The Thoughts, Updates, and Happenings of Eric, Rachel Leigh, Kyle, and Keira.

Christians In Politics

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 08:56:26 -0500

Few would dispute that power corrupts. The kind of power wielded by elected and appointed officials, activists, special interests, and bureaucrats often results in a special kind of corruption called “politics.” In America, the People are empowered by our founding documents in a way unique in history. Our power as citizens can corrupt us as well if we aren’t vigilant. How do we take the power of the citizen and the power of the Scriptures and engage politics and culture without a corrupt spirit? It isn’t easy and takes tremendous diligence.
I have worked in or around the public policy scene since 1995 and have frequently struggled with the role a Christian plays in the political process. There is, unfortunately, a growing divide within the Christian community on the roles of pragmatism and purism. Schisms within the Church on such issues highlight the heart-issues involved in public policy. We must learn to maintain unity as a Body even as we approach public policy diversely. I still have much to learn but here are some things I’ve taken away from the process so far:
1. Too often, there is very little difference between “Christians” in politics and everyone else. The fact is, every true Christ-follower still has a human nature to wrestle with (Romans 7:13-25, Gen. 3). It’s easy to get cynical about people who claim to have a relationship with God but don’t walk in it. It’s even easier to get cynical about non-believers in the political class. But I’ve learned that the way to effectiveness is to be realistic about what to expect from people and care about them unconditionally. Like any work environment, I can speak Truth to them without crossing professional lines of appropriateness. I’m not going to argue them into the Kingdom or out-anger or out-hate anyone into the Kingdom. Don’t let other people’s base human nature ruin you. We must appeal to them as Christ-followers first, and fellow citizens second.
2. Those Christians who are often the most respected as “Culture Warriors” and truth tellers are often a cancer in the Body of Christ. Many believers measure value in other’s rhetoric by how passionate, angry, and aggressive he/she is on issues. The degree to which you can be righteously indignant is now somehow the spiritual Gold Standard. I have learned over the last number of years that being more angry or aggressive than the opposition, even if you are right on the issue, is worthless. Romans 13 begins by telling us to submit to government authority, goes on to discuss love for our neighbor and respect for each other’s liberty, and wraps up in chapter 14, verse 10 by asking why we judge and show contempt for our brother. It’s one example of many in the Scriptures that we are to respect authority, each other’s liberty, and love each other in spite of a different tack on an issue of policy or daily living. Too often Christians cannibalize each other for disagreeing on public policy and condemn themselves in the process by violating the command to love the Brethren. They are living examples of I Corinthians, verses one through three: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.”
3. Love and meekness is not weakness. Sounds cliché but it is a Biblical Truth. Too often Christians lack self control. We do a great job of pretending to be innocent as doves but we are often inept at practicing wisdom (Matt 10:16). After a while you can sense very quickly when someone has just enough knowledge to be dangerous. They are usually loud, but lack the wisdom to know how to harness their zeal with wisdom, prudence, and persuasiveness. Their proclamation of Truth is made worthless by a lack of love. The worst damage comes in that it seduces people who are equally frustrated (and rightfully so!) with the political class and want to follow the lead of someone who articulates that frustration. Someone can tell you they tell the Truth, that they fear God, and point to influence or success as proof of God’s blessing and still be doing a tremendous disservice to the Kingdom. Lots of talk and action without love and meekness is antithetical to God’s plan for His Church.
4. Politics is different than Church. The Scriptures outline concrete ways to resolve conflict (Matt. 18), handle Church discipline, and treat those who claim to be believers but do the Kingdom harm. The Scriptures’ treatment of government isn’t the same. It addresses it in principle (often telling us to submit to authority) but leaves room for Christ-followers’ varied perspectives on the State. This should lead us to respect fellow Christ-followers who seem to have a sincere faith but don’t engage the political scene the way we do. There are times when I disagree with the strategy or policy positions of my fellow believers at the capitol. The important thing is how I respond. I believe the Scriptures make it clear that the “Fruits of the Spirit” are far more important than scoring political points (Galatians 5:22-26). Although I struggle with this every legislative session, I try hard to keep in mind the following: How does vitriol or slander of other believers align with the fruit of the Spirit? How does strife over political strategy benefit the Kingdom?
5. It is our duty to engage in American politics as American Believers. Our system of government demands participation to work. Our Founding Fathers implemented a system that respects the Judeo-Christian worldview and our Republic requires the participation of citizens to function. Without our participation, our rights and freedoms given to us by God and affirmed by our founding documents are in danger. We must exercise this stewardship, however, within the framework of the Spirit and not our base human nature.
6. Christians have a responsibility to find organizations and vehicles for advocacy that respect a Biblical worldview. As we seek to align ourselves with individuals, donate money, or advocate for an interest group; we must ask ourselves if they have a reputation for love and wisdom or anger and vitriol. There is no shortage of “faith-based” organizations and individuals just as secular and humanistic in their approach to public policy as those they oppose. Watch an organization or a pundit for a time before you lend them your resources and support. Pray for discernment.

