God's Politics

Did you know there's a mid-term election in just a couple of weeks? I have a hard time believing that no one would know that, based upon the advertisements on television, in newspapers, and the running commentaries on social media. Many candidates seem to be more intent on smearing their opponents than representing themselves to the general population. People continue to become more polarized day by day.

I have been reading comments lately that "conservatives" or "traditionalists" need a voice; I've observed conversations where "liberal" or "democrat" was said with more venom than a snake poised to bite. It's as though people think that, by shuffling the players in Congress, the White House, state, or local government, everything will get better. Our track record as a nation really shows that, no matter who leads us - Democrats, Republicans, liberals, conservatives, or a tea party - we continue to have problems and issues that face us. Before you know it, the name-calling and politicking begins again - and the cycle returns.

The issues the United States faces have much less to do with party lines, conservatives, traditionalism, or liberals. The issues the United States faces have to do with a broken system. If you re-shuffle the chairs on the Titanic, without addressing the numerous points of leakage, you still have a sinking ship. Rearranging the chairs does nothing to stop the onslaught of water; it does, however, give us something to do to distract us from doing the really hard work of transforming the system in which we live and work.

Yes, this blog seems like it's really about politics, and to some extent, it is. But, I believe that the systemic issues of the United States reflect what happens in the current church; it is also a reflection of Jewish life at the time of Jesus. The Judaic law that was so highly touted by Pharisees simply allowed them to rearrange the chairs. Yes, they followed the law, but they had no relationship with God. When Jesus enters the scene, he forces systemic change throughout all of Jewish life. Jesus didn't come to set up smokescreens; he came to heal brokenness.

God's politics require us to look at the heart of the matter - not our different and divergent opinions, but at what we can do to effect real systemic change. We need that, both for our country, and our churches.