Why I Turned Blue

The election has now come and gone... finally.  Man, it seemed like a virtual eternity that this was going on.

I will say that I am absolutely excited at the history that just occurred. Last night was monumental for more than just me, and I'm glad I participated. America has just overwhelmingly elected its first black president. To see the tears and the joy from places across the nation last night was phenomenal. Not just black people, but all races and all ages jumping and yelling in celebration. To see many of the news commentators and special guests getting emotional. Last night was a big, big deal. It will be great to tell my kids the story of last night, and how mom and dad felt that they made a difference in a cold snowy night in Kansas in the Democratic caucuses, and voting early in the waning warmth in Kansas and Georgia.

I will also say that while Obama's speech was great and encouraging for the nation, I also felt a sense of honor from John McCain's speech last night as well. It was very inspiring to me, and in what seemed like ages ago, I remembered why I was so glad that McCain won the Republican primaries. Despite all the mud and the campaigning, I do respect him immensely, and upon reflection, I think that I wouldn't be too disappointed if he had indeed won (compared with, say Mitt Romney, or *shudder* Hillary Rodham Clinton). And after last night, I began to recall why I had voted Democratic this year. I can say that about four years ago, I was most certainly Republican, and now I've come full half circle.

So where did it begin? I guess I could say college. Even though I went to a solidly Republican college, there were some classes in particular that piqued my interest. I guess they don't call them "liberal arts" without reason (har har!). I remember my Intro to Sociology class (strangely enough, I wasn't a Christian when I started that semester, but I was when it ended... weird), and I remember that all of the military students in that class had serious problems with it. Maybe they didn't like the curriculum, or they didn't like the teacher or her feminist undertones (and I think she was a lesbian with 80% certainty due to some of the things she said/implied), or they just didn't like class in general. I don't know. But I do know that I thoroughly enjoyed the class, and I think I got a 'B' grade in the class (funny story, I got a 'C' on my initial final grades report, but sent a formal petition to the teacher, and she changed it, saying there was indeed a mistake, and that I was one of the better students she had). I don't think she liked the school either, because she didn't teach there after that semester.

I later tried to change my degree from computer science to sociology (it even says I earned a sociology degree on my Officer's Record Brief), but to no avail, seeing as Army had a say in the length of my educational pursuits. Not to mention that my dearest love was a sociology major. I loved listening to what she would learn in class, and how society had certain trends, and how certain events occurred just so, and how it was likely that certain things would happen depending on where people lived in society. I remember that one of her teachers invited the entire class out to the local mexican restaurant/bar for a drink and discussion about social theory construction, and he even invited me as well, and even paid for my beer. Although I was virtually lost in the sauce for the majority of the discussion, I was absolutely fascinated on what they were talking about (it was about a guy who wrote a book on why things acted the way they did. But the book wasn't really truly about that, it was a farce; a fake example to show how social theory construction happened... and some probably more important things I couldn't wrap my mind around).

I think the biggest push that started the momentum towards the political left was a book called Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller. In short, it was a collection of thoughts and stories of being a Christian in a modern society. And it was very brutally honest. It was the first book I read where the author was truthful about the doubts and fears he had to struggle with, and was aware and freely discussed his own sins and shortcomings. The word I like to use for this is 'authentic.' One of the stories that almost brought me to tears was centered around Don and his friends building a "Confession Booth" at his hyper-liberal college, and dressing up as monks. When people would come in, expecting the Christians to hit them over the head with condemnation, in fact, the Christians took the time to confess their sins (and social sins/failures of the Christian church in modern and historical times) to those who entered. It was absolutely amazing, and a touching display of loving others. I think that book will be a cult classic for Christians of my generation. For me, it was a surprising look into a Christian that aligned himself Democratically. That, I think, caused the first real crack in the wall in understanding that Christians could indeed be on the other side of the spectrum, and that Democrats weren't all anti-Christian pagans and hippies that wanted to destroy our country and life as we know it.

