A not-so-political guide to the November election

This election season is turning out to be a doozy, isn't it? I make it a habit to not write or post about politics in a way that is confrontational or leaning towards the endorsement of a particular candidate, and this will be no different. Most people that I know and speak with are frustrated, and with good reason. Not once in my 46 years here on earth have I seen such an electorate so divided yet also so hesitant to cast a vote.

Many of my pastor buddies have turned to social media to express their views and distribute their advice and wisdom to those who would receive it. Honestly, I have more often been disappointed by what I have read than encouraged. It's very apparent that my evangelical friends are taking stances against both presidential candidates, and in doing so they are inviting some pretty ridiculous feedback from their parishioners who feel the need to comment while offering no real direction for them to take. When that happens, things just get down right silly.

A common belief that I see being proposed is that voting for a third-party candidate essentially means casting a vote against a better qualified candidate that actually has a chance to win. While I cannot debate the truth or error in this statement, I do want to point out how one person commented on that belief: "Just because you refuse to eat at McDonald's doesn't mean that Burger King gets your money." Clever, huh? The problem with this analogy is that there are hundreds of fast-food options out there, not just two or three. I may choose to eat at home, but someone is going to get my money, whether it is a grocery store or some other establishment. Besides, who we elect for President of the United States (POTUS) carries a lot more weight than where I choose to eat a greasy burger.

So where do I stand? Who will I vote for? I'm not going to tell you. But I do want to spend the rest of this post pointing you down a path that I hope that you will take however you choose to cast your ballot in November. Regardless of who is the next President of the United States there will be certain areas in your life that will always be true and cannot be taken away.

• If you are concerned about your rights to free speech being taken away, then you can still respect the rights of others in your life to speak freely, even if they disagree with you. 
• If you are worried that the POTUS will disregard even more the life of the unborn, that doesn't stop you from continuing to be an advocate for those who have no voice, does it?
• Think that the next POTUS will take away your guns and your right to protect yourself? Even if that does happen, that alone shouldn't keep you from loving your neighbor and looking out for each other.
• Concerned that the new POTUS will shut all the borders, prohibit immigration, and racism will now officially be institutional and rampant? Pretty sure the court systems won't allow that, but even if they did, isn't it on YOU how you view and treat your fellow man? Will YOU still choose to respect all people regardless of color, gender, and orientation in spite of what laws could possibly be passed?
• Can't believe that someone so immoral could actually hold the highest office in the land? This is nothing new. Don't look to the POTUS as your moral compass or to be a role model for your children. That is your job.

Long story short - the world is not going to end after Tuesday November 8, 2016, no matter who wins this election. Yes, things will change in America but they always do. New policies will be implemented and new policies will get shot down. Some of the changes that will take place in this country will delight some while at the same time infuriate others. That's just how it is.

I want what's best for America and so do you. For me, that means more Jesus, but we all know that on this next ballot the only names that appear will be those of mere mortals like you and me. That being the case, if you are a follower of Jesus then live like one. The government cannot pass legislation that can keep you from loving people, caring for the needy, honoring others, respecting peoples' rights, or standing up for what is just. Go out and vote and then do what you know that you must do to point others in the direction of our great God and His salvation which is only found in Jesus.  

Accountability doesn't have to be a lost virtue

By now you've heard and read all about the Stanford University student Brock Turner - who happened to be an accomplished swimmer - who raped an unconscious woman after a party behind a trash dumpster early last year. If you haven't, then I'm sure what I just typed sickened your stomach just a little. I hate to add to your discomfort, but his trial just ended and the judge sentenced him to only 6 months in jail because he believed that a prison sentence "would have a severe impact on him." Only 6 months for raping and abusing an unconscious young woman who had no way of defending herself. Wow.

I do no not want to dive into the details of this case because they are disturbing to recall and they are out there for anyone to see with just a little research. You can also find what Brock's father said to the court, almost excusing the actions of his son and quite possibly suggesting that our justice system was depriving him of having the fun life that he's worked so hard for. All the while Turner has admitted to drinking that night in question, yet he has never admitted any fault in the attack that he says was consensual in nature.

