I am normally not a fan of bumper stickers. No matter what the message is, religious, political, humorous....I mostly find them profoundly passive aggressive and irritating.
But, today I saw one I liked. I probably won't stick it on the bumper of my behemoth suburban, but here it is,
"God is NOT a REPUBLICAN
...............or a Democrat."
OK, discuss.....
Seriously, no comments yet? Either this post has offended the red lot or the blue lot. I kinda hope that both were challenged to think through some of their positions. OK, I really hope.
ReplyDeleteLots of hits on the site today, yet no comments..
Not quite sure what to deduce.....
I LOVED it! Just so you know. I just didn't have the hands to comment. :) I know that I was raised to believe that Christians must vote Republican so it is hard for me to break out of that sometimes. I guess that with this election I have to think through what the most important issues are and vote from there. I don't agree with everything that either candidate supports.
ReplyDeleteHow was that? ;)
OK, I finally did the google sign-up thing so that I could respond to this one....
ReplyDeleteI love that bumper sticker! Why must we put political labels on ourselves? We're blessed to live in a country where we have the freedom to vote according to our values and consciences. Personally, I choose not to label myself anything but a Christian, and I'm grateful for a God that loves me no matter how I vote.
Yay, Sarah!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat about yay Marisa? Don't I get any praise? ;)
ReplyDeletegreen party...maybe?
ReplyDeleteYay to you, Marisa! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd to all of you "young'ns" that care about the issues. You ladies are awesome and I'm digging all of your blogs!
To be Milquetoast, I could say I agree with the sticker in that we cannot contain God within such a limiting label. True, that.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if pushed, I would say God would be Republican only because I cannot imagine Him voting for abortion rights. The precious lives He has created would outweigh in value the more superfluous issues.
I just finished reading Tony Campolo's "Red Letter Christians"....
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend it. It goes through the issues and basically concludes that politics is not the answer.....
Very interesting read....
Also in the middle of "The Irresistible Revolution"...another one to challenge my thinking!
Yay Marisa!!!!
ReplyDeleteDidn't mean to leave you out, just wanted to affirm Sarah for her first blog comment!
Thanks for the recognition, Jodie!
ReplyDeleteThis bumper sticker has been really making me think and examine things. I LOVED "Irresistable Revolution"... It really challenged me. Glad you are reading it. I just started reading "Jesus for President" too.
I have to say that I love reading all of the comments on this one. I truly believe that God values all of the lives that he created... the unborn babies, the innocent lives lost in war, soldiers, kids trafficked and sold as sex slaves, the poor, orphans, widows, the spiritually hungry... I believe that he aches for all of his children. I don't believe that a party holds the answer. Thankfully, Jesus is so much bigger!
amen, Marisa!
ReplyDeleteI actually get quite annoyed when people assume all Christians are Republicans or vice-versa. I just don't like it when people assume I believe something that I may not. I think it's important for Christians, especially, to challenge and question our own beliefs. I think that has strengthened my faith. And when it comes to political candidates, I can vote with an objective mind. (hopefully....although, I'm kind of Obama crazy...heh)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Marisa on the value of all life, and all the categories she named.
ReplyDeleteHowever, our country at this point only legislates allowances to exterminate one of those people groups - the unborn. If there were legislation that permitted killing of widows and orphans, or that allowed human trafficking because it was someone's "choice", we would be outraged! I know injustices still fly under the radar for sex slaves and widows and orphans, but the law of the land mostly runs in their favor...right? Seems that is not the case with the unborn....so they get my vote.
I really do wish "the law of the land" ruled in favor of widows, slaves, diseased etc. That is very, very far from the truth. Have you traveled internationally? Even to the inner city in Seattle?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure ranking injustice is something Jesus is about. All injustice breaks his heart. We absolutely do not need to be for one cause instead of another. We should be banding together to fight injustice of all kinds because that's what Christ did. One injustice doesn't trump another. When we get into a competition of which injustice is closest to God's heart, we are rendered ineffective in our efforts to combat them. Our time is spent ineffectively and the difference we can make is marginalized.
My problem with political parties is that none of them exactly represent God's heart.
I am not a Democrat.
I am not a Republican.
I am a Christian.
Didn't try to rank injustice. Not at all.
ReplyDeleteIt's very discouraging to look at a world of hurt and to even prioritize in the least which cause you can begin with. I think it is a matter of the heart - God moves people in all sorts of directions by prompting their hearts - this way we get the whole mess taken care of to the best of our abilities.
I'm simply moving in the direction I feel called to. I am only at the brass tacks level - I totally do not boast about being well-traveled or an authority on the legal system - brass tacks says to me to offer LIFE and then go from there. Of course there are injustices in our country toward the poor - no argument there - just trying to offer life to begin with.
Just humbly trying to start at the fundamentals. That's all.
Thanks, Alison, for the clarification of your heart. It's clear God has burdened you for the threat to the unborn. My challenge to you is to consider what else God is up to. To allow your own thinking and awareness to be challenged. That was the intent of this post and the encouragement for discussion....
ReplyDeleteDemocrat? Republican? Sometimes I wonder whether God is even American!
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, I can sympathize with Alison's point--that is, if you hold the opinion that abortion is legalized murder, it's understandable if you then make that a litmus issue. Yes, we could do so much more for the poor, but on the other hand the law doesn't give you the explicit right to rip poor people apart with a pair of forceps (or whatever instruments they use--I don't dare look it up). I don't think it belittles the plight of widows and orphans to say that abortion might be on a different level, morally speaking.
BUT on the other hand, even if George W. Bush himself had 8 more years in office, it'd be a longshot that Roe v. Wade would be overturned in 2016. (And overturning Roe v. Wade just means the issue goes back to the states, many of which would legalize abortions.)
To put it another way: the way forward for abortion may not be top-down. We need a culture shift first. Meanwhile, there are a lot of issues of social justice and taking care of the needy that can be addressed top-down (like universal health insurance--not to say that Christians must be in support of it, but I trust you get my point). Not to mention our stewardship of the environment, or cleaning up the last eight or so years of disastrous foreign policy. These issues require strong leadership and can't wait until abortions are illegal.
Just got back from a walk around downtown Seattle. Didn't see anyone I wanted to abort.
ReplyDeleteOk, guys...this post gets the award for most responses. Guess you all took me seriously when I called you out for not responding in the beginning! Now I know how to get more traffic on the blog...start up a controversial topic!
ReplyDeleteJoe, thanks for your insight. Some excellent, very articulate points. Lots to think about in this election year. Great to see a guy posting here ! :)
Thanks everyone for the lively discussion! Thankfully, there is room for debate and discussion amongst brothers and sisters.....