…if you were on Mars…deep underground…in a wire mesh sealed cave…with noise cancelling headphones.
The latest “most important election in the history of our country” is over, except for the shouting, recriminations, complaints, demonstrations and the like. In my church yesterday one would have thought last week was a quiet week. There was scant mention of the election because far more important subjects demanded attention: worship of almighty God, the eternal Gospel, hurting and hungry people.
I’m not going to spend the next four years griping and complaining, a principle I adopted on November 7, 2012. It is personally damaging to be so emotionally invested in elections that it affects your enjoyment of life granted by God, in affluent America, with all the blessings and privileges we enjoy. I suggested to the small group that I attend and sometimes lead that I’ve found this to be a beneficial posture to take in politically intense and divided America. Not sure all of them are there yet. There was a bit of depression afoot at our meeting.
Intelligent, deliberate, consistent prayer for the president elect is expected of followers of Christ. I’m thankful for various SBC leaders and social media stars who have echoed this. There is no argument against doing what God tells us to do. For about half the years I’ve lived as a Christian adult, we’ve had Democratic presidents: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. Now Joe Biden come next January.
To be candid, less melodrama is a good thing. Biden may be deficient in some areas but he will most assuredly offer less drama. Thank God for that.
My fair state, Georgia, will be the center of the political universe for the next two months, until the runoff elections for both U. S. Senate seats. Republicans in this state have never been accused of being overly shrewd; thus, two top tier GOP candidates for one of the Senate seats, a divided vote, and now a runoff. Dumb. My usual statement about politics in the Peach State (we claim legacy rights to the name even though we are way behind California and South Carolina in peach production) is that Republicans here are stoopid, exceeded in that only by the Democrats. Sheesh.
Seems to me that it will take some politically minded, Trump supporting pastors and churches time to recover. I hear of more and more SBC churches doing less and less overt politics. Good. The Republic will survive bad leaders. The church will too and we’ve got the promise that the gates of Hell will not prevail against the us.
Our Grand Convention faces some difficulties. Some want to take the ship over. Some want to sink it. Some are just trying to hack it on Mondays. We have solid leadership in place nationally in our entities. I can’t think of how the last four years have helped our Grand Old Ship.
So, go fishing. That would be therapeutic no matter whose side you are on.
__________________
My colleagues here may opine slightly different than your humble hacker and plodder blogger on this. They live in outlying areas like Iowa, Indiana, and Virginia where the landscape is different. May I smugly say that I am closer to the SBC Vatican than any of the others and, thus, more in tune with the emanations from those we pay enough to know about all this stuff. (Humor, is a universal antidote to political depression, brethren and sistren. I suggest it be tried, especially by our dour Calvinistic friends.}
Thanks, William. As we drove to church yesterday, the Lord brought something to my mind. Presidents and governors come and go, but Jesus is still the King of kings and Lord of lords. I’m proud to be an American citizen, but ultimately my citizenship is in heaven. I’ll live there a lot longer than I’ll live here.
I am very vested and involved in politics, I have never for a moment put that above knowing that God in control and that my faith is in the Lord. So please, stop the statements are it is becoming perfunctionary . I think all on this site have their priorities straight. That be said, this is a sea level change election on the national level as we have elected a party whose platform is not in tune with most American traditional ideas in most areas. The Biden Administration will not be giving a “seat” at the table to people of… Read more »
I realize that most Baptists believe they are God’s chosen people and have earned his blessing and favor over all other Christians because of their alleged doctrinal correctness which entitles them to the kind of judgmental proclamations we see here. Somehow, during the years I was a member of a Baptist church I failed the course on how to get immaculate perception and judge the thoughts and intentions of someone else’s soul. If you’re going use the term “people of faith” without defining what that is, the Biden administration’s table already has two people, both active members of a church,… Read more »
When you write that “most baptists believe that they are God’s chosen people…it’s best not to follow that with an attack on someone else’s propensity to be judgmental.
OK, I’ll accept that correction. I don’t see a way to edit the paragraph, so let’s just take that first sentence off.
Jack Matthews, I as well as every other American voter in the election made a judgement call, so I am judgmental of Biden policies and goals. I was not judging anyone’s soul but their secular actions in politics. We can play the word game of defining people of faith but I will stand with common sense understanding of it in our American culture , people of faith can be from various religious beliefs with Catholic, Protestants and Jews being the main faiths in American society. The gas price statement was just to illustrate the difference in policy that will affect… Read more »
Steve, a challenge for ya: write a comment under 25 words. . just to prove you can do it.
Challenge for William,
Turn down your condescending tone…it is very unbecoming a Christian. If there is a word restriction post in the rules please.
OR perhaps you and Steve are friends and the statement was in jest? If so please accept my apology.
William, cannot do, tired of sound bites, issue complicated. Thanks, will have to abstain from commenting.
Take it in good humor, Steve. You’re a grizzled vet of this stuff. 😉
Thanks for the clarification. By your definition here, there are already two Christians, one Catholic, one Protestant, occupying seats at the Biden-Harris administration table. I don’t see any indication that the incoming administration will be any less “Christian”, by that definition, than the current one. If you’re referring to conservative, Evangelical Christians when you speak of “lessening influence” I’m not so sure of that. Biden has deep connections to many African-American Evangelicals (or should I be politically correct and say “Historically African-American Christians) who are in the same theological and doctrinal ball park. There will be many individuals from “historically… Read more »
One of the first people named to the Biden transition team is a conservative, Evangelical Christian who happens to be an active member of a Southern Baptist church.