If your blood is boiling, join the crowd. The failure of any sort of justice in this instance can lead us to all sorts of conclusions and finger pointing: A corrupt judge who is a graduate of Stanford himself; a privileged student who used influence and money to escape blame; even a justice system that favors the status of elite whites over that of underprivileged minorities. All of these make a compelling argument. But the one area that is most glaring to me is the lack of accountability taken on by the accused and now convicted young man and his family.

It's not my fault. It really isn't a big deal. He/She is just as responsible. This isn't fair, I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I have to take all the blame? You can't do this - I've got big plans for the future and you are ruining them for me.

On and on the excuses go when we refuse to accept responsibility for our actions. Yes, being held accountable means that there are consequences we must face and penalties we have to pay. That's part of life. Yet somewhere along the way it's become acceptable and even fashionable to embrace an assumed plausible deniability in order to avoid any negative consequences for our poor choices.

Your. Poor. Choices. That's right, when you make a bad decision, that decision is yours to own, not mine or anyone else around you. I hate it when I make a bad decision and have to suffer the consequences. It's at those times I wish I could find a scapegoat to pass the buck to, yet I realize that in the end I have to own it. We all do. And when we see such graphic examples of those who seem to get away without accepting the responsibility and blame for their own actions, it brings out the most visceral of reactions in us.

While we are all to be held accountable for our decisions, there is someone out there who is willing to take the blame for all of the bad decisions that you have made. His name is Jesus. He didn't come to get you off the hook of serving your deserved sentence here on earth for your poor choices, but He did make a way for you to receive forgiveness that lasts for eternity. When He died on that cross those many years ago, He did so to forgive your sins and mine. Not to cover up your responsibility for the sins that you've done, but rather to pay the eternity penalty that you could never hope to pay by yourself.

Let's face it - our actions here on earth have consequences. If you are a parent, you have the responsibility and obligation to teach that to your own children. This is gonna hurt me more than it's gonna hurt you! couldn't be any more true or needed than it is today. And begin by taking a look at your own life and how you handle your own mistakes. Own them. Confess them. Accept the consequences. And then look to Jesus not only for forgiveness but for a better way to live and make your future decisions.

There is no justice. At least not yet.

Have any of you seen the Netflix series called Making a Murderer? It's a fascinating 10-part documentary that follows the life and crimes of a man named Steven Avery, a man convicted in 1985 for a brutal sexual assault which, it turns out, he never even committed. After serving 18 years in prison, DNA evidence exonerated Steven Avery and he was released in 2003. But that's just when his story really got started.

Knowing that he was wrongfully convicted, Steven Avery sought justice against the system that he believed negligently incarcerated him. As his attorneys were preparing to bring their lawsuit on behalf of Avery, another tragic event happened. Avery was accused, then tried, and then convicted of murdering a woman with the help of his nephew, who confessed and testified against Steven Avery. He is now serving life without parole for another despicable crime that again he claims he didn't do.

When crimes or committed or wrongs are done against us, we want justice and we want it now. Avery's case is classic example of injustice - a man serving 18 years for a crime he didn't commit. But then with his conviction on murder, the picture of justice gets more cloudy. Making a Murderer carries with it a slant toward Avery's innocence and many people, after watching all ten episodes, are convinced of his innocence and demanding a new trial.

So what does it take to get justice in our world? Better yet, what is justice in the first place? A layman's understanding of justice would mean that when someone is guilty of a crime, they do the time. Yet in our fast-paced, instant access culture, the ideas of innocence and guilty no longer appear to be so cut and dry.

Whether it is the Serial Season 1 podcast casting doubt on a high school senior's murder conviction or the Paradise Lost trilogy which actually resulted in the release of three men who were convicted of murdering three children in 1993, there is no consensus anymore on who is innocent or guilty or where justice truly lies. If you aren't convinced, watch a presidential debate and tell me afterward who told the whole truth!

As the great show The X Files used to proclaim, "The truth is out there!"

But where is it?

First, we have to understand that when we're dealing with human beings there will always be the potential for deception. That's because people lie. All the time. And they do so to cover their tracks, take unwarranted credit for success, or to deflect blame on someone else. This is what people do. I'm not condoning it at all, just explaining it as part of the process.

Second, people are never going to fully agree on innocent vs. guilty, true vs. false, even if the obvious evidence is right in front of their faces. We want to believe what we want to believe about certain people and nothing will change our minds. I'm sure there are many mothers of sons on death row who still believe that they are "good boys."