I’m NOT suggesting that the Christian citizen/activist/lobbyist needs to be a smiley square that comes to the capitol with baked goods every day and says things like, “Gee whiz, Senator, that bigoted affront to religious liberty you’re sponsoring sounds swell! I love you!” I’m simply saying we agree to disagree as believers on the details so that our enemies will know us by our love for one another. I’m saying we focus on the non-believer’s story more than on his/her outward behavior. I’m saying we work hard (we’ll frequently fail but that’s OK!) to develop a reputation as people who care, not as a people who condescend. I’ll aggressively do my job as well as I can in subcommittee meetings and in the rotunda of the capitol as a lobbyist, but I may buy my opposition lunch and listen to their concerns afterward. They are lost and hurting as we once were and maybe still are. I’m ultimately suggesting that we check our hearts.
In summary, what good is speaking Truth to principalities if the King is not honored? What good is espousing a “Biblical worldview” if we don’t love our neighbor and our brother? What good is demanding respect and a voice in the public square if we seek it without humility and meekness? What good is dogma and rhetoric if it lacks prudence and wisdom?
We need to speak Truth without apology, in love. We need to participate in the Republic we have been blessed with, wisely. And we must avoid and pray for those who claim to serve the King but slander and cannibalize His people.
Christ-followers must engage in the Republic having developed a reputation as having a loving and quiet strength. Although counter-intuitive and juxtaposed with our sinful nature, our achieving this type of advocacy as true ambassadors of Christ would quickly rebuild a culture that respects life, liberty, and the pursuit of God; the Author of happiness.

New Blog Location?

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 17:02:30 -0500

Not sure if iCloud is going to support personal websites anymore. If not, where should I put this website? Any suggestions?

A Crazy Legislative Session So Far

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:26:27 -0600

I’m working for the Iowa Right To Life Committee this year. I really appreciate the people I work with in the coalition of pro-life groups working together to pass HF5 among other pro-life bills we are hoping to get to. It’s going to get harder to get to the others, though, with a select few Republicans keeping HF5 from fast-tracking through the House.

There is more of this than usual at the Capitol this year, not necessarily from legislators but from activists who are frustrated that our strategy doesn’t go far enough:
Defamation: the act of defaming; false or unjustified injury of the good reputation of another, as by slander or libel
Libel: anything that is defamatory or that maliciously or damagingly misrepresents.
Slander: a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report

Question prudential judgement all you like, people, but don't question faith or conviction when you disagree with strategy. Disagreement is healthy. Being solely motivated by anger and/or pride is not. The most difficult thing for me is absorbing personal attacks when no one had the stones to come and speak to me first. Cowardly. The proper proportion of ears to mouths is lost on some, I guess. Listening isn’t in vogue.

I keep reminding myself and those I work with that we prayerfully embarked on the strategy we have, we aren’t doing anything to stop any other pro-life bill from moving forward, we are not making anything an either/or scenario, we have no assurances on any bill from the Senate, and we must stay the course we believe we have been given to walk in to ensure we continue to walk before God with a clear conscience.

There are organizations that will position themselves to offend as few people as possible. There are organizations that will do anything to avoid the crosshairs of the media. There are organizations that will fear man enough to cloud judgement. There are individuals who will always choose vitriol over edification. But I’ll never work for one. And God help me if I participate in any of it. Pray for me that I remain loving and patient as we stick to our core convictions and work to be “wise as serpents & innocent as doves” as the Scriptures. I am also praying daily that I do not become the “clanging symbol” or “noisy gong” that 1 Cor. 13:1 warns about. It’s VERY hard work. I don’t make the calls on strategy. I don’t run the show. But I know that I can derail the cause and put countless unborn at risk if I’m not careful.

