Some thoughts on the regnant follies

In the midst of this election season, I’ve been challenged by a seminar Phil Johnson delivered at last year’s Shepherds Conference (at Grace Community Church where John MacArthur is the Senior Pastor). I believe Mr. Johnson offers an important corrective to many of us and so have added a link at the end of this post.

Will I be depressed or elated after election day? Depends on whether my eyes and heart are stayed on His kingdom or this world. I’m also concerned about the way I hear people on both sides of this discussion mischaracterize the views of the other by creating "straw men" that really do not represent the other candidate’s position and then readily demolish views that no one actually holds. Frankly, the way Christians have tried to work through politics as a way to accomplish biblical ends has led to mixed results practically. In terms of public opinion, the result has been disastrous. While I’m not always sure how polls succeed in capturing public opinion, unChristian reports that “a fifth of all Americans believe ‘the political efforts of conservative Christians’ are a major problem facing the country today. Half of the adult population describe the political involvement of Christians as a concern. More than 110 million adult Americans admit they maintain misgivings about the role of ‘conservative Christians’ in politics.”

I had threatened to blog on this issue, but believe Phil’s message is simply the best corrective I’ve found. You may download it here: http://www.thegracelifepulpit.com/audio/GL-2008-03-06-PJ.mp3.

Make no mistake, I've listened to much about what each candidate has said and considered their views across a wide spectrum of their positions, and have made up my mind and will, as always, vote. Nevertheless, what Daniel says about the Lord is true:

He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. Daniel 2:21-22 (ESV)