Turmoil Amongst Believers in the USA

I have copied below an article from Charisma Magazine, reflecting insights into the election of Barack Obama, and the impct made on the US Church

Tuesday, November 11, 2008
A Divided Church—Beyond the Polls
Although last week’s historic election of Barack Obama as the United States’ next president obviously shattered racial barriers, many Christian leaders say it also highlighted a still-prevalent racial divide among churches and believers. Associated Press exit polls showed that 74 percent of white evangelical Christians voted for Republican candidate John McCain, while 94 percent of African-American believers voted for Obama. Yet according to many leaders, the underlying differences—and problems—emerged long before a single vote was cast.
“I think in the eagerness to protect the right to life issues, there were some things said … that were not always fair and that were insensitive that need to be rethought,” said T.D. Jakes, founding pastor of The Potter’s House in Dallas. “I would love to see black and white Christians find common ground, and a deeper understanding of each other’s needs.”
Other black leaders voiced a stronger objection to the pre-election rhetoric, particularly from the white-dominated Christian right: “What they did is insult our biblical understanding,” said Derrick W. Hutchins, a leader in the predominantly black Church of God in Christ. “The white religious right-wing determined that if you didn’t vote for McCain, you were not meeting a standard of the Bible.”
Taking a more historical viewpoint, Shirley Caesar-Williams, pastor of Mount Calvary Word of Faith Church in Raleigh, N.C., told her congregation that “God has vindicated the black folk. Too long we’ve been at the bottom of the totem pole, but He has vindicated us—hallelujah! I don’t know about you, but I don’t have nothing to put my head down for, praise God. Because when I look toward Washington, D.C., we got a new family coming in. … And you know what? They look like us.” [AP, 11/7/08, 11/10/08]

Living With Change

Change affects us all differently. some of us love it and others hate it vehemently!!

For the people of the USA things will never be the same following the election of Senator Obama to the place of leading the most influential nation on the face of the earth

Firstly, many Christians are going to have to account for the many false, misleading and straightforward lies they told in an effort to dissuade others from voting for the man that they have characterized as an "anti-christ" figure. There needs to be a serious holding people, especially Christian leaders and organizations accountable for the wild accusations that swirled around from those seeking to cause panic response to an unusual leader in the presidential race.

What has this to do with change? Fundamentally, everything! You see our Christian leaders who become embroiled in political activism catch the spirit of the secular organisation that they fight alongside. It will be a change of great magnitude if leaders, magazines and tv shows are actually called to account for their statements and called upon to repent as it becomes apparant that the accusations and innuendos are without foundation.

Change is also coming because some Christians have broken rank with tradition and with conservative leaders in an attempt to see that the Gospel has social as well as spiritual implications. For a long time independent organisations have gathered finance for such purposes as minsitering to the poor etc, and spent lavish sums on the money on themselves in the process. A new social conscience in Evangelical/Charismatic churches has been triggered by response to some of the truths Obama has promoted. This will put Christians in a place to challenge the idea that all those who are unemployed, sick, neglected and socially disconnected are simply "lazy bums who need to get a job". The words of Jesus concerning visiting the sick and those in prison are going to gain a new significance in the hermetically sealed world of evangelicals who spend so much time trying to change the nation through legislation, rather than through evangelism that leads to changed lives that will then change society.

Change is coming because the whole financial structure of life in the USA and the Nations is undergoing a massive shaking that will give a new sense of value to money and to the things people spend it on. Luxury living, never actually promoted by Jesus, and the "Great American Dream" have effectively turned into the Great American Nightmare. Christians who have bought into the prosperity message will need to study again the word and learn to live in the provision of God without expecting it to mean that they are in fact entitled to a high standard of prosperity as an obligation on Gods part.

The financial priorities of the Church in North America are going to change. A shift away from large expensive buildings to equally large but less ornate properties will see some organisations gaining a new credibility in their community as the buildings they have become harnessed to the needs of their community. Change also for young people as they express themselves as the church in brand new ways to meet the cynicism that has risen around "organized Christianity", an institution that many of them realise has become more political and financial than spiritual in its goals .

