This was originally written as a response to Dr. Ted Campbell’s blog post.  You can view it HERE.  I hope you find it encouraging on some level!
~blessings,
Drew
———————————————————

As a kid who grew up in the Churches of Christ – I probably have a little different take on this (Dr. Campbell’s view on how Churches of Christ are probably right [CoC’s]) than some, given my background. I grew up in churches that were anti- or non-institutional CoC’s. Long story short; we didn’t believe it was scriptural to support orphans homes from the church treasury (treasury=scriptural?), no fellowship halls, gyms, or kitchens in the building; after all, the gospel wasn’t about being a country-club.

But your article strikes me with a freshness, Dr. Campbell.  I have been through a weird metamorphosis, b/c I have gone to a CoC graduate school, served as a deacon in the more mainstream (liberal, from where I grew up) CoC’s, and now am of the position that CoC’s are often just another denominational hierarchy, albeit without a centralized denominational structure. Sure, we don’t have the CoC headquarters per se, but there are plenty of denominational flags and trademarks.

The Stone-Campbell movement to restore NT Christianity was filtered through their OWN traditions; be it Scottish Presbyterian or otherwise Reformation Protestant. Yet there was a freshness to the idea of just doing the Bible’s description of Christianity.

Fast-Forward to today… how would Stone & Campbell view CoC’s? GENERALLY kinfolk. But I think there was a freshness to the idea of being completely non-attached to any headquarters, or any other churches by affiliation. The idea of being completely autonomous and solitary was an exciting idea to these folks. I consider myself a “Stoned-Campbellite” – meaning I grew up with a DAZED & CONFUSED view of hermeneutics, authority, discipleship, and evangelism.  Not that I didn’t know about these four things; but to keep them perfectly tied up and consistent left me in a delirium.

But it’s scary.  If you don’t believe me, just start practicing TRULY non-denominational Christianity.  One where you have your own set of shepherds, a biblical viewpoint, but then again you really couldn’t care less what other churches think of you.  Not for the sake of just being different, but for the sake of being completely authentic.  Completely free to interpret the scripture with a conscience and a deep spirit of humility.

NOT to mention the Spirit’s work in our daily lives; the empowerment of His love and strength and guidance to those who submit fully to Christ. I still remember when I got up to preach my first Sunday night sermon at the age of 16. One elder said, “You can preach on anything… except the ‘indwelling of the Holy Spirit.’” He actually WASN’T kidding. After all, the Spirit’s work was done long ago, and only in a mystical way now as we read the Scripture, by helping us understand it.  Or… so it has been traditionally maintained.

Can a church (a collective group of disciples of Christ) really practice this?  Can they really make a powerful statement of the sovereignty of Christ in today’s world?  Can we love those who are in sin, but effectively show Christ’s love in a way to penetrate their life and actions?  Perhaps they can be brought to Christ in time.  An old mentality is still out there that says, “preach the word, and if they don’t accept it, then shake the dust off your feet and move on.”  Jesus did tell his disciples that, and there is truth in it.  But we can’t be of a spirit that polarizes people, and still bring glory to God.  Jesus befriended those who were in sin, and though he didn’t take part in it, something about his love, grace, and genuineness of action brought them to him.

I just find that yours is a unique bird’s eye view, and I appreciate it. It’s easy to get frustrated with what some experience as stifling and laden with un-written creeds.

Father, help me to be real Jesus.  Not the 21st century public perception of how people THINK of Jesus, because of our hypocrisy.  Help me to always practice the realness and genuineness of faith; loving ALL others, whether in a lifestyle the Bible calls sin, or whether they are traditional, genuine-but-often-lost believers.  Help me to be the man I am called to be, and show a balanced, real view to the world, so they will see you.  NOT me.  Help me to see others how YOU see them, not as I would naturally see them the way I might be tempted to do.  Help me to share Christ with others every single day.  every.  single.  day.