Not all movement was an attraction to the blue side. Some of it was repulsion from the red side. Probably what had significant push was how I initially viewed all Christians when I wasn't one. To be more specific, I've heard a lot of people, some of who I still greatly respect as well as a few who have lost my respect (if you're reading this, you are most definitely in the former) express fear, outrage, and bitterness at the seemingly anti-Christian liberal, amoral, and hostile masses of the country. (As a quick note, I also have expressed similar feelings at the same, with no exceptions. I have no need to throw stones--I just want to express my remorse.) It seemed to exude an "Us vs. Them" mentality that didn't jive with what I understood of the world and the people that I met. I think it bothered me to such an extent, that I adopted the "Us vs. Them" against other Christians, and sadly didn't do the Church much good. (Please forgive me if you were recipient to my hypocrisy!) Regardless, feelings and mentalities along those veins have no place in our faith, and should have no place in our hearts.

The biggest barriers that resisted my change of political preference were of course the hot-button Christian issues that the Republicans adopted as their standard. To go against these seemed to run dangerously close to blasphemy with some people. I think I crossed allegiance in part to a need to rebel in some form or fashion against where I was at the time. I had some extreme difficulties in my job at Army, and I also was having difficulty finding a church where it wasn't anathema to vote Democratic (that's a slight hyperbole, and that's an oxymoron! English is fun!).

Some of the social issues were easy to deal with. My main line of thinking on these is the old axiom: "To each his own." To explain further, I really had big problems in my pre-Jesus life thinking that if Christians could have their way, they would, in a sense 'oppress' the rest that they could not save. Occasionally, I still hear that sentiment from time to time, and I still don't like that attitude. I will say that the only thing that has saved me, and changed my life was done in my heart, and that of course was by God. That is the change I seek to promote and cultivate in others. I've heard lots of thought out and good reasons why the above mentioned sentence is a horribly bad axiom to throw around, but for now, that's where I stand. It's very likely that will change in the future, but for now, there it lies. If I prevent someone from getting a homosexual marriage, but don't show them the reality of the gospel (bad and good), what progress have I made? What part of the Great Commission have I fulfilled?

Anywho, I'm getting off topic. The next big thing that changed my views was the YouTube Debates of 2008. My wife and I got a good taste of who we liked and disliked on both sides, and that's where I first learned about the junior Senator from Illinois named Barack Obama. I started doing my research, (and I might have even prayed a bit about it) and then the Iowa caucus happened. That was amazing what occurred back then.

The rest, as they say, was history.

So, in closing, that's why I turned blue. Politics for me has (thank God) become much more ancillary in my life nowadays, but I'm glad I participated in all of it. Please note that I could be horribly, horribly wrong about my assumptions, but the one thing I know, and the one thing I profess, is that Jesus is Lord, and that he is my only hope in all of this. There are many more vile and reprehensible sins I've committed, and to His glory, He has paid for them all! Not McCain, not Obama. What happened was cool, and historical in an American sense, but pales in comparison to what a homeless jew did for me long before I was born. That, dear friends, is what it is all about, and what should power our lives.

Peace and Grace to you all.

Olbermann SNL Spoof

So I hope you vote today (or have already voted)! This seems like a big historical day, regardless of the outcome.

Also, for a fun challenge, say something nice about the guy you didn't vote for today. Go on, do it! You'll feel better, I promise! (Thanks for the idea, Jawan!)

Also for fun, you may have known that I'm a fan of Keith Olbermann. Sure, he's liberal. Sure, he's caustic. But, man, that guy is funny! Recently, Ben Affleck did a spoof of Olbermann on SNL, and it had my wife and I rolling on the floor with laughter! Maybe you won't get it if you don't watch him or like him...but on the off-chance you'll think it's funny, here's the video:

McCain/Obama Comedy Hour!

Okay, guys, I know I said I'm off politics. It's true, I've let it take a back seat, and it's been great. But I did see this the other day, and I almost fell off of my chair (or pillow-on-the-floor, I don't have a chair) in how funny it was. 

So there's this charity dinner some Catholic diocese puts on every election year, and it's customary for the candidates to crack jokes for a bit. And that they did. If you've been inundated with politics as I have, you should have no problem whatsoever getting these jokes.

Here's McCain:

And here's Obama:

Like I said before...Funny stuff. Who would've thunk it?

"We Have Met the Enemy..."

