The Conservative Christian Conundrum
It is not uncommon for people to lump all Christians together into one group, labeling them as crackpots, hypocrites and extremists. Speaking as a Christian, I think that practice is entirely unfair, and it betrays a severely distorted understanding of what Christianity truly is. But I will also readily admit that there are some Christians whose words and actions seem to justify the twisted view unbelievers have of us—and Pat Robertson happens to be one of those Christians.
Robertson stated boldly on his "700 Club" program that he is confident George W. Bush will be victorious in the 2004 presidential election. He said, "I really believe I'm hearing from the Lord it's going to be like a blowout election in 2004. It's shaping up that way."
"The Lord has just blessed him," Robertson went on to say. "I mean, he could make terrible mistakes and comes out of it. It doesn't make any difference what he does, good or bad, God picks him up because he's a man of prayer and God's blessing him." If only the rest of us could have Pat Robertson's optimism.
The general consensus among conservative Christians is that we have been blessed to have a conservative Christian as president. Despite Bush's actions, he continues to be viewed as a courageous man of God. He can head up a government that grows faster and bigger than his liberal predecessor, he can ignore the social ills that plague our nation and he can strip away our freedoms with the stroke of a pen. But as long as he is leading a crusade against terrorism (i.e., waging a holy war on the demonic forces of darkness), all will be forgiven.
It's as if we Christians are expected to support the president because men like Pat Robertson believe it's the right thing to do. And why shouldn't we? They appear to have a direct link to the mind of God and can tell us exactly what He is thinking. And if they tell us that God supports George W. Bush, shouldn't we?
The choice, then, is simple: either vote AGAINST Bush in the next election and risk total chaos (because we might actually end up with a Democratic socialist instead of a Republican socialist), or vote FOR Bush and proceed to bask in the endless shower of God's blessings.
That is the conundrum conservative Christians face. Unfortunately, too many of us fail to realize that the choice presented to us is based on the false premise that God's will can only win out if the right people are in positions of power. This, of course, is utter nonsense. God is in complete control, and nothing man can do will derail His plans.
Our responsibility as Christians is to remain in humble obedience to Christ, to do what is right, thereby honoring and glorifying God in the process. Sometimes doing what is right involves a little pain, so let's not fool ourselves into believing that we can simply vote ourselves into His favor.
It is not uncommon for people to lump all Christians together into one group, labeling them as crackpots, hypocrites and extremists. Speaking as a Christian, I think that practice is entirely unfair, and it betrays a severely distorted understanding of what Christianity truly is. But I will also readily admit that there are some Christians whose words and actions seem to justify the twisted view unbelievers have of us—and Pat Robertson happens to be one of those Christians.
Robertson stated boldly on his "700 Club" program that he is confident George W. Bush will be victorious in the 2004 presidential election. He said, "I really believe I'm hearing from the Lord it's going to be like a blowout election in 2004. It's shaping up that way."
"The Lord has just blessed him," Robertson went on to say. "I mean, he could make terrible mistakes and comes out of it. It doesn't make any difference what he does, good or bad, God picks him up because he's a man of prayer and God's blessing him." If only the rest of us could have Pat Robertson's optimism.
The general consensus among conservative Christians is that we have been blessed to have a conservative Christian as president. Despite Bush's actions, he continues to be viewed as a courageous man of God. He can head up a government that grows faster and bigger than his liberal predecessor, he can ignore the social ills that plague our nation and he can strip away our freedoms with the stroke of a pen. But as long as he is leading a crusade against terrorism (i.e., waging a holy war on the demonic forces of darkness), all will be forgiven.
It's as if we Christians are expected to support the president because men like Pat Robertson believe it's the right thing to do. And why shouldn't we? They appear to have a direct link to the mind of God and can tell us exactly what He is thinking. And if they tell us that God supports George W. Bush, shouldn't we?
The choice, then, is simple: either vote AGAINST Bush in the next election and risk total chaos (because we might actually end up with a Democratic socialist instead of a Republican socialist), or vote FOR Bush and proceed to bask in the endless shower of God's blessings.
That is the conundrum conservative Christians face. Unfortunately, too many of us fail to realize that the choice presented to us is based on the false premise that God's will can only win out if the right people are in positions of power. This, of course, is utter nonsense. God is in complete control, and nothing man can do will derail His plans.
Our responsibility as Christians is to remain in humble obedience to Christ, to do what is right, thereby honoring and glorifying God in the process. Sometimes doing what is right involves a little pain, so let's not fool ourselves into believing that we can simply vote ourselves into His favor.
Labels: Culture/Society, Religion
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