Dear Members and Friends,
Until the emperor demanded to be worshipped, Christians were exhorted to obey the laws of the land and be good citizens. This was to show that followers of Christ were decent people who were interested in enhancing the well being of the wider community, not just concerned about themselves and their own welfare.
Today we live in a land governed by imperfect people in an imperfect system. Yet, it is a place that has done some pretty incredible things. As a nation, we have defeated some of the worst collective evil the world has ever known and we have also transformed humanity from being an earth bound species into a race destined for the stars. Yes, we are flawed, but even so our capacity for good is enormous.
Over the years, when it comes to politics I have found it a bit irritating when certain Christians speak out under the assumption that if you are a believer then there is only one candidate (always theirs) that you can support in good conscience. I have seen this presumptuous attitude articulated with tremendous zeal by liberals and conservatives, democrats and republicans alike. Yet, I believe that even though there is only "one Lord, one faith and one baptism," there isn't necessarily only one ethic, one politic and one moral position. I believe that wise and faithful disciples can be unified in their devotion to God and diverse in their response to the world.
More recently in our land there has emerged an almost pandemic paranoia about what is termed by both major parties as "big government." The mere mention of this phrase sends chills up and down the spines of those who fear that a hulking bureaucracy now sits upon the backs of the people, squashing the life out of our individual freedom and potential. While a streamlined and efficient government should be a goal, it is hard to imagine a system serving over 250 million people as ever being a small enterprise. Personally, I am concerned that with all the anti-government rhetoric being spouted, we are turning off the young minds we need to bring a fresh approach and new idealism to public service, leaving only those who will seek high office for the wrong reason. Perhaps if the size of our principles keeps in step with the size of the government, we needn't worry about that government becoming too large.
Now, if the Early Church was not cynical about the emperor then we needn't be about whom we will elect President. Remember, you are not voting for Jesus Christ, just ordinary people trying to do extraordinary things. Simply and prayerfully cast your ballot for the imperfect soul you believe will most enable us to be a good country in the eyes of the Lord. For as imperfect as we will always be, we still have the tremendous potential of accomplishing God's will.
From Reverend William J. Keane,
Senior Minister of First Baptist Church of Branford
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