Is politics too dirty for a Christian?

“Hey, Hey, LBJ!

How Many Kids Did You Kill Today?”

  Those words, part of a chant repeated over and over in protests during the 1960s has essentially been forgotten. Fifty years ago those words rang out across college campuses, fueled antiwar rallies and filled the air outside the White House piercing the soul of the man who lived there.

  The Vietnam War became “Lyndon Johnson’s war,” though it was Eisenhower, nearly a decade earlier who first involved the U.S. in Vietnam. Vietnam eventually wrecked Johnson’s presidency, ending his dream of founding a “Great Society,” free of everything war and violence birthed. Within five years of leaving office, he died a broken and disillusioned man.

  How would you feel? How would you feel if nearly every decision was second-guessed? How would you feel if you were constantly misquoted or your words taken out of context? How would you feel if you were called a “hack, extremist, idiot, thug, radical, shill” or worse? How would you feel if every time there was a traffic jam, a downturn in the economy, or even a pothole, you were blamed and it was somehow YOUR fault? How would you feel if you or your family were threatened with bodily harm or worse because of your position? How would you feel if you weren’t quite sure if your friends were really friends, or because you had some influence that benefited them?   

  If none of that would bother you, maybe you’re ready to run for public office…because that’s the price. While it’s true that some individuals seek public office to gain position or acquire power or money, it’s a small minority. Most seek public office, especially local ones, to work for their community or for a cause. They want to make a difference. Most begin pure in their ideology and motives. They truly, according to their worldview, desire to make their community and this world a better place.

  Yes, it’s easy to become jaundiced and forget you’re a public servant. Very few start that way and most still want to make a difference. They’re committed to the “greater good,” even though we may not agree with their definition of what that “greater good” is or their worldview.

  It’s common for Christians to quip, “I’m just not interested in politics.” Such a dismissive remark is frequently delivered with a veneer of piety implying that political engagement is somehow inherently defiled, occupying an arena unfit for anyone serious about the gospel. Yet, such an attitude denies the gospel and that Christ died for everyone including politicians, even those that we disagree with. The message of the gospel is that by grace through faith every sinner can be reconciled with God (Eph. 2:7-8). It’s only the gospel, not political power, that transforms individuals, nations and cultures.  

  Politics are unavoidable. Ask a pastor of an underground church or a missionary attempting to access a closed country if politics matter. Religious liberty, passports and visas are vital. In America and a post-Christian world, it’s politics that protect the blessing that God has given us, our 1^st amendment rights: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

  Politics then have real-world implications on our God-given mission of evangelism, missions and discipleship. God has given us a responsibility to care for those around us. It’s vital that we engage in the political process advocating for laws and policies that contribute to the good and flourishing of our fellow image-bearers of God. We are our “neighbor’s keeper.”

  God established and uses human government for His glory (Gen. 9:5-6; Rom. 13:1-5). Some of the greatest heroes in Scripture served the Lord by serving in anti-God governments (Joseph, Nehemiah, Esther and Daniel).

  One of the most evil kings of all time was gloriously saved Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4). It’s why we’re commanded to pray for our governmental leaders (1 Tim. 2:1-4). At Grace, we take that command seriously. It’s why we pray for an elected official each week. We want them to govern in a God-honoring way. More importantly, we want them to come to a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

  Think what would happen if those in elected office came to Christ. Most of us are skeptical of that. Yet, that only shows our lack of faith and naïveté of God’s power. I’ve just finished reading, Born Again by Chuck Colson. Known as Nixon’s “hatchet man,” Chuck Colson was the last person many thought would ever come to Christ, but he did. Literally, millions in the corridors of power and in cells in some of the world’s worst prisons have been touched by the gospel because God gloriously saved Chuck Colson. I know that God has used him and his writings in my life.

  This weekend Jane and I are attending the Wilberforce Conference hosted by the organization Chuck Colson started, Prison Fellowship. Tomorrow we’ll be visiting the offices of our national representatives. Why? We have a biblical mandate – Matthew 28:19-20. Jesus was the friend of sinners and you and I are to be Jesus in our world.

  Throughout time God has placed believers in the corridors of power. As Christians, we have a common bond with brothers and sisters in Christ that is eternal, even if they’re from other political persuasions. Our common spiritual inheritance must have precedence over all political differences.   

  Jeremiah 29:7 says: “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” Referring to the debauched city of Babylon, Jeremiah recognized even a pagan government serves a purpose in God’s plan. That’s still true. Our witness in the public square contributes transcendent moral values, yet our withdrawal opens the door to a moral vacuum. We are commanded to be salt and light…and that includes the political arena.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

ALL children's lives matter

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” 

  Plato

  One of the benefits of reading is it can give you a perspective you might never have. A book I read recently did that for me: Dancing with Max by Emily Colson. It’s one of the most moving books I’ve read in a long time.