This comic was printed for Earth Day in 1971. It's part of a strip called "Pogo," and the line at the bottom is one of the more memorable quotes that I've come across.

We have met the enemy, and he is us.

The quote, specifically geared toward our destruction of the environment in the comic, speaks much deeper and broader than what's just pictured. It's something that skims across my mind, now and then, and unfortunately it's one of those times.

As you may have inferred, politics has claimed a good portion of my thought process as of late. Now with less than a month to go, the campaigns are getting nasty.

Recently, the McCain campaign has been touting that Obama's one time brief acquaintance with Mr. William Ayers (considered a terrorist in the 1960's and associated with several bombings, later considered Chicago's "Citizen of the Year" of 1997 for his philanthropy work) is more subversive and sinister than what it appears to be.

Tensions have been running high on both sides, needless to say.

I saw something today, however, that made me cringe. And it will surprise you. I saw footage of McCain having to tell some of his supporters that Obama "was a decent man," that they had "nothing to fear" of him becoming president, and that he's not an Arab. It looked horribly painful for McCain to say. I didn't expect it. And do you know what happened after saying that? He was booed by his own supporters. Even though I'm for the other team, that made me cringe, and I feel terrible for the guy. I don't think I can watch that video through for a while.

Not that I can say that I'd be any better than his supporters. In this war of hyper-partisanship, I've been pretty quick to take up arms (on occasion), and I frequent news sites to eagerly search for any news that my side is winning, and the other side is losing. I especially like it when I get news that validates my claim that I am "more correct" than others who won't vote like me.

It's so easy to demonize people--it's a way of us trying to validate our sin, to make it okay to dislike, slander, and harm those we don't want to love. And it's wrong.

For those of you that are like me, here's some friendly verses to cut you to the core:
Matthew 5.43-48
1 Peter 1.13-21
Colossians 3.1-8
Luke 18.9-14

I've been speaking about how dangerous that is for a while now, but I haven't exactly put planks before specks on that one. And I've done that several times now.

I'm sorry, guys, for all those times my political fervor got out of line, and thinking I was walking around with a pure heart and superior intellect with my views. I was way off.

Donald Miller and that Osama Guy

Hey, all. I have a feeling that I've been too immersed in politics as of late. Do you ever get that feeling? No? Just me?

Well, maybe it's just the season. This October almost promises to be absolutely filled to the brim with scandalous claims and dirty maneuvers by both teams--I hope I get through it with my sanity intact (and dignity, if it's not too much to ask). I really also hope my team wins. Go Donkeys!

The bad part about getting involved in politics is that it will shape your world if you let it. That is to say, if you hang your hopes on a politician, or you validate your fears on the same, then you're liable to get in a bit of trouble. You may start (mentally) handing things you've reserved for God over to some guy you've probably never met. But you might not notice it at first--which is pretty destructive if you start calling certain things Christian that aren't really Christian at all, but rather personal agenda assumed to be conviction.

Okay, now that's on the table, and you know what to call me out on when you see it.

So...I'm definitely voting for Obama this go-around. If that's news to you, we should probably talk more. I've been intrigued with him since the You Tube debates of last year. I've done plenty of research on him and what his platform is, and I don't think there's much anyone can do to change it at this point.

My voting preference seems to put me at odds with a few people. Heck, I'll be honest, a lot of people. I mean, I live in Kansas (solidly red since the '70s), I work for Army (Obama is for hippies), and I'm a Christian, for crying out loud. That's three easy gimmes for the McCain team! Ever since my wife left the state, I've thought the Ft. Riley chapter of the Kansas Democratic Party lost about half its members. So why do I insist on dropping an almost insignificant ballot against the masses?

It's very possible that's how I've decided to rebel against all authority and stick it to the man the only legal way I know how. But I generally like to think better about my motives. I like his judgement for the Iraqi war (pre-surge, when it began in '03), I like the fact that he'll talk to countries again that was previously deemed the "Axis of Evil," I think his health care plan has a great shot of working, I like his tax plan. All those things I like. I also think Obama is a very solid Christian who is extremely comfortable of bringing his faith to the forefront.

