On the Side | Brad Hicks
About this time 16 years ago, I wrote a piece for the newsletter serving the church I attended, an argument that Christians should be involved in the political process, if for no other reason than to select leaders who would walk in a faithful direction and appoint/approve judges who would protect children, families, marriage and faith.
That year, Al Gore and George W. Bush seemed light years apart. Retrospectively, it probably wouldn’t have mattered who Florida chose.
In all societies, uncontrollable tidal forces erode the shores of faith. Consider how great societies and religions fell victim to the demands of individuals who were either in power or subjected to the will of the powerful. Either the elite determine they will have their king, or the people decide to crown one of their own. And if the people crown one of their own, that king eventually becomes a part of the elite, departing from the ways of those who put him or her in power.
My commentary prior to that 2000 election was, I thought, heartfelt. But the hope from which it was generated was a dying ember in a raging forest fire. God was already being removed from most public venues. Faith was already a taboo topic in general societal discussion. Churches were already willing to ordain pastors who openly snubbed centuries of accepted and revered biblical teachings. Family structures were already being fractured. Financial success was being used as a primary measurement of God’s blessings.
People elected on the idea that they had certain faithful values were already found to be as flawed or compromised as people they had targeted as unworthy of holding office.
When Christian George W. Bush stood before all of us and praised Islam as one of the great world religions, those faithful who supported him had to swallow hard. Politically, he had to acknowledge there are millions upon millions of Muslims in the world who practice their religion. But he also gave credence to a religion that claims Jesus is not the Son of God, which is the most basic tenet of Christianity. And so, the question had to be asked, was President Bush using faith as a prop, just trying to keep peace, or launching his own attempt at being his brother’s keeper? Or, was he simply doing what other presidents would have done?
Faithful people too many times place their faith in a human. We Americans too often forget that our history is replete with reprehensible characters. Most people have never read the political propaganda that was spewed in elections over the past 230 years. You should not consider the vitriol you hear today to be worse than the yellow journalism and muckraking times of our past. It’s really not. Sure, we had the appearance that we were civilized for a while, but the dirty games were still occurring. To be sure, when it comes to the chance to obtain power, the actions taken in the dark will be ever present.
This presidential election is a difficult one for the faithful. Americans have two leading candidates who run from the truth of their character, hurt others in the pursuit of gain, lie to save face, and abuse or manipulate rules to make millions. There are people in prisons who have done less egregious things than them. It’s a shame we’ve been forced to put up with their arrogance in our living rooms.
Were I to write a piece for a church newsletter this time, I think it would be incredibly brief. It may say something such as seek the Lord, do His will, and live your life in a way that your joy cannot be interrupted by the specter of either of these evil-doers.
Brad Hicks is publisher of The Red Oak Express. Contact him at publisher@redoakexpress.com.