  You may recognize the name, Colson. Emily is the late Chuck Colson’s only daughter. It was printed in 2010, two years before Chuck went Home to be with the Lord. Chuck wrote both the prologue and epilogue.

  While I can often read a novel in a day or so, biographies typically take me time to work through. I literally couldn’t put this biography down. Often I found myself weeping as Emily shared her story and that of her autistic son, Max. It’s a sad yet wonderful story, all at the same time. It was a blessing in that it gave me insights of what it must be like to parent an autistic child.

  Like me, I’m sure you’re thankful celebrities and athletes like Tim Tebow have such powerful testimonies. Yet, in our celebrity enamored world, it’s easy, even in the Church to forget Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians (I know I do), “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

  One of the most important lessons we forget is God loves everyone, Jesus died for everyone and the Church is for everyone. We’re truly to be the antithesis of the world which teaches that the beautiful, talented, intelligent, wealthy, athletic and popular have greater value. The Church is to be a safe place of grace for everyone, particularly the disenfranchised.

  No one seems to know why but the number of children diagnosed with autism or related disorders has grown at what many call an alarming rate. In the 1970s and 1980s, one out of every 2,000 children had autism. Today, the CDC estimates, one in 150 eight-year-olds in the U.S. fits the autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. If we are going to be the Church God has called us to be, we must find ways to love, minister and be a blessing to those others disdain and reject. What can we do as a church family and as individual believers to minister to special needs families?

  Be very sensitive to the amount of stress a special needs child puts on a marriage and family. Even in a church our size, we have two critical health situations. While these are not special needs children, they are critical care children. One family has a two year old granddaughter in need of a heart transplant. The other has a five year old grandson with a brain tumor who’s had surgery and is continuing chemo. And we have other families with special needs children – health, emotional, educational limitations, etc. at different levels, and we will have more.

  A crisis with a child puts incredible stress on a marriage. It did with Emily Colson. Even before they had a diagnosis of autism, the strain became too much and her husband filed for divorce.

  Most young couples struggle financially. Add to that the stress of a crisis with their child. Then, their child needs extra time and attention, yet they must work, just to stay ahead. To pay the extra bills, one or both may need to take a second job BUT their child still needs them, more than other children typically need their parents. Because of the needs of the child, attention which should be focused on each other and the marriage, often is consumed by the child and the crisis.

  How can we help? First, pray…really pray for them. Let them know you are praying for them…over and over again. Then, do it.

  Then, encourage them. One of Emily’s spiritually mature friends, Patti, called Max a “gift.” God used that to change Emily’s whole perspective. Max wasn’t some curse or a burden, this special autistic boy was a “gift” from God. And isn’t that what Scripture teaches? “Children are a gift from the Lord” (Psalms 127:3, NLT). The Bible doesn’t qualify it and say “perfect” children or “normal” children. Psalms 139:13-16 reminds us that each of us are designed by God. And that special child is not just a gift for those parents or that family, that child is a gift to us, to our church.

  Look too for ways to help them. Just the usual stuff of going to the grocery store can be a major crisis with a special needs child. Perhaps offer to watch the child while they do needed errands. Or, do the errands for them. Caring for a special needs child can be a 24/7 commitment. Just watching their child can be the sanity respite they desperately need.

  Be aware ministering to special needs children and their families help you and I grow spiritually. That’s what happened to Max’s grandfather, Chuck Colson. Max coming into his life helped Chuck grow in grace.

  Previously, Chuck had been a lawyer and on President Nixon’s staff. After going to prison and coming to Christ, he began a ministry to inmates, Prison Fellowship. But Chuck moved faster than the speed of light and kept his schedule overflowing. Max slowed him down…a lot. You just can’t rush a special needs child. It taught Chuck compassion and patience and was used by God to cultivate spiritual fruit in his life. God can use it to do the same for us.

  I worry about Christians who don’t want to serve, particularly with children. I worry their souls are shriveling. More than that, I fear what the Lord may do, because He loves us so much, because our spiritual growth is so vital to Him…what He will do to get us to grow.

  Some of the saddest comments I hear folk say, “I’ve done my turn with kids…I’m not a kid’s person…I don’t have the patience.” They’re very ignorant of their Bibles. Our Savior said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14). The very best way to become more childlike is to be with experts – children. Amazingly, it was the spiritually stunted disciples who didn’t have time for children – Jesus always did. I don’t know about you but I want be like Jesus. I want to be a person who has His love, compassion and patience, even for the disenfranchised. Don’t you?

 

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What are the odds?

