Unfortunately, it seems my crisis of political ideology is leading me towards more gray areas than anything else. The results aren’t even in yet, but I am disappointed. The candidates just didn’t satisfy me. I almost didn’t vote. I almost don’t care who wins.

Tim Pawlenty’s wife went to Bethel.

Robert Bowman, a vietnam vet and a catholic bishop wrote this 3 years before the September 11th attacks:

“We are not hated because we practice democracy, value freedom, or uphold human rights. We are hated because our government denies these things to people in Third World countries whose resources are coveted by our multinational corporations. That hatred we have sown has come back to haunt us in the form of terrorism… Instead of sending our sons and daughters around the world to kill Arabs so we can have the oil under their sand, we should send them to rebuild their infrastructure, supply clean water, and feed starving children.. In short, we should do good instead of evil.  Who would want to stop us? Who would hate us? Who would want to bomb us? That is the truth the american people need to hear.”

I read this quote in the last chapter of Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States”.

The conservative ground upon which I stand is… crumbling.

Everything is not black and white, the best candidate is not always a republican, and the “christian way” is not as clear cut as I had once thought. The republicans have lied to me and have tricked me into thinking they’re for Jesus and care about his policies. The democrats have not given an alternative and have sold themselves out to the middle. I’ve been told voting for a third party is a waste of my vote or just another vote for the republicans. What the heck am I supposed to do? Where do I fit in this political system?

Robert Bowman might not call himself a prophet and I won’t call him one either, but his words certainly seem prophetic in light of what has happened in the last 8 years. But who is to blame? Are the “haters of freedom” still our enemies? Who is responsible for our arrogance? Who is at fault for our follies in the middle east?

The answers to these questions are also not as black and white as either party makes them out to be.

So what am I to do? Where can I put my trust? Who can I rely on? Who do I vote for?

Good question. All I know is that Jesus has an agenda and He wants his people to carry it out no matter who is in power and what party has control of the congress or the white house. I am called to carry out God’s politics. I can gripe about poverty and the government’s failure to help the needy or try to do something about it by selling my possessions and giving my time. I can wait for the government to legislate morality or live a moral life for myself and support humanity in all forms. I can get angry about our government’s horrible environmental policy or try to reduce my own impact on the earth instead. I can complain about how our government favors the rich or give my money to the poor and become a regular tithe-r. In essence, I can do the things Jesus actually commands me to do first and worry about the government’s duties later.
I guess when I put it that way.. things are more clear cut than I thought.