Finally, there is a solution. In fact, the truth IS out there and it's not far away at all. No, I'm not talking about uncovering hidden evidence that will either exonerate or implicate someone in a real-life crime. I'm talking about a much deeper truth that serves as a foundation to all of life. I'm talking about Jesus.

In John 14:6, Jesus dropped a bombshell on His disciples when He claimed, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No once comes to Father except through me." With those words Jesus wasn't claiming to deliver everything that we would need to solve future court cases. Instead, He made it very clear that if we would believe in who He said He was - the Son of God - and accept what He was about to do at that time - offer Himself for the sins of the world - then we would be embracing the truest true that man could possibly fathom.

This truth leads us to the reality that, no matter how hard we try, we can't save ourselves.

This truth leads us to the reality that, if we want to have a relationship with God, Jesus is the only way.

This truth leads us to the reality that we aren't here by some cosmic accident, but rather God has placed us here for a purpose - to know Jesus.

And this truth leads us to the reality that, while things in this world are messed up now and the good guys don't always win, there is coming a day when that will all change. Jesus is coming back, and when He does return all the evil and wickedness and injustice in the world will be abolished forever. And if you have a relationship with God that only faith in Jesus can provide, you will be forever wrapped up in that truth as well.

As time goes by, I will be interested to see follow ups on some of these now high profile crimes and how, when, and if they are resolved through our justice system. In the meantime, I anticipate that many more men and women will declare their innocence or we will declare their guilt. All of this makes for good entertainment but, unless we know all the facts - which we most certainly never do - we have to rely on what we are told to form our opinions.

Thankfully, your life in Christ never has to rely on such shaking footings. Your faith in Jesus doesn't guarantee that you will never be falsely accused or that our courts will fail to prosecute the right person. But your faith in Jesus does guarantee that while injustice may be elusive in your lifetime, after your time on earth is through you will spend eternity with the righteous King who will make all things new. No more crying, no more pain, no more injustice, just perfect peace.

You have a right to. . .nothing.

In 1986 The Beasie Boys released their blockbuster album License to Ill and immediately the track (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (to Party)! became an unofficial anthem for the '80s generation. As a produce of that decade, these words summed up how I felt about life in general. I was all wrapped up in the things that I not only wanted to do, but that I was convinced that I had a RIGHT to do.

Fast forward to today and that attitude still prevails, and we don't even need a theme song to go along with it. Everywhere you turn people are getting bent out of shape because someone somewhere is either denying them what they believe to be their rights or prohibiting them from expressing them at all.

In the 1960's when the Civil Rights movement was at it's height, the fight for the rights of minorities was noble and good. Not that racism and prejudice against others went away back then - sadly, those ills will always be with us - but the mechanism for addressing them was put into play and is still running strong today. To say that just because I am white then I more human than and deserving than you because you are black or hispanic or Asian is just stupid, unbiblical, and wrong. I don't know that anyone can disagree with that.

Yet...

We live in a world where countless people have upped the ante, screaming that their rights have been violated because their personal preferences were not satisfied. When we do not get what we want then everyone else is to be blame except for ourselves. Somehow, we all believe that we deserve whatever it is that our hearts desire and, if we don't get those things, then our rights have been denied.

But what is it that we truly deserve? What rights can we legitimately claim.

Here's what the Bible tells us:

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

For the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23a)

In other words, we have a right to die - to be separated from God for eternity, because of our sin. Nowhere in the Bible does it say we have right to vote, marry whomever we want, make whatever choices we please, or do whatever makes us happy. It's not that God does not desire to give us the desires of our heart - He most certainly does when our desires fall in line with His good and perfect will - but we truly deserve nothing good from God. Yet, at some point in our lives most of us have demanded that God give us what we want when we want it. As if it was our right to claim these things.

I am all for equal and fair rights. I don't like to see the little guy or underdog get stepped on. And I certainly want there to be social justice and prosperity for those who have been oppressed. Yet what I don't understand is how we can somehow think that this world is all about us and demand that our rights be met or else. How selfish can we be?

No, we don't truly have a right to anything.

We don't have a right to God's grace, yet God lavished it on us in spite of ourselves.

We have done nothing to earn the right to claim forgiveness, but Jesus shed His blood on the cross for our sins nonetheless.