The Times they are a changing! This an echo from another generation but it is true.

Do I think Obama is some "saviour of America"? No not at all! I am conservative in my own politics, but could see little difference in the choice my American friends have just had to make between Obama or McCain... only the packaging and rhetoric were different!

Living through change is hard enough. Hopefully people wont identify the present world need for change to be simply a political program, but one where God is at work and we can co-operate to maximise its advantage for the Gospel. Like Joseph and Daniel and that wonderful woman Esther "we are come to the Kingdom for such a time as this"

Looking over the fence

In happier days when people communicated with each other more freely, it was not unusual to see your neighbor just look over the backyard fence to gain your attention of simply to say "Hi"

Not so popular in these days of fear and suspicion.

Living only sixty miles from the US border gives us a neighbors opportunity to look over the fence to their backyard.

I have looked carefully over the fence at my dear friends and neighbors at this time of crucial election choices that have to be made.

My first reaction is that I am amazed at the rhetoric of US politics and the vehemence with which positions are taken and held. Plain lies and exagerrations being used, even by Christians, to justify their opposition to this or that candidate.

Secondly, I am disturbed at the way that the political parties involved exploit and use the weapon of fear especially amongst Christians, and sadly that Christians participate and co-operate in the spreading of such fear.

There is always much talk amongst my American brothers and sisters, whom I love dearly, of theories of conspiracy and of "secret agendas" something by the way that the Liberals in Canada are also prone to do! Unfortunately they are all so "secret" that no one can really prove them anyway! When these things are ultimately revealed as being false, the very folk we want to impress are again justified in saying that "the church is out of touch an irrelevant"

Most of you know that this is an unusual subject for me to even comment on publicly as I dont really hold much hope of changing nations by politics and conformity to ideals that are politcally imposed,but much more by changing the hearts and lives in the way that Charles Wesley did in the UK in the past.

I believe there is a Kingdom Culture which should over ride the National Culture of any great nation for Christians to apply to their lives. The means are not justified by the end. Honesty is a Christian virtue and should not be sacrificed for strategic reasons. Stealing a persons reputation and lying about them is actually called LYING and is not high on Christ's list of virtues. "Dirty tricks" do not decorate the gospel of Christ and Christians should not be sucked into the secular agenda of either party.

The Bible says "everyone should be fully persuaded in his own mind"and I encourage all my wonderful American friends to vote tomorrow on the grounds of what God speaks to them personally.

God has made strange choices like Pharaoh to lead Egypt in byegone days. He knows which of these two men is most susceptible to hearing his voice, even if they dont and have never heard it in the past! Remembering His Sovereignty may be the greatest encouragement that US Christians have tomorrow.

Having said the foregoing. Tomorrow we will witness a "sea change" in American politics. Many who have never been gripped by social issues will fight their own consciences as they seek to know how to vote in such a polarized environment. Many young christians will "break ranks" with their older brothers and sisters and be captured by the vision of a changed America, and I hope desparately that they register a vote for one or other of the candidates.

Whoever wins tomorrow there is coming a radical change to America. Senator McCain is not a traditional Republican, and should he win there will be a "whole lot of shaking going on" in the "old boy" networks in Washington, that ironically will have worked hard to elect him. Conservative Christians have little to encourage them in their pursuit of a candidate who stands strongly on their important issues, and he will likely not promote their ideals any more than his opponent

Senator Obama, has campaigned on the basis of change being needed and change coming in the basic ways Americans think of themselves at home and abroad. He has waged a campaign to deliberately initiate change , and if elected may well do so! Since he has not identified strongly with the traditional values of the Church, he will not be expected to promote those values either.

So looking over the fence I see the garden of the USA with different configurations to the old garden! The days of easy choices are past! Issues like economics, social justice, and international role in the nations are all about to be challenged and many changed.

This is a time when the Church in the USA needs our support in prayer and a willingness to co-operate with God in the choice He makes tomorrow!