I don’t know who wrote it, but an individual at this website summed it up well:
“Christians are commanded to build up the church (1 Cor. 12) and to strive for peace (Heb. 12:14). That does not mean that confrontation is unbiblical. We are to guard the truth (1 Tim. 6:20; 2 Tim. 1:14), to contend for apostolic faith (Jude 3), and to stand firm (Eph. 6:10-20). But in my experience, the great majority of “prayer requests” and “concerns” and everything else that is called “exposing sin” is nothing but a cover-up for clear and undeniable sin. Which sin? Gossip and slander.”

If we are truly to be known by our love for one another, than what I’m hearing and seeing lately is an affront to the Gospel.

My education clients are making great progress and I’m hopeful that parental rights, religious liberty, and school choice will get increased attention over the coming sessions. Onward!

Random Thoughts On Election Results

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 13:05:14 -0600

I was watching Fox News for a few minutes as I ate lunch today and heard a former aide to Joe Lieberman mention that Republicans’ efforts to “change committee chairs on the deck of the Titanic wasn’t going to prevent it from sinking” or something to that effect and he rightly said that Congress is the single most broken institution in America.

Congress is broken. The Executive Branch is broken. The Judicial System has filled the leadership void and has no business doing so. What’s next?

If Republicans aren’t willing to articulately make the case for systemic reform on Capitol Hill, nothing will change. If Republicans don’t live up to their campaign promises and repeal most or all of ObamaCare and keep the Bush tax cuts, nothing will change. Republicans must show spinal fortitude and unity in addressing the concerns of the electorate or they may never recover from their next cycle of losses.

Will Republicans do the right thing? Is electing establishment Republicans back into leadership positions after the election a good sign? I don’t think it is. And I don’t think they’ll have the ability to avoid political correctness. I don’t think they’ll have the ability to make the hard decisions about the Fed, entitlement spending, and earmarks. It’s not going to be pretty.

At least our decline will slow down. Yay.

Maybe I’m too harsh? I haven’t publicly criticized individual legislators and I DO think we need to give them some time to react to the message they got from the people on the 2nd. We’ll see.

I’m far more optimistic about Iowa’s Republican legislators at the Statehouse. I’m hopeful they can demonstrate leadership, make progress, and set the stage for the parade of Presidential candidates that are about to march through the state on the road to 2012. If we can demonstrate conservative values and restore basic American principles in Iowa, perhaps our next President will feel empowered to take that example to the rest of the nation.

How I’m Voting On Tuesday

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 12:48:56 -0500

I’ve been voting since 1996 and have rarely missed even the smallest of municipal votes. It bugs me to watch my generation and the ones coming behind us so lackadaisical about their civic duty.

I’ve always had to stand there at the voting booth and deliberate before, though. There is usually one race or one issue that leaves me standing there for seconds or minutes longer than it’d normally take to fill it out because I’m not sure how I want to vote on it. Not this year.

I just downloaded the sample ballot for my precinct to look at and I smiled to myself realizing how easy it’s going to be to vote this year. But there are a couple of questions on the back that friends have been asking me about so I thought I’d share how I’m voting and why:

1. The summary on question one seems benign:
Summary: Adopts Iowa's Water and Land Legacy Amendment which creates a dedicated trust fund for the purposes of protecting and enhancing water quality and natural areas in the State including parks, trails, and fish and wildlife habitat, and conserving agricultural soils in this State.

The problem is in the details. If you read the fine print which should be available in your ballot booth, it says:
“the fund shall be annually credited with an amount equal to the amount generated by a sales tax rate of three-eighths of one percent as may be imposed upon the retail sales price of tangible personal property and the furnishing of enumerated services sold in this State.”

So it’s a tax increase that ties the hands of the Legislature. Our system of government works best when we don’t artificially appropriate money through the Constitution and let the Legislature do its job: appropriate funds. If this fund proves to be ineffective, abused, or if the funds absolutely need to be used elsewhere, are we going to have another lengthy constitutional amendment process? The more one thinks about it, the dumber the whole idea becomes. Most of my most conservative friends would call me a moderate on environmental issues but this is a very easy NO vote for me.

1. The following question is on the back of your ballot: “Shall there be a convention to revise the constitution, and propose amendment or amendments to same?”

My vote will be a resounding YES! The Legislature has failed to act, I can’t see Republicans (sadly, at this point anyway) having the spinal fortitude to get two Assemblies to vote for a marriage amendment should they win control, and this is a Constitutional remedy we should jump on.

