Category: Politics

can’t stand it, can’t live without it — politics

Why I’m Leery of the Manhattan Declaration

~ Bob Hayton ~ 11 Comments

Someone recently asked me what I thought of the Manhattan Declaration. For those who don’t know, the declaration I’m referring to links Catholics, Greek Orthodox, and Protestants together under the banner “Christian” to stand for life and traditional marriage in our culture. It’s an attempt to stick together as Christians in our opposition to these increasingly abandoned values in our culture.

Here is my response. I understand good Christian leaders to be with me against the declaration, and others have signed it in their desire to stand for life and for transforming the culture. I haven’t really read the arguments or taken a side necessarily. But here is my perspective.

I can appreciate it for what it is, but 2 things keep me from signing.

1) It seems to single out a prizing of life and heterosexual marriage as being what Christianity is all about. I don’t think it is the role of the Church specifically to be legislating morality, as that doesn’t work due to fallen human nature. Instead we need to proclaim the gracious gospel of Christ.

2) It joins hands with Catholics and Eastern Orthodox in what could easily blur the distinctions between them and traditional Protestants. Again the gospel of salvation by grace through faith is what differentiates us from these other groups who claim the name Christian. That is an important difference that shouldn’t be obscured.

Still, I don’t think the declaration necessarily requires understanding it this way. It is just a declaration in one sense, so I can understand those who sign it. But the need of our country isn’t a united defense and legislative protection of marriage and preborn children, it needs the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is not to say that life is a small cause that we shouldn’t fight for. It is to say that heterosexual only marriage (in my view), isn’t such an important cause.

For more on what I’m getting at in point 1 above, check out my post: America — A Pagan Nation? My pal Jason Skipper over at Fundamentally Changed agrees with my assessment that this declaration represents a compromise with the gospel.

But what do you think? Why or why not do you support this declaration?

John Piper on the Most Important Issues In the 2008 Election

~ fundyreformed ~ 3 Comments

As the election approaches, John Piper shares some gospel-centered thoughts on how a Christian should think about politics and this vote. Please watch this video! A related clip with additional perspective from Pastor Piper is available here.

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more about “The Most Important Issues In the 2008…“, posted with vodpod

Bob's Blog Finds: Obama & the Freedom of Choice Act

~ fundyreformed ~ 3 Comments

In my blog finds I highlight some of the best articles I’ve found online recently. You can see all my blog finds (courtesy of Google Reader) in the sidebar.

Obama tries to appeal as a uniter. Politics will be changed if we vote him in. He will work across party lines, etc. etc. The problem with this is that he has a strongly liberal voting record, more liberal than the average Democratic senator.

Justin Taylor of Between Two Worlds recently exposed what exactly the Freedom of Choice Act (which Obama pledges to sign into law if elected) means for the abortion/pro-life issue. I’d encourage everyone to read this post and see just exactly what Obama stands for when it comes to abortion.

Here’s the link: What Is the Freedom of Choice Act?

One more thing, Obama has pledged this will be the first thing he does as president. It is that important to him. This in no way will unite America, and it exposes Obama as the die hard liberal he is.

Hillary Supporters, John McCain and Sarah Palin

~ fundyreformed ~ 2 Comments

I’m no great political mind, but I wanted to share a few thoughts, or rather observations.

Like most, it seems a little hard to believe that Hillary supporters are supporting John McCain in large numbers. Both Clinton and McCain do have quite a bit more experience than Obama, and they are much more widely known. Still it seems like the media have created this story out of thin air.

Or have they? In my own neighborhood in St. Paul, Minnesota (known for being quite independent minded), I have driven past a car  which proudly displays Hillary and McCain bumper stickers side by side. I’d put up a picture, but then people could suspect I staged it (and I don’t feel energized enough to go hunt down that car again, with camera in hand). Perhaps it is a married couple dividing up their political support, but I doubt it. It may be evidence of the existence of at least one Hillary supporting McCain backer.

On another topic, somewhat related, I have to laud John McCain for the political move of the year in picking Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska to be his running mate. No other pick could have so thoroughly stolen the limelight from Obama as did this one. Then again, it wasn’t an 11th hour, last minute choice, either. She survived a long vetting process and was one of McCain’s top picks all along.

I don’t know whether she will be enough to keep some Hillary supporters interested enough in McCain’s campaign to overlook many of the issues where he is radically opposed to Hillary’s stance. But I know firsthand that her selection has energized some of the more conservative among the McCain’s party. I spoke with someone at my church yesterday who claimed he was 95% sure he was not going to vote for McCain until the Palin pick. Now he’s pretty sure he will. A close family member (a conservative female), who is not a political nut or anything, called my wife with all kinds of excitement over Sarah Palin.  

Conservatives love that she is a thorough going social conservative. She hunts, opposes abortion — proven clearly by her choice to raise a Down Syndrome baby — and is economically sound. But why I am most happy with her, is that she is not afraid to do what’s right when needed. She has taken on the Republican establishment in Alaska. She has a reformer’s spirit, and is not afraid to make her own choices. That is what endeared me to Mike Huckabee all along, and its why I’m not overly skeptical of McCain. I disagree with how some of his legislation panned out (the campaing finance reform bill which silences grassroots groups like the NRA but has loopholes for wealthy donors and other organizations, for instance), but I agree with the main motivation behind it. I think we need a proven leader who thinks for himself yet listens to others. One who is willing to work in a bipartisan way to serve America first. McCain has proven himself to be that kind of leader. Obama’s voting record and political stances betray the fact that he is not.

Iraqi Oil and the War

~ fundyreformed ~ 13 Comments

This is another rare political post  from me, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to speak out about something.

While I think the Iraqi war was mishandled in many ways, and the post-war plan was ineffective, I agree with the decision to invade Iraq. It wasn’t about one president’s desire to complete what his father started. It wasn’t about making some excuse to invade Iraq. It was dealing with the facts at hand: Iraq acted like it had weapons of mass destruction, and they sure seemed like they would use them, and had even pledged to aid terrorists who would.

Of all the leftist  insinuations as to the secret motive behind America’s (I mean Bush’s) actions, perhaps the lowest  was the  claim that we invaded Iraq to get a share in its oil. I never bought that for a minute, but it sure sounds bad. It makes us look bad. But the argument is false. How many billions have we spent on the war and the restoration of the country?

Anyway, here is some fresh proof to counteract that charge.

The soaring price of oil will leave the Iraqi government with a cumulative budget surplus of as much as $79 billion by year’s end, according to an analysis by the U.S. Government Accountability Office released Thursday. The unspent windfall… appears likely to put an uncomfortable new focus on the approximately $48 billion in U.S. taxpayer money devoted to rebuilding Iraq since the American-led invasion. (source — Minneapolis Star Tribune 8/6/08, “Iraq amasses billions in oil profits while U.S. pays for rebuilding” by James Glanz of the New York Times)

Yep, that’s Iraqi money, not US money. And yep, we are forking out the money to help the citizens of Iraq. It’s not easy, but its right. We have to finish the job.