Who & to what position?
Cindy McCain, on the transition team. I don’t know that there’s a specific position.
Who is this Southern Baptist on Biden’s team? I’ve tried a google search and found nothing concrete?
Cindy McCain, advisory board member
Amen
I’ll help: soaring energy costs hurt the poor and benefit the one percent. Period.
We’ve got 4 years to thrash all this out. Doesn’t have to be shoehorned into one comment.
I would like for one of these well meaning thoughtful Christians that are Biden apologist to please explain to me the equality act that the BIDEN/HARRIS campaign has assured will be made law in the 1st 100 days.
How does the promotion of such an ungodly truth resonate in you faith?
It’s not therapeutic for the fish. Sorry, I needed a laugh. I actually enjoyed your thoughts.
I live in Georgia too, and will be voting for the two Republican Senators again in the runoff. I am sure I don’t agree with everything they stand for, but I have less in common with the two pro-choice pro same sex marriage Democrats running.
Gee whiz. The election has not been called. Why are you propagating a lie?
Remember “Dewey Defeats Truman?”
If your going to take shots, use your name. First name would be fine.
News networks have been projecting election outcomes as far back as I can remember. Why now does it seem to be the unpardonable sin? I don’t recall hearing too many complaints 4 years ago.
William,
In my opinion the trivialization of the election by our “leaders” was successful. They are probably popping the cork at the ERLC and elsewhere. Quietly of course they don’t want the sheep to hear.
Woody
Evidently, making up false accusations isn’t a problem for you, Woody?
Dave,
Stating my opinion is not a problem, if my perception of our Leadership is wrong it will be noted in due time.
Woody
I thought our “leaders” (whoever they may be) were particularly silent on this election, other than Mohler endorsing Trump.
I don’t have a problem with that. It is any American’s right to vote, and to keep his or her vote secret.
The ones that went public (like Mohler) bothered me more.
Of course, Woody is buying into conspiracy theories about “stealing the election” – which many megas and others bought into as well. He wanted SBC leaders to join the Trump Train and get involved in the tinfoil hat conspiracies.
Dave, Wow, I am glad I came by SBCV today to find out much to my astonishment how I am “ buying into conspiracy theories about “stealing the election” – which many megas and others bought into as well. He wanted SBC leaders to join the Trump Train and get involved in the tinfoil hat conspiracies” Perhaps your error ( and we all make mistakes) stems from my use of “trivialization” by which I was referring to the tone from many prior to the election, that’s prior to the election. I stand by what I have said. And for the record… Read more »
“70 million others who voted legally.”
How do you know they all voted legally?
Bill Mac,
That is just it we really don’t know yet who did and who didn’t. Regardless of any ones ideological bias I think potential voter fraud should be investigated before a state certifies it’s results.
would you agree?
woody
No I wouldn’t. Voter fraud can and certainly should be investigated and prosecuted. But just because someone cries “voter fraud” does not mean a state cannot certify the results of an election. By your logic, people could keep elections in limbo indefinitely. All they would have to do is keep alleging fraud. The bar is much higher than that. Only if the evidence is so overwhelming that it is suspected that the results of the election were changed by the fraud would it be prudent to postpone certifying results. You need a lot of evidence for that. You alleged that… Read more »
Bill Mac
I just cannot argue with your flawless logic!
woody
Bill, when voter fraud is actually committed, I don’t know how it can be proven once the ballots are processed or mixed together. I’ve been a poll worker in California for years and the provisional ballots are from the same stack of ballots that verified voters get theirs. Once those provisionals are removed from the special envelope – there is no difference! Hopefully, those provisionals are verified or rejected BEFORE the envelopes are opened. In California, a poll worker must give a ballot to EVERYONE who asks for one – whether their name is on our roster or not. Those… Read more »
Here’s what I see Stephen. Trump, suspecting he was going to lose, primed the pump for crying voter fraud. Democrats clearly took the pandemic more seriously than Republicans and would certainly vote more by mail than Republicans, so when huge numbers of mail in ballots went to Democrats, he cried fraud. He had already whipped up his base on this. Was there some fraud? Or mistakes? Or irregularities? Probably, as there always are. Enough to overturn an election? No one has presented any credible evidence to suggest it. Trump certainly can’t be trusted in this area. Texas’s Lt. Gov. is… Read more »
You are obviously closer to President Trump than most of us since you know what those around him think but won’t say. Just a couple of questions for you: 1) Mr. Biden swore to Chris Wallace in the first debate that he would not claim victory until the election was certified. Why is he now claiming to have won when all the votes have not been counted and the election has not been certified by either the Electoral College nor a joint session of Congress? 2) If the Biden/Harris victory is so certain, why has Sen. Harris not resigned from… Read more »
You won’t find me as an apologist for Biden/Harris. I didn’t vote for them.
“those around him think but won’t say”
They are saying it, just not to him.
William,
I just became aware of a NewsMax interview, during which Mr. Trainor (Chief of Federal Elections Committee), expressed his opinion that illegitimate voting is now suspected by him to have occurred in several locations.
As an unregistered non-voter, I certainly have no ‘skin in this game’ supporting either party, …but I desperately want to see righteousness exalted through the preservation of constitutional/established legal procedure. Please Lord, permit an unbiased penetrating light to go forth, probing and exposing ALL acts of election malfeasance committed by ANY member of ANY party.
Hail to the truth alone, wherever that eventually leads, politically.