The opposition from the Right and the Left will point out that all kinds of bad things can happen in a convention and then the people might vote on them. The simple truth is this: All proposed amendments would be voted on individually. With that in mind, the opposition always wants the people to vote when the polling shows that the people agree with them and avoid popular votes when the polling tells them they might lose. Anyone who opposes the Constitutional Convention is either disingenuous, saying that calling a convention is “playing fast and loose with the Constitution” (It’s a CONSTITUTIONAL REMEDY, numbskull!) or they use fear to scare people into making a “risky” convention take place. They have succumbed to elitism. We either trust the people with the vote or we don’t.

1. The final question I get a lot on the ballot is the judge retention question. Local lawyers are used to and enjoy working with most of the Polk County judges. I get that. You listen to them and they’ll say, more often then not, “vote how you want on the Supreme Court, but it’d be a shame to lose the Polk County Judges.” I’ve heard this from three lawyers I highly respect.

The problem is that Judge Hanson, who ruled on the gay marriage issue to begin with, is up. I can’t vote YES for this guy. And, frankly, if there was ever a time to send a message to the Judiciary as a whole that we are watching, we are unsatisfied with the legal class, and we need more information about judges before voting YES, now is the time. I’ll be voting NO on every judge unless I hear something stellar from or about one of them between now and Tuesday.

If you are an Iowan or have something interesting on your ballot in your state, how are you going to vote?

A Rant About Education

Tue, 5 Oct 2010 15:27:16 -0500

I’ve been watching President Obama and Secretary Duncan tour the country telling Americans that we need little more than Charter Schools and longer school years and we’ll be OK. Education will be reformed if we just shut down bad schools and reopen them with new people operating within the same system that failed them the first time, throw in token charter schools here and there, and extend the school year.

I love it when the government comes in and says, "we aren't getting results with the time and money we keep pouring into our schools. So we want to spend more money to put your kids in school for more time and see how that goes..." Puh-leeze. That should be a last resort...not another distraction from educrats that have been failing for decades.

I also love it when they say, “We hear you! You want more choices for your kids’ education! We are going to let you pick any public school you want and we’ll add some charters in there too!” Meanwhile, they wink at the teacher’s union, knowing they’ll work to unionize those charter schools and knowing public school open enrollment without private school choice is a half-baked efforts resulting in little improvement in parental rights and educational choice.

[end rant]

Universal Healthcare Perils

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:08:34 -0500

I got the following via an email from a friend today. Interesting:

A recent "Investor's Business Daily" article provided very  interesting statistics from a survey by the United Nations  International Health Organization.  Percentage of men and women who survived a cancer five years  after diagnosis:   U.S. 65%   England 46%   Canada 42%  Percentage of patients diagnosed with diabetes who received  treatment within six months:   U.S. 93%   England 15%   Canada 43%  Percentage of seniors needing hip replacement who received it  within six months:   U.S. 90%   England 15%   Canada 43%  Percentage referred to a medical specialist who see one within  one month:   U.S. 77%   England 40%   Canada 43%  Number of MRI scanners (a prime diagnostic tool) per million people:   U.S. 71   England 14   Canada 18  Percentage of seniors (65+), with low income, who say they are in  "excellent health":   U.S. 12%   England 2%   Canada 6%   I don't know about you, but I don't want "Universal Healthcare"  comparable to England or Canada .  Moreover, it was Sen. Harry Reid who said, "Elderly Americans  must learn to accept the inconveniences of old age."  SHIP HIM TO CANADA OR ENGLAND !  He is "elderly" himself but be sure to remember his health  insurance is different from yours as Congress has their own high-  end coverage! He will never have to learn to accept "inconveniences"!!! 
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 AND THE WINNER IS VERY INTERESTING!  The percentage of each past president's cabinet who had worked in  the private business sector prior to their appointment to the  cabinet. You know what the private business sector is... a real  life business, not a government job. Here are the percentages.  T. Roosevelt........ 38%  Taft.....................40%  Wilson ................52%  Harding..................49%  Coolidge.............. 48%  Hoover................. 42%  F. Roosevelt......... 50%  Truman..................50%  Eisenhower........... 57%  Kennedy.............. 30%  Johnson.................47%  Nixon................... 53%  Ford..................... 42%  Carter.................. 32%  Reagan...................56%  GH Bush................. 51%  Clinton ................. 39%  GW Bush................ 55%  And the winner of the Chicken Dinner is:  Obama................ 8% !!!  Yep! That's right! Only Eight Percent!!!..the least by far of  the last 19 presidents!! And these people are trying to tell our  big corporations how to run their business? They know what's  best for GM...Chrysler... Wall Street... and you and me?