Grey (bro-in-law) & I are at the AFCA convention in Dallas right now.  This morning, we went to the FCA‘s worship service.  The speaker was Denton Bible Church’s Pastor, Tommy Nelson.  He spoke to coaches in the audience with passion from the Bible text of 2 Corinthians 1:12.

“Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace.”

And 2 Corinthians 2:17:

“Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.”

I was deeply moved by Tommy’s message about the Greek word -that is used for sincerity (sincere); εἰλικρινείας (eilikrineias).  The point he was trying to make to coaches is that our significant role in the lives of kids has been developing for a hundred or so years, since fathers first left their homes with the industrial revolution.  Coaches have often had to step into the typical role that should be held by the father, by (for good or bad) influencing hundreds of young men under their care.  Some of our players don’t have a father at home.  For those who do, our society has placed demands on a Dad’s time, and the expectations of his job and our modern world keep him away from home, and the daily influence of his son as powerfully as that relationship was 120 years ago.

The context of the message this morning was that Coaches certainly don’t replace fathers, but the role of a Coach has literally become close to that of a minister.  When this industrial revolution changed the family dynamic 120 or so years ago, Knute Rockne went before the U.S. Senate to address the role of Sport in helping train young men in the ways of real life.  In fact, football – to many coaches – most closely resembled the battles and war of real life.

In some cases, that father role can be filled by his Coach.  But before any Coach can truly teach and influence his young men, he must BE what they need to be in a man.  Maybe he can’t do all the drills, the exercises, or make the long throws.  But his life – especially that of a Christian Coach – has to be the thing that makes the impact on his players.  He must be… sine cere.

In the Greek AND Latin roots of the word sincere, the connotation of pure-ness and validity is far stronger than in the English.  In fact, the etymology of the word is best translated as “sun tested“.

In the Greco-Roman culture, if a ceramic or potter’s pot was sold, it was expected to be a quality piece of workmanship.  If you were more concerned with making money and pushing product than quality, you would quickly fire your pots in the kiln.  When they were quenched, and cooled down too quickly, they would crack.  A deceitful vendor would put wax paraffin in the cracks.  To the regular eye, it looks high in quality.  But if it were sine cere (Latin), or “sun tested,” it would be held up to the sun, and when the sun hit the pot, it would expose the cracks and show it to be a fraud.

The application from 2 Corinthians 1 & 2 is obvious.  Coaches (and all of us) must be “without wax”.  We should be “sun tested” and shown to be sincere, and true integrity shows through.  2 Corinthians 2:17 makes all the more sense when Paul explains that he and his companions: “do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.”

The challenging thing for every Christian is that our daily walk must be authentic.  The wax in our cracks has to be eliminated, and if there are cracks in our pots, we need to patch them with the true potter’s clay, and have them re-fired in the kiln.  Jesus taught in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

That’s where the potter’s clay comes from.  Those of us who are weary and burdened have already experienced those cracks, and have tried and tried to fill it with paraffin; just can’t fix it ourselves.  Our hearts can only be filled by the fulfillment Jesus gives.  And the only way for us to be of any sincere influence to others is through keeping ourselves as finely cured pottery.

WOW, that’s difficult.  Father, I pray that you will help me to overcome my cracks, and not continue to fill them with wax so others don’t see them.  Help me to share my struggles with others, so my clay will be healed and the power of Christ will reign in me.

…annnnnnnd how many of you finished that title’s lyrics in your Chipmunk voices?  (time for toys and time for cheer!)

What a time of reflection this year.  For the first time in years, I watched the national sacred Mass on Christmas Eve at the national cathedral.  I just thought I’d share some thoughts, and maybe ask for yours.

Pope Benedict Christmas Eve Mass

I come from a traditionally neither catholic or protestant, “low church” background.  I was raised in what is known as the “Restoration Movement” (or Stone-Campbell Movement) in American church history.  From where I came, it was “unscriptural” to celebrate Christmas as a holy day at all; since it is nowhere in scripture labeled as that day, or outlined for our celebration.

