I hear where you’re coming from. Hagee is ridiculous. I wouldn’t say Obama is trying to separate himself from his former pastor; in fact, he said (and strongly) that Jeremiah Wright is being unfairly drug over the coals. If you listen to Wright at length, he’s not saying ridiculous things most of the time; he just says ridiculous things some of the time, and you know that media makes hay with quotes ripped out of context.

I keep praying for the church to step up to the plate as followers of the Prince of Peace, as peacemakers, reconcilers, leaders. If we don’t step up to the plate and lead by word and example, certainly, we should expect a world dominated by self-interest to descend further into chaos. So I agree with you that we should be deeply concerned about the life of the unborn, but that doesn’t negate that we are expected to love our enemies as Christians and therefore at least shouldn’t be the ones leading the Rah! Rah! America! and Rah! Rah! National defense! chants. That is as unChristian as partial birth abortion.

And just because God can work through the leaders of this world in their rebellion, selfishness, and national obsessions does not mean he is working most centrally through them. He’s working most centrally through the church for the benefit of the world. So if my “freedom to worship” is built on the backs of killing others for the sake of America’s interests, I’ll take persecution thank you very much. Just because I haven’t seen the suffering of others for the sake of America’s prosperity doesn’t mean they’re not suffering. And God cares about them as much as He cares about me.

I’m tired of downward spiraling morality too. Sex scandals, graft, groveling at the feet of lobbyists, not living into marriage covenants, adults and kids getting fatter by the day, the poor being ignored, the urban centers being ignored, the elderly shoved into nursing homes and forgotten about. Immorality has many faces.

I think as Christfollowers we can transcend the “lefties” and “righties” and expose them for who they are (and always have been); Self-interested worshipers at the altar of America. Our aims are higher than that.

I keep praying and hoping for the Prince of Peace to return (my self interest). It really is hard to imagine how things will progress in the next 100 years. The one thing I do know whoever makes it to power was appointed by God. I am just thankful for the freedom (for the time being) to worship Christ without the fear of physical persecution here in a America (in most cases). How long that lasts will be interesting to see.

I am just tired of seeing the morality of our country continue to spiral downward. How many more of these so called “conservatives” are going to be found in sex scandals? I hate when I hear people say that cheating on your wife is no big deal, it has nothing to do with how someone runs the country. Really? I can’t even start on the lefties because it hurts my brain to much.

Ok I can’t resist, the war so bad because innocent people are being killed but it is ok for 3600 babies to be killed everyday by choice. The irony.

Long time no talky-talk. Feel free to repost your eaten-up response some time. I subscribe to a simple commitment; “God is not a Republican… or a Democrat.” (lifted from Jim Wallis) The break after the Republican piece should be a moment of lament and anger that Christians allow social conservatives to set the agenda for them about what they should care about.

For me, all I need to know about this is when James Dobson, a conservative “Christian” says that Christians should care most about a “strong national defense” on his radio program. I wonder what a certain Jesus had to say about that?

Hope you’re well!