Why I almost skipped a Worship Gathering

I recently was driving around town in here in Mayberry, when I came upon a church sign. I proceeded to voice activate my cell phone (because it is illegal in Mayberry to use your phone without that ear piece too). I called my friend Scott to tell him that he may need to speak on the following Sunday morning because I needed to be at another church's gathering.

The sign was so provocative and I couldn't imagine where the message that was being promoted would lead that congregation... Well, I actually could imagine and guess with a great deal of certainty where it would go. The sign read, "What the Bible says about Obama."

If you know me, you probably know that I am not a fan of either candidate in this election and am becoming quickly disenfranchised with the 2-party system that we operate under. (I'm liking the idea of parliamentary government styled after the British model.)

DON'T WORRY! THESE ARE THOUGHTS MORE THAN OPINIONS....

Anyhow, I was discouraged that a church would overtly propagate a position on a candidate and pretend that the Bible directly addresses that candidate. I could already hear the rhetoric laden with Christian-eze and Christianized political idioms.

The Bible has a lot to say about the issues we face. It has a lot to say about what kind of character a leader must have in order to govern well. (I have been very disappointed with the revelations of our leaders' true character after they have promoted their authentic faith during campaigning.)

I hope that the church will stand up for the Bible. All that it teaches. All that it promotes. All that it embodies.

Politics, however, are so fluid and deceptive. I think it is patently dangerous for a church to support or denounce a particular candidate in an official stance. Politicians are professional liars. I trust those who sing the merits of their faith least of all. That being said, this preliminary campaign offered two candidates who seemed to have the highest level of fidelity to their faith in my memory (except, possibly, for Jimmy Carter who I am embarrassed to say I am old enough to remember and who will surely divide the opinions of my friends who read this). And both of those candidates we eliminated from the race in rather short order because of their distance from professional political culture.

I find politics so interesting, so discouraging, so distasteful, so far from the Christian ideal. I guess it is this conflicting set of opinions that makes me question how a church could conscientiously post such a blatantly political phrase on their church sign.