But what about abortion and gay marriage? Yeah, those bug me at times (the former far more than the latter). Frequently. But then again, I can't say the Red Team has exactly put those issues to the forefront. I get the feeling that the whole Republican stance for those issues is completely disingenuous--that it's merely pandering for one of their key voting blocks.

I've had so many conversations with Republicans and/or Christians about how I'm going to vote, and it always seems to end up the same way--either I talk about issues and I get criticized for not voting my faith, or I talk about how I my vote for Obama is faith-oriented and I'm told I need to pay attention to the issues. Maybe that's just the way it's done around here, but it gets pretty exhausting.

My lovely wife must've been reading my mind--she just recently sent me a link to Donald Miller's blog (he's the Blue Like Jazz guy), and it seems Don's going to do some forums for Obama in this last crazy month. Now, I liked the book he wrote. No, I don't consider myself emergent or hip, but I just really liked the book.

Anyway, Don wrote a bit on why he's doing forums of faith for the Obama Campaign. I'm glad to see he's done his research, and I find that I currently strongly agree with the little that he's written.

You can see the whole article here.

Well, regardless of what team you're rooting for this season, I hope we can begin to encourage one another in that there's far more to life that the game of politics, and our salvation lies elsewhere.

God Bless.

American Christian Flashpoint: Politics!

So, I caught a portion of Sarah Palin's speech from last night, and read some commentaries. Truth be told, I didn't like it. Not one bit. I'll be surprised to see how the Grand Ol' Party continues on their attack lines of experience and celebrity status. Knowing what I know of politics, they'll find a way. I'm hoping that Joe Biden mops the floor with McCain's VP in the upcoming debate.

Okay, okay. Enough. Chances are, you either lean or vigorously define yourself to the right of where I stand as far as politics goes. There were some days not long ago I'd fight to the bitter end to define what right was, and how you're nowhere near that mark, but the sun seems to set on my era of clashing on the political battlefield.

It really began ending when Dr. James Dobson made some distinctively abrasive remarks about Senator Obama's speech of 2006 at some political religious conference symposium whatever, and only two years later does Dr. Dobson lash out. And let me tell you, he let Obama have it. He left nothing unclear on how much he disliked the speech, and how much Obama distorted the Bible, and how he would spell D-O-O-M to Christian life in America as we know it.

Only after I read Dr. Dobson's remarks did I read Obama's speech. And I liked it. Not all of it, mind you, but I thought there were some brilliant ideas, and some very respectable ways to approach running America as a Christian.

Perhaps later I'll explain precisely why the Christian Right gives me the spooks, but not now. After some long contemplation of the speech and the counter argument, and a counter-counter argument by someone at the Washington Post, I was deeply saddened by it all. I don't know Dr. Dobson, nor do I follow him closely. I couldn't even tell you any of the names of the books he may or may have not written. But I know he does God's work. That argument didn't seem much like God's work at all. It was sounding more like a clashing symbol, or a clanging gong.

And in reviewing my brooding thoughts about Sarah Palin and John McSame, I realized I had been smashing symbols around like a creepy smiling monkey for the past couple of months.

Romans 13. Read it. One part of it says authorities are to be respected and obeyed, because God put them there for a reason. The other part of the chapter talks about fufilling the Law through love.

Jesus had to deal with politics, but that wasn't his main concern. Not by a long shot. His concern was sinners, such as you and I. And His love did some amazing things, and actually changed people forever. It changed me--it tought me what love really was, and what life really meant when you understood that God, the God, was not mad at you in the least, and that He loved you so dearly He couldn't stand being apart from you, even if that's what you insisted upon.

That, right there, is more than enough reason to live. And it blows the heck out of trying to advance agendas and trying to spin stories and cutting down the ones you should love.

So, for the time being, I'm done with it. I'll still vote, and I'll still vote what I think is right for our country, but it's time for some out-of-the-box thinking on this political stuff. It has so little to do with why we claim salvation with Christ, and there's so many better things to do with my time and energy. Like listening to Dr. Dobson once in a while, and thanking God that He called that guy to His name. Like encouraging my brothers and sisters who vote against my celebrity of choice, or don't vote at all. Like loving other sinners even if they think I'm a nutcase. Like praising the one true God.