Living in the presence of God for all eternity is the exact opposite of what we deserve, yet eternal life is the gift of God for those who place their faith in Jesus.

When we finish the rest of Romans 6:23, we clearly see these truths:

the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus our Lord.

That's a game changer. And what that truth should do is remind us that, while it's good and right to fight against injustices and to champion the weak, in the end all that matters is that we know Jesus. We have no true rights save those that God has granted to us. And He saw fit before the foundation of the world to declare that, while we deserved death because of our sin, He would instead extend to us the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. And those rights given to us by God always come right on time.

Christianity = Insanity

"When you heard a story 'bout the hero dying for the villain?"

(Trip Lee One Sixteen)

Let's go ahead and clear the air from the get go - there isn't much about what Jesus did on the cross for us that makes sense. Was His sacrifice beautiful, His love unconditional, His redemption of us incredible? Yes! Does it fit into our rational thought processes? No!

When we see someone guilty of a crime, especially one that is heinous and barbaric in our eyes, we want justice. For some that means the death penalty while for others they demand life in prison with no possibility of parole. Keep the criminals in their cages so that they can no longer prey on the weak and the innocent.

Question: If the Red Cross knocked on your door and asked if you would be willing to donate your organs - your very life - to a terminal death row inmate, how would you react? "Um, no thanks, but I appreciate the free snacks that you give when I donate blood." You see, that line of thinking just doesn't make sense. Why would we waste our good resources, time, and energy on someone who doesn't deserve it?

Thank God those thoughts weren't on Jesus' mind as He suffered, bled, and died on a cross that He didn't deserve for a people who don't deserve His sacrifice.

This, my friends, is the gospel. A loving God giving a perfect Savior to rescue a world that had been given a death sentence. (Romans 5:6-8)

This is more than prison rehabilitation; the gospel commutes our sentence and clears our record of guilt. (Romans 8:1)

This is more than some random act of kindness; the gospel is calculated grace. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

This is more than giving a released prisoner a job and new chance at life; the gospel brings the sinner to the very throne of God, who in turn adopts us and declares us heirs with Jesus for eternity. (Romans 8:14-17)

Now tell me, does this make sense to you? Why in the world would God do this for us? People are quick to blame God for all of the ugliness and evil that occurs on a daily basis, but are they just as quick to blame God for His incredible grace that sets them free?

I'm so thankful that Jesus bled and died for me. I will never fully understand why God loves me - and you - to the extent that He does. Following Jesus is without a doubt the craziest decision that you can possibly make. The gospel is nuts!

Grace and action are NOT mutually exclusive

"This February 27th, join us and other Freedom Fighters from around the world as we SHINE A LIGHT ON SLAVERY. Draw a RED X on your hand. Tell your world that slavery still exists and YOU WON’T STAND FOR IT. Just use your influence any way you can to help us carry the message of FREEDOM so even more people know. Let’s make this SHINE A LIGHT ON SLAVERY DAY even brighter than ever."

This is the premise behind the End It Movement, a group dedicated to highlighting the reality of modern day slavery and the need for our world leaders to wake up to an issue that is largely being ignored and needs to be shut down. Right now, 27 million men, women, and children around the world are trapped in slavery ranging anywhere from sex trafficking to forced labor. Because of that reality, I happily drew a red X on my hand and even sent my kids to school with X's on their hands. No, awareness alone is not enough to stop slavery, but without awareness  the issue of slavery will never even be addressed.

The catalysts behind the End It Movement are Christians, men and women who believe that grace means more than just saying that "I'm saved." But if you look at the End It Movement website, there is no mention of Jesus or the gospel on it. Instead, you find a whole bunch of like-minded people and organizations who are united in their desire to see a gross injustice rectified. The End it Movement and others like it understand that the gospel is the undercurrent to every act of grace that there is. Grace is to be extended to the least of these in our world even if they choose not to respond to the gospel of Jesus or the gospel is not even uttered. You see, grace and action are not mutually exclusive; they are not separate entities.

Throughout the gospels we see Jesus in and out of towns and villages healing the sick, casting out demons, meeting real physical needs. We also read of Him proclaiming the good news of the kingdom (the gospel) in those same towns and villages. Sometimes we read a story of Jesus just teaching, while at other times we read of His incredible miracles of healing without there being any mention of His proclaiming the gospel