QotD: The homestretch

"This is an amazing race. The incumbent president has approval ratings somewhere between Robert Mugabe and the ebola virus. The economy is supposedly on the brink of global Armageddon. McCain has only $80 million to spend, while Obama's burning through $600 mil as fast as he can, and he doesn't really need to spend a dime given the wall-to-wall media adoration. And tonight Chris Matthews' doctors announced that his leg tingle has metastasized leaving his entire body like a vibrating cellphone whose ringtone is locked on "I'm In Love, I'm In Love, I'm In Love, I'm In Love, I'm In Love With A Wonderful Guy."

"And yet an old cranky broke loser is within two or three points of the King of the World. Strange."

- Mark Steyn

Don't vote, revisited

More folks are chawing on the idea that massive voter registrations of the uninformed and those who otherwise might not vote is not necessarily a great thing. If someone doesn't have the wherewithal to rise off their posterior and register to vote, do I want that person to vote anyway? Even if they'd vote for someone I favor?

Another good article on the topic (here), this one by William J. Watkins. An excerpt (parentheses mine):

Thus, elections should be viewed as bulwarks of our Republic ... But for elections to serve this lofty purpose, the people must be informed. In recognition of this, the First Amendment was added to the Constitution, in part, to ensure the free flow and availability of information regarding public concerns. Because an informed electorate is a prerequisite to an intelligent exercise of the franchise, the Founding Fathers, in the words of James Madison, viewed the dissemination of information as “the only effectual guardian of every other right.” An ignorant public exercising the franchise (right to vote) was seen as inimical (unfavorable) to a free society.

His conclusion portends our future:

An ignorant voter is more dangerous to the Republic than a non-voter. Unfortunately, the registration movement teaches citizens that an uneducated vote is better than no vote at all. Such a lesson is pernicious and could have lasting effects on the electorate.

Please don't vote Tuesday

I have often thought about who gets to vote in our country. Consider the qualifications:

• Citizen
• 18 years of age or older
• Non-felon

What a blessed people we are!

Still, when I consider who gets to vote, my stomach somersaults. Folks who don't understand our form of government get to vote. They have no idea why we have three branches of government or why we have two segments in our legislature. They haven't read our Constitution or the Declaration of Independence. They think the 3/5 vote for the slave was racist (au contraire!). They think we are a democracy (we are a republic) and have never heard that our Founders could have established a democracy but chose not to do so.

Folks who haven't considered the issues facing our nation get to vote. Should the government even be meddling in things like health care? the economy? education? fuel prices or bank bailouts? They have not considered the extreme weight of issues like life (born or unborn, aged or spry, quick-witted or feeble-minded), and what happens if you begin to diminish any life from conception to the last breath. What about war? Are there such things worth dying for? Is peace at any cost a great ideal or a foolish slogan?

How many folks outside those who read things like this know that the President gets to appoint those who sit on the Supreme Court? Can any of them name a Supreme Court Justice? Can they name their US Senators or Congressman? How about their State legislators? How about their governor?

How many knew who won American Idol this year? And last? And before that?

Who was on Letterman last night?

AAARRRGGGHHH!

John Stossel, reporter of 20/20 fame, had a skewering point in his column yesterday. He suggested that those who are uninformed, though they have every right to vote, would do our nation a great service by staying away from the polls on Tuesday (you can read it here).

Would that knowledge alone could solve our plight. Knowledge puffs up, but ah, wisdom! Oh, that America would become a wise and informed people. Instead, we are just people, like me, who don't have all the answers to all the questions.

Let's hear it for digging up the answers!

What do you really believe?

I contend that most Catholics in America treat their religion like a good luck charm, a get-out-of-hell-free card if you will. If America's Catholics were sincere about Catholicism, they would follow the direction of the papacy and passionately oppose any one running for any office who favors abortion. McCain would win in a landslide.

Protestants aren't any better. While many mainline denominations have doctrines the consistency of tepid oatmeal, the source book, the Bible, has not changed. If Protestants weren't hedging their bets, they'd get into God's word and see what it says, how it applies to every aspect of their lives, and McCain would win in a landslide.

As Harry Jackson's article a couple of posts ago noted, we are in an era where the Bible has been dismissed. It no longer affects the Christian's life. It's relegated to a couple of readings on Sunday (if church is attended at all). Somewhere in the house you might find a Bible. Where was that thing?

Today, Father Jonathan Morris published an essay at FoxNews discussing "spreading the wealth" and why such economics are abominable (read it here). Most of America seems to think it a grand scheme, but Morris concludes

...we know from history, from very sad periods of history, there is no real justice—no progress and no lasting peace—when its pursuit involves beating down some to lift up others. And we also know, by the dictates of reason and the practice of all ages, that when the government decides it can suspend the natural right to private property, through repossession or redistribution, or whatever they choose to call it, that government is on the wrong side of truth.

I do not agree with Fr. Morris that Obama has been right about many things as he alludes to in his piece. In fact, for him to be the great bridge-builder, I do not know of a single issue where I agree with him nor do I see him building a bridge toward me. (In fact, in Morris' archive at Fox News, he has two posts where he hammers Senator Joe Biden on his abortion position.)

Were our relationship with Almighty God more than a thing to check off our to-do list each week, we would not be facing such a dramatic display of opposites for candidates. The parties would look more similar than disparate. I might even be struggling with which candidate I would cast my vote.

Today, sadly, the choice is very clear.

If Americans followed the

Cartoons of the Day (CotD)

These would be funny if the truth within them weren't so horrifying.

