Wednesday, January 24, 2007
A Political Pondering...
Yeah, I tend to avoid politics, because it really riles people up in a hurry, but in the nature of honesty and full-disclosure I have to say...
Do you remember this post? It was the most-commented-on post of my blogging career (22 comments).
I have to admit that I'm there. I'm really struggling with a hatred of our president. I know, hatred is an ugly word and an ugly concept -- but everytime I see his face on TV or hear his voice, I have to mentally & spiritually go through the process of letting it go. I don't like feeling this way -- it's really a struggle.
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6 comments:
I struggle with avoiding politics too. It is so easy to get emotionally involved, but politics will never provide deliverance from much of anything.
War is a rule in our fallen world, not an exception. The president's oath is to defend and protect the interests of the United States, and as such, anyone in that office is going to have a predisposition towards action rather than passivism.
I honestly think that Bush was dealt a really awful hand, and he played the hand that he thought had the best chance of winning. Had Paul Bremmer not fired the Iraqi army, perhaps Iraq would be stable, and Bush's vision would have been somewhat fullfilled. War is a very uncertain business.
As long as we remained in Saudi Arabia, Al Quaeda was going to continue to grow and continue to attack us. Our presence there was their only real beef with us. The only reason we where there was because the Iraq situation was not resolved.
If the Liberals where in charge, I am fairly sure they would have made a similar play. The liberals where in charge in Britain. and the arguments are the same, but the parties are reversed.
Anyway, I regard politics as one of Satan's favorite businesses. Who ever is there is going to be under intensely corrupting influences. Bush is a brother in Christ. His testimony is definitely not political pandering. So pray for the Holy Spirit to guide him and convict him.
It is a real bummer that Christianity is better known for it's politics than it's Love.
The best thing we can do is pray, and focus our hopes on Jesus.
good comment, Josh.
mego huge dittos, Josh!
I know that many Christians believe that Bush's christianity is not simple political pandering.
However, where do the ethics of Jesus influence his decisions -- particularly in the area of preemptive violence?
I know it's difficult. I know that being president is complex, much more complex than I could ever comprehend or deal with...and yet...I'm looking for someone to say "the world believes that more violence is thhe answer to violence...but there's a 'third way,' -- it's the way of Jesus and it's the way that we choose to follow."
Maybe I hope for too much for someone who so publicly wears Christianity as a badge of honor??
(listen to Rob Bell's message, "Calling all Peacemakers III," for a great discussion on the refusal to fight violence to violence and instead look for a third way.)
It seems like the war in Iraq was preemptive, but I think it was more the resolution of the war that Saddam started in the 1990's when he invaded Kuwait.
In order to end that war, Saddam agreed to make certain assurances that he was not going to be an aggressor again. He failed to make those assurances, and in fact he was aggressive against us over the course of those 12 years. Shooting at our airplanes, attempting to assassinate our former leader etc.
Until Saddam was subdued, we where compelled to contain him, and as long as we remained in Saudi Arabia, the Al Quaeda had a platform that they could recruit and grow on. "Get the infidels out of the holy land"
Our gross miscalculation was that Saddam was actually bluffing the whole time. He didn't think it was likely that we would have the gall to drive into Baghdad and run him out of town. He was more concerned about keeping his neighbors and the domestic factions intimidated, as he saw them as a more realistic threat. As a result, he did everything he could to make everyone think he had WMD and was willing to use them, without being so overt to undeniably justify an invasion.
Our government is secular. It can't be expected to turn the other cheek. The president is bound by oath to defend and protect. 9/11 proved that there was a lot of work to do. If he had failed to take decisive action he would have been driven out of office. He is a servant to the constitution of the United States, and is bound by Romans 13 to serve to the best of his abilities.
The United States is of this world, as such it is going to naturally do some evil things. It is the motive that should be measured. In this case, I think Bush's motive was to resolve the Iraq conflict so that there could be a more peaceful and free middle east. Saddam was a brutal tyrant and a persistent aggressor towards his neighbors. Bush's policy may have been misguided, but I think his intent was honorable.
Had the war been executed successfully would we be having this conversation? The vote to authorize that war really wasn't very close. It is hindsight and political opportunism that created the bulk of the controversy.
what's the list? sex, music, religion and politics?
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