“Gambling: The sure way of getting nothing from something.”  Wilson Mizner

  Sadly, if you’re ever looking for a sure thing, you don’t have to look much further than what politicians will do to get elected. That was true a number of years ago as our elected officials sold us a bill of goods on the tremendous savings on property taxes if we had a State Lottery. The grand total of that tremendous savings is about $100 a year. And that’s just for those who own property. Those with a serious gambling problem experienced average gambling losses of nearly $100,000 each during their career as gamblers. At the time they finally sought help, the serious problem gamblers had debts averaging $38,644. More than one-fifth had turned to bankruptcy court to ward off their creditors.

  The political Sirens cry today is “jobs, jobs, jobs.” Please mark it down. Politicians, for the most part, are pragmatic and utilitarian. They also are very, very short sighted and can rarely see beyond the next election cycle.

  That’s the only explanation for the support for a casino in Kenosha. It’s all about jobs, but no one wants to ask the tough question, the one right after – “Will this help me get re-elected?” – What’s the cost?

  In an article on gambling a few years ago, Christian political analyst and commentator, Chuck Colson asked some pointed questions: “Should we support elected officials who deliberately set about to increase crime, divorce, suicide, child abuse, bankruptcy, and domestic violence? What would say if I told you that our own leaders are doing just that when they encourage gambling?”

  Chuck Colson was right. Gambling destroys our families, our communities and our country. Gambling ruins lives and wrecks families. There is a mountain of evidence which demonstrates a direct link between gambling and divorce, child abuse, domestic violence, bankruptcy, crime, and suicide.

  And we all know this nearly intuitively. Be honest. Would you want to live in either Atlantic City or Las Vegas? There’s a reason most us would rather live nearly anywhere else. It’s all of the societal evils associated with gambling that infect a community.

  Yet, gambling has been spreading like an epidemic across our country, with hardly a voice raised in opposition. And it’s no wonder. Gambling interests pump millions of dollars into the campaigns of Democrats and Republicans alike. Everyone knows that campaign money buys influence. What’s very troubling is that gambling interests go to such great lengths to hide from the public much of their buying effort. The fact is that gambling money can get you elected…or defeated, if you oppose it.

  Sadly, even some churches will use gambling to raise money. It reminds me of the story of a young man, canvassing the community, selling chances on $25.00 to be given away by local church of which the boy was a member. After carefully learning from the youngster the facts, one of his contacts asked, “Isn't that gambling?” The reply was, "Well, not if I do it for the church.” It’s a tragedy that some religious organizations resort to methods of gambling in order to raise money for their operations. This story illustrates that not only secular groups, but religious groups as well are involved in the spread of gambling. It’s the age old argument of “the end justifies the means.”  

  While the Bible never specifically addresses the subject of gambling, it provides us with a number of principles that can guide us on this issue. The Bible does not say, “You shall not gamble,” or “gambling is wrong,” but it does teach us that while we might be free to do many things, all things are not profitable and we should never be brought under the control or power of anything other than the reign of Christ in our lives (1 Cor. 10:23; 6:12).

  Gambling easily becomes addictive. It becomes a means of getting rich quick or of seeking fortune apart from constructive labor or work that is truly beneficial to society. God has given us each abilities and with training we can become productive members of society and of the body of Christ. Gambling seeks to bypass this process.

  Gambling is a form of state-sponsored greed. Romans 13 teaches that government is to be a minister of good and for God. Government should provide order in society and promote public virtue. Legalized gambling undercuts government’s role and subverts the moral fabric of society through greed and selfishness promoted by a state-sponsored vice.

  Gambling breeds covetousness. The 10^th Commandment commands us not to covet. Coveting, greed, and selfishness are the base emotions that entice us to gamble. Legalized gambling becomes an institutionalized form of greed.

  Gambling destroys the work ethic. Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” The Twentieth Century Fund research group observed, “Gambling’s get-rich-quick appeal appears to mock capitalism’s core values: disciplined work habits, thrift, prudence, adherence to routine, and the relationship between effort and reward.” These core values of the work ethic are all part of the free enterprise system and are part of the Christian life. But gambling corrupts these values and replaces them with greed and selfishness. Rather than depending on hard work, gamblers depend instead upon luck and chance.

  Gambling destroys families. Gambling is a major cause of family neglect. As people get caught up in a gambling frenzy, they neglect their families. Money spent on lottery tickets or at horse tracks is usually not risk capital, it’s income that should be spent on family needs. The more gambling is legalized, the more that it tempts people to neglect their responsibility to care for their families and then those same families often end up on welfare, supported by the same government that legalized the disease.

  Gambling is bad social policy. It’s bad economic policy. It’s bad governmental policy. It undermines the moral foundations of society and invites corruption in government. As believers, we have a responsibility to be salt and light in our decaying world. That means that we need to hold our elected officials accountable. We need to let them know gambling is bad for our society, and they have a responsibility to do what is best for their constituents, not just what will get them elected.