(Hi friends. Tis been awhile.)
Lately, I have been thinking about the Biblical stories that star God’s voice. (You know, humans actually hearing God in the middle of the night and assuming it’s someone else.) I wish I could say God’s voice is what’s waking me up at 4 in the morning. Mostly, I fear that the news and election are the real voices echoing in my head. I admit, I still hold a bit of angst about getting involved politically, just as my ancestors did. It’s hard to come to terms with wanting to be an activist, an Anabaptist, and still realizing that we’re most likely never going to have a president who does not want to be the world’s superpower in both “peace” (military might) and prosperity at the sacrifice of other nations. It’s harder still to watch my heart harden around other Christians who do not share my views on how we should work on the “mighty ache” in the world, those who view “the other” candidate as more Christian. Yikes… But let’s be honest–mirroring Shane Claiborne’s views–if Jesus was running for president, neither of the candidates would vote for his platform! It’s so radical, so embracing of the weak and misguided, that we’d nervously laugh him off the platform. All this election talk and anxiety has made me realize something else: Most friends and family know where I stand politically; my t-shirts, posters, and discussions make it clear. But am I just as vocal or transparent about my support of a Christ-led life in the presence of those who don’t know me well? And how can I do this without becoming what I so “lovingly” now refer to as “a crazy Christian”?
When and where do you hear God’s voice, and what is keeping you up at night? Plant your suggestions here.
And in the meantime, here’s an excellent radio source for listening to diverse issues of faith, ethics, and the human heart not found on NPR or Fox called SPEAKING OF FAITH: http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/
Here’s the link that somehow didn’t make it to my blog. Oops!
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/
Well, my personal financial situation (not caused by the national/global financial situation) has kept me up at night lately, as have the moves toward civil war in Bolivia, but yes, it bothers me too that my convictions can’t let me fully support anyone or any platform in any election.
Oh, and by the way, Speaking of Faith is aired on NPR at 7 a.m. on Sunday mornings, at least on my local station.
As a Canadian Mennonite Christian living in the US I can’t vote and I’m glad. It means that I have an excuse not to get tied up in party politics. Don’t get me wrong, I have followed the campaign and laughed at Tina Fey’s Palin. I desire change in the new administration that give not the middle class but the poor something to hope for. But being Canadian means I don’t have to pick the better of two evils. I don’t know if I would anyway.
Here in my urban, educated, liberal, upper middle class setting is is paramount to sin *not* to vote – never mind vote for the ‘other candidate’ as BeccaJayne so artfully named him. I hate that in our liberalness we shut off or tune out or actively scorn other Christians who try to faithfully vote with their consciences. I don’t really lose sleep over this, but I would be happy to be called a Crazy Christian myself if it meant people recognized that my allegiance is not in any government but in Jesus and the kingdom of God.
:)