I don’t hold that conviction at all anymore.  To me, it’s a powerful time of remembrance and celebration to acknowledge that the child who was born in Bethlehem would establish a kingdom that would never be destroyed.  A time when Jesus was poured out from his Divine nature, into the broken, fleshly, ‘created’ form as a man.

As I was watching the service, I was blown away by a couple of things.  1)  the CEREMONY of the service was so deeply traditional that I was lost trying to find meaning.  I appreciate tradition, and appreciate religious traditions that are ceremonially done.  But when I read the New Testament, I just simply never see all of the ceremony, rite, and ritual that I saw on Christmas Eve on TV.  2)  I was blown away by the reverence of the moment.  While it was ritualistic and solemn, the Catholic tradition uses that time to draw near to God through communion.

In a way, I was never MORE convicted that I was that night, that the way the Catholic church does communion/mass is not the Biblical way.  It is the Catholic way.  I try to envision the spirit that was over the apostles and disciples when Jesus had recently ascended into Heaven, and how they would have assembled.   Would it have been with pomp, and gowns, and ceremonial incense to ‘bathe’ the worship before the Lord?  Or would it have been more wooden… more common folk… more – real?

I don’t condemn the Catholic way.  But I don’t believe it’s the Biblical way, and I’ll let the Lord sort all of that out.  But was I do believe firmly is that for Christians everywhere – we have to be real and be drawn near to God by the coming of the King.  I believe in the establishment of the Kingdom, the washing of regeneration, and the table of memorial feast as we eat the supper together with other disciples.  I believe in Jesus’ prayer when he prayed, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.”

I also believe in the power of symbolism.  For Catholics, almost everything in the ceremony is layered with powerful symbolism.  The metaphor of the incense, the whitewashed garments, the holy bread, the holy wine, and the trans-substantiated meal at the sound of the bell (when, in Catholic tradition, the bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Christ).  When we partake of Christ, and “feast” on him like Jesus taught us in John 7, we take in all of his teaching, his wisdom, and his character.

John 6:54-58 says:   ⁵⁴ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁵⁵ For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. ⁵⁷ Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

The mass on Christmas Eve repeatedly stated, “he came to give us life, and that life so that we would have peace.” – that we would have the courage to change our lives to live in a holy way.  It’s a tough choice to live separate from the world.  I can’t imagine just how tough it was for Jesus to not go crazy on the Jews for their constant ignorance of the eternal wisdom He taught.  But I know what he taught was right, because it’s HARD.  It is selfless, and it is holy, and it’s difficult to care for those who don’t deserve your kindness.

The Manna God provided for Israel in the wilderness some 4000 years ago was both symbolic and functional.  It fed them and sustained them; but it came in the form of “rain” from the sky.  The LORD provides life and peace.  Jesus taught it in more direct, practical ways than that, but he taught the same thing.

I am thankful for the experience I had Christmas eve watching the catholic Network, for helping me get a little different picture on Christmas Eve.  While I am not ready to go kiss the ring, I acknowledge the deep reverence for the King’s birth, coronation, death, and resurrection.  My prayer is that I’ll have the willpower to keep it real in my own life.  God, be merciful to me and strengthen my weak knees.  Be completely in my sights for a new-ness, a self-less devotion to your holiness, and the service that Jesus showed others.  Lord Jesus, thank you for your humility to come as a servant man, and show us how to be humble in greatness.  “Let ev’ry heart, prepare Him room” – for you as the King of our lives.

We’re in the heat of spring workouts – preparing to get INTO spring football.  We start officially in another few weeks and we’re finally starting to get some momentum.  The basketball guys are back, we’re still missing some valuable baseball and soccer guys – but most of our core football team is working out daily.

Today we did lots of upper body stuff.  Every day though, we do “athletics” and conditioning.  7-layer-push-ups, Dive-bombers, squat-jumps, conventional push-ups, crunches… you name it; they’re hard to do for very long without rest.  One of the things we often tell the kids is to “be strong in the mind!!!”  To hang in there and push through each rep, each set, every day.  In the end, it’ll push us to greater heights, and make us tougher mentally and physically; because we know WHAT IT FEELS LIKE to not quit, but to hurt and push through the pain with the strength of champions.

