene. This statement also also seeks to silence those who can't adopt either because of age or for financial or for other reasons. Inability to solve, or help solve a problem shouldn't preclude one from speaking out about it. Everyone should be free to speak out about injustice, whether five or fifty, whether rich or poor.
And finally, the statement does nothing to address the real problems of abortion, for the unborn child, or for the mother.

My Little Activist

I am a reluctant activist. I'd much rather hole up in my room and pray for change than actually take any actions to see it come to pass, especially if that action = confrontation. But as I have mentioned in other posts, God won't let me. (An English major aside: how did we get won't from will not? And does anybody ever say Cannot you? We say, "can't you" all the time, so why not "cannot you"? Sorry, back to the point). And now neither will my son.

It started out innocently enough. We were reading a book about Puerto Rico. Among other things it mentioned how Puerto Ricans can vote in the primary, but not the national presidential election. So, we talked about the difference between the two. Which led to talking about the candidates. Which led Toby to ask me who I am going to vote for. Which led me to say, "I don't know yet, because I agree with the candidates on some issues and not on others." Which led Toby to ask, "What issues?" I gave him some examples, one of which was abortion. Which led him to ask (repeatedly) "Why don't we write them a letter?"

Sigh. I hate writing politicians. But Toby's logic prevailed and so I let him write a letter. He decided to write a letter to the mayor of our city about his recent decision to allow an abortion clinic in. He wrote a two sentence letter complete with an illustration to emphasize his point. We have yet to hear back from the Mayor.

But God has used Toby, and often uses Toby to get at my apathy, my cynicism. I drag my feet when it comes to being more proactive in politics and other areas because I do not think it will make a difference. But then I am confronted by Toby and God with, "why not try?"

In Brian McLaren's book Everything Must Change he relates a story about two women who helped to build a school. He says something that I need to take to heart, "As this mother and daughter told me their story . . . I realized that the simple action of one family, not a big NGO, not a huge government program, but a simple family project of neighborliness and humanity -- illustrated the kind of subversive faith and action that can stop the suicide machine and build, in its place, a better world." (McLaren p.279)

Cannot you see it? You, me, we can change the world. The Kingdom of God is here, Jesus is with us. "If God is with us, who can be against us?"