Jul 14, 2005

Why this bothers me.


Politics is creepy stuff. Always has been, and sadly, always will be. It has its shining moments, like when Lyndon Johnson pushed the Voting Rights Act through Congress, knowing full well that it would kill the Democratic Party in the South for decades to come. That was one of politics shining moments, when principal, honor, and yes, Christianity, overcome greed and the lust for power.

But moments like that are few and far between.


Since embracing Christianity over twenty years ago, I've not cared too much for politics. I paid attention, I had my preferences (based on the New Deal and the Sermon on the Mount), but I didn't sweat the results on a day to day basis. But this current bunch of Right Wing GOP leaders, having risen to power on the basis of Southern Racism and faux-patriotism coming out of the Reagan years, decided to grab the flag and drape it over the Cross of Christ, equating Christianity with the GOP. Gullible Christians, who for too long have heard a watered-down version of the Gospel that stressed cheap grace and the law, have fallen for it hook, line, and sinker. Following the pattern of original Sin, they have exchanged the atoning sacrifice of Jesus for a works-based religion that has more to do with Islam and Mormonism than it does with following Jesus.

That's why it bothers me. The GOP has blasphemed my Lord. They have dragged his Holy Name in the mud, all for mammon's sake. They swept into power proclaiming themselves virtuous, while filling the air with all manner of filth. No lie is too big, no smear is too brazen, as their god Mammon demands sacrifice.

May God have mercy on us for our foolishness, for calling them to power in Jesus' Name.

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