2008 by Steve Breen

2008 by Steve Breen

2008 by Lisa Benson

Christians and politics

If those who attend churches that have roots in the Christian faith believed what the Bible said, this election would be a landslide...the other way.

Because many Christians let their world inform what they think about the Bible, you get some incoherent politics.

Five reads shed some light on God, Christians and politics. I encourage you to take the time and digest these over the next couple of days .

1. An Open Letter to Evangelicals by Harry R. Jackson, Jr. In his essay, Mr. Jackson paints a clear portrait of the Christian as a citizen. He also exposes how a weak view and understanding of the Bible leads to its mis- and non-application in the lives with such a view. Nowhere is this currently more visible than in the political arena.
2. Christians and Politics, Part 1 by John MacArthur, Jr. Here is the first of a four-part treatment of Christians and politics. The first part introduces the other three highlighting how much has fundamentally changed in our nation within a half-century and identifies the real problem in America today.
   
3. Christians and Politics, Part 2 by John MacArthur, Jr. In this section, John MacArthur emphasizes that the church is not the state. It's important to note that he does not say that the church must abstain from things political but that the church's priority resides in the spiritual realm and not the physical.
   
4. Christians and Politics, Part 3 by John MacArthur, Jr. Here MacArthur discusses the role of the individual in politics in America.
   
5. Christians and Politics, Part 4 by John MacArthur, Jr. "By means of faithful preaching and godly living, believers are to be the conscience of whatever nation they reside in," writes MacArthur.
   

I have found John MacArthur to be a superb biblical scholar and teacher. That said, I feel that here he does not emphasize enough the need for the believer to proclaim God's truth in politics and culture, in realms civic and scholastic, where we have too often been silent. The church through every believer restrains the anarchy of a society. When it doesn't do that, society begins to rot, and when that happens, I believe that we disobey part of God's command to steward the earth He gave us.

I include his insights for you to consider through the lens of Scripture what God would have you do.

(Thanks to my friend Mark for tipping me off on MacArthur's articles)

America Alone: The essay

Mark Steyn, Canadian columnist turned American, continues to appreciate and honor with his pen the principles that have made our nation great in a time when many Americans couldn't explain how it began. Nor could they explain what the problem was that nearly ripped it asunder in the 19th century.

I offer a few points from his concluding paragraph. Read it in its entirety to see how he gets to this point (here).

(One) Administration will pitch America toward EU domestic policy and UN foreign policy. Thomas Sowell is right: It would be a “point of no return”, the most explicit repudiation of the animating principles of America. For a vigilant republic of limited government and self-reliant citizens, it would be a Declaration of Dependence.

So do we become a neutered, Euro-west welfare state or do we continue to stand against the tide as a free people committed to sustaining freedom through personal responsibility and volitional sacrifice? Bueller? Anyone?

Media bias? Ask a journalist

Tonight, in a freezing-cold, rain-soaked game five of the World Series, Joe Buck and Tim McCarver detoured most about the "questionable" job of the home plate umpire. Folks, the last thing you want in what could be a deciding game is to have lame officiating.

The election version of the umpire is the media. Television news, print news, e-news. America has counted on its journalists to keep the playing field level.

In this years election, the umpire's bias has even become a joke on Saturday Night Live. Sending love letters and candy to one team does not give the other team the warmest of fuzzies.

Linked here is a lengthy article by an ABC News Journalist wherein he grieves over what has become of his profession. Please hang with it in its entirety. It gets really sobering on pages 3-5 (none of the pages is very long).

We have many unanswered questions about what side of this election primarily because the questions have been unasked. In eight days, the questions will be moot.

This ain't t-ball!

Kudos to new San Francisco 49er football coach Mike Singletary for planting his Hall of Fame cleats in the posterior of a couple of his new players.

Singletary anchored the Chicago Bears defense from the middle linebacker position from 1981-1992. He instilled fear in the heart of any offense (including his own) with his beady-eyed scowl and the Mack truck hits that backed it up.

His ferocity on the field is matched only by his passion for Christ on and off the field. He's a classic example of "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all to the glory of God." That's why it's no surprise that as a coach, he will not tolerate the prima donna behavior exhibited by so many players and tolerated by so many coaches, GM's, and owners (Jerry Jones, anyone?).

Said the coach,

"I'd rather play with 10 people and just get penalized all the way until we have to do something else rather than play with 11 when I know that right now that person is not sold out to be a part of this team," Singletary said. "It is more about them than it is about the team. Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can't do it."

When's the last time you heard about a player actually getting sent to the showers? Literally? Yep. You can read about it here.

You just might see the abysmal 'Niners back in the playoffs next year.

Photo from CNN/SI

A surprise from the Times

The NY Times liked Fireproof.

This paper has spoken little good toward things sincerely Christian in the last three to four decades. Fireproof seems to have shocked the liberal paper. Unlike the review posted a few weeks back, the Times cited the quality of the production and the performances to include the characterizations of real Christians. A few excerpted quotes:

“’Fireproof’” may not be the most profound movie ever made, but it does have its commendable elements, including that rarest of creatures on the big (or small) screen: characters with a strong, conservative Christian faith who don’t sound crazy.”

“…. the cast of mostly amateurs (Mr. Cameron of “Growing Pains” being the exception) is surprisingly good. And the moments of comic relief are mildly amusing.

“Only at the end do the filmmakers get heavy-handed, and they seem not to know when to wrap up, letting the movie run on for several smarmy scenes beyond its natural endpoint. Until then, though, this is a decent attempt to combine faith and storytelling that will certainly register with its target audience. And maybe with other folks as well: among those caring-for-marriage tips are some that anyone could use to improve any type of relationship, with or without the God part.”

You can check out the rest of their review here.