Interestingly, the scriptures teach all of those principles, and have taught ’em for thousands of years.

Ecclesiastes 2:24
Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.

3 John 2
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

If we are working for God, we can bring an attitude of enthusiasm and cheer to even the toughest tasks and exercises.  More to the point, even if we have a supervisor or fellow workers who are difficult to work with, the principles of working hard “for the Lord” (1 Peter 2:18-19).

Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

Luke 16:10
He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.

These are just a few passages that teach us how to approach hard work.  They are real, and they are tough to follow; but more satisfaction comes from being faithful and pushing ourselves when we apply it on a spiritual plane; to do it as if we’re doing it directly for our Creator.  Praise God from whom all good things come!  Lord help me to apply this at every level of my life.

It’s been forever since I’ve posted.  this year has been a bad one for me to keep up on the blog.  Last night, Elizabeth & I went with my brother & sis-in-law to see the Blind Side.  It’s a story about a kid – Michael Oher (pronounced Oar) – who grew up in Memphis, was admitted (somehow) to Briarcrest Christian  School, and became a part of a not-so-conventional family of well-to-do pale faces on the East side of Memphis.

The story is all about Michael’s redemption, and REALLY about the redemption of the Touhy family; a white family who has compassion for him when they see him walking the streets without a place to go when it’s raining and cold outside.  Michael’s mother was a drug addict, and he was raised to this point in his life in the downtown projects (Hurt) in Memphis.

Citing their Christian duty, the mother of the white family (played by Sandra Bullock) convinces the husband (played by Tim McGraw) and kids that they have no choice but to love and care for this kid.  He was after all, 6’6″ – about 320, and with the heart of a puppy dog.  They take in Michael, and gain custody of him through the state.  He leads Briarcrest (Wingate in the movie) to the playoffs and acquires a scholarship at Ole Miss.

I was overcome by emotion the entire movie.  Not only had we lived in Memphis for 5 years, and experienced this culture through both urban ministry and Elizabeth’s crisis intervention work, but we had also adopted a beautiful baby boy who was African American – who’s now 9.  Memphis is a large city in the mid-south that has the same struggles as the large urban ones of New York, LA, Houston, and Chicago; drugs, prostitution, violence.  They need Jesus worse than anything in their lives.

REAL Jesus.  Not fancy churches, or charitable outreach that is here today, and gone tomorrow so that others can feel like they’ve cared for the poor, clothed the naked, or housed the homeless.  What the Touhy’s did for Oher was real Jesus.  I don’t know them personally; and I know they were REALLY well off.  I hope and pray it was the real Jesus who motivated them to act on their faith with Michael Oher;  I have no doubt that is really was.  The kind of kindness that is real and experienced, taken home, and reflected on long after people are in their quiet times.

I’ve come to believe that it is impossible to minister to someone without them seeing the real meaning behind it.  If it is Christ, they will see the selflessness that is behind it.  It if is selfish, people will see it.  If you truly love someone with the love of Christ, it is infectious, and they will share it with others.

GO SEE THIS MOVIE!  It’s a great one.  The love of Christ is the most motivating pure force one can gather.  May God grant us all his grace to overcome ourselves and become the people we need to be.

Ecclesiastes 7:2-4 says:

2 It is better to go to a house of mourning 
       than to go to a house of feasting,
       for death is the destiny of every man; 
       the living should take this to heart.

 3 Sorrow is better than laughter, 
       because a sad face is good for the heart.

 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, 
       but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.

Yesterday I went to the funeral service of a co-worker’s sister.  She and her sister who passed were members of very Spirit-filled, Biblically centered churches, and the Pastors for both of these churches spoke in the funeral service.  For the VERY first time in a funeral, I truly felt a sense of celebration, and the messages from these 2 men, (one other), and my co-worker were very moving.

The central theme that was made crystal clear was the fact that God is alive and well.  His Word is truth, and that by proclaiming it, living it, and struggling with our own fleshly struggles – and learning how to fight that spiritual warfare – we will indeed inherit the crown of life.  Although another good person has been lost to family, our earthly relationships, etc., the Master once again has stolen a soul from the clutches of Satan’s evil grasp.  Though death is the unavoidable consequence for a broken and fallen world, it is not the end for those who have been purchased by the resurrected Christ.

My relationship with my co-worker was strengthened by this experience. She knows now that I care about her, and her family, and she knows that she’s not all alone at her workplace. While my job is not one of focused ministry right now (Barbershop Harmony Society), I believe I’m called to always be a light and a servant to the needs of fellow believers. While I’ve been involved with urban ministry before in Memphis, this experience in Nashville showed me a different take on a spirited group of believers in a part of Nashville that I wouldn’t ordinarily spend most of my time.

I have perhaps never felt so uplifted by the worship songs.  Though we worship in Spirit in Bowling Green, sometimes with clapping, and hands lifted high; I have not personally experienced the degree of complete praise and worship as in 2 or 3 songs yesterday at this funeral.  These folks are DEEPLY devotional and it showed in their praise.

Paul said in his 2nd Corinthian letter, “(chapter 4:16-18) Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” Whatever tradition one comes from, it is true that worship is meant to honor God, and edify us in the process. When it’s not done for that purpose, it’s not done for the right reason. May God be with Jacqueline during this time of mourning, and bless her knowing her sister gave herself to the Lord before she passed.

I’m thankful for Jack Russell puppies.  I’m thankful for 8 year old boys who beg daddy to play ball… nintendo… watch movies… and wrestle.  I’m thankful for a lovely wife who was “barren” (to use the old Biblical term) and whom the Lord saw fit to bless with a natural pregnancy.  

I’m thankful for my firstborn, although I wasn’t there when he came into the world.  I’m thankful for surprises.  I’m thankful for God blessing us long after we thought we couldn’t get pregnant.  I’m thankful for little girls’ smiles when Daddy comes into the room.  

I’m thankful for 5 year old daughters who get in trouble at their Granna’s house, and say, “I want my Mama,” even though she is spoiled rotten.  I’m thankful for her little singing voice, her imagination, her sillyness, and even her sassyness.  I’m thankful that she when she was born, 28 Christian brothers and sisters helped us pack, move, unpack, and eat in our new home within 36 hours.  I’m thankful for fellowship in Christ, and adoption as sons into the Kingdom.

I’m thankful for a brother who has become a successful farmer, utilized his talents, and waited on the Lord to provide.  I’m thankful for a mother who wants to cook so well – AND DOES – even though she thinks she can’t.  I’m thankful she can’t smell (or effectively taste).

I’m thankful for a dad who wants to take walks; for his willingness to listen, to help, to jump in anytime he can.  I’m thankful for my childhood, teen, and young adult heritage in Athens, AL.  I’m thankful for old friends, new friends, basketball, quiet walks in the woods and rushing water.  

I’m thankful for a beautiful wife.  For her patience, her persistence, her resolute determination to be the best she can be, even though a little unborn baby boy’s growth nauseates her so.  For her reaching out to hold my hand, for her kiss, for her love and dedication to the Lord.  

I’m thankful for the church at Bowling Green.  For Shepherds who love their sheep, and want to guide and search, and pray repeatedly.  For the power of redemption in the lives of countless lost ones.  Lost ones who always thought they were found, until they realized just how lost they were.  I’m thankful for friendships with other passionate believers.  For brothers and sisters who know me well, and for those who aren’t inside my head.  For the hard times, the easy times, the praise, the prayer, the fellowship.  I’m thankful for grace, mercy, and peace through prayer when my head is spinning with concerns, worry, and fear.

I’m thankful for Jesus.  For the power of his love to look into my eyes of denial, betrayal, and failure; and to say, “Father, forgive them.”  I’m thankful for his life; for his healing the sick, for his listening to the poor in heart, for his prayers and service to those who don’t deserve a King, much less a King’s washing their feet.  I’m thankful for his mercy and his hope more than anything.  I have often fallen short.  I have often started and not finished.  I have often not been what I should and sometimes not been the father I must be.

I’m thankful for Immanuel.  For God with us, leaving his Spirit in our hearts as a Comforter.  Though He is not with us to wrap His arms around us, to serve us, to touch us, cry with us, and laugh with us – I’m thankful that God loves us enough that His Son couldn’t possibly NOT sacrifice his perfect life for the imperfect.  Praise God.  Forgive us, Lord.  Help us to receive your grace with thankful hearts, and live in grace – and the peace with passes all comprehension in Christ Jesus.

I’ve been reflecting on a scriptural perspective on how I should vote.  Exactly what my position should be on major issues, and how politically involved I need to be.  In thinking about many, many things lately, I thought I’d drop this passage in here:

From Romans 13:1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

In his much discussed book, Civil Government, David Lipscomb said in 1913:

“Tertullian, who was probably born within a half century after the death of the apostle John, gives this explanation of this saying of the Savior:

“The image of Caesar which is on the coin is to be given
to Caesar, and the image of God which is in man is to be
given to God. Therefore thou must indeed give thy money
to Caesar, but thyself to God, for what will remain to
God if all be given to Caesar?”

No better explanation has ever been given of the Savior’s words. It teaches what the Savior taught: pay your tax, but you are not children or servants of the earthly governments. Give your personal service and your bodily powers to God.”

Lipscomb makes powerful, dogmatic statements throughout this book (entirely found online at: http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/dlipscomb/civgov.html)  and this topic is far too complex theologically for me to solve in a single post.

This study is a work in progress, and I will continue to vote for those who stand for things closest to God’s word, and to the perpetuation of his church.  But where do Christians jump in?  The lines between citizenship and discipleship have long been blurred, and often confused between federal actions and “God’s will” being done.  Does the evil of radical Islamic terrorism need to stop?  Absolutely.  Does it need to BE stopped by someone who fears good, and respects God?  Yes.  But at what cost?  What is appropriate, and A) what type of leader does the United States need for that role?  B) what role does the disciple of Jesus really have in all of that? 

In Genesis, the Hebrew Joseph (who was given an Egyptian name: Zaphenath Paneah) was sold into slavery by his malicious brothers, through faith, hard work, and intestinal fortitude, and God’s grace, he rose to power and was a true child of God.  He was a citizen of the Lord’s will; always reflecting on what the Lord would have him do, who obeyed his masters and worked very hard to succeed, and God’s glory was lifted up in Joseph’s accomplishments.  Even Pharaoh gave glory to “Joseph’s god” in the process.  To me, that is the role of God’s children in government.  But does the child of God live under a Theocracy, like Joseph must have been – even in his own mind?  What if Christians become “the most powerful man in the free world” as President?  Do he now lead in a manner completely reflected by the will of the people (democracy), or by God (not the people)?

The reason I’m writing this is because of my own struggle with the role of Christians and government.  What in the world are we to do in a world that’s progressed 100 years since Lipscomb wrote his book, and light years in technology, theological development, and archeaology? 

I know what I’m inclined to do.  I’m inclined to vote because I’m a patriotic citizen.  I’m also inclined to have some sort of say in what I believe will become the next leader and effect change.  I want the Kingdom of God to reign first, then on a far lesser plane, the government under which I live.  But only to the degree that it enables the church to continue practice and growth.

More than ever, Christ is needed for His Lordship in the world.  More than ever He needs to be seen in us in kindness, submission, boldness, citizenship, and above all, discipleship to His kingdom, which will in turn effect the nation I am slave to.  How vocal is a God-fearing leader to be in government?  Should the mantle of Political Prowess be worn with a false-impression of God’s approval and a title of “nation under God”?

I look forward to your comments, and your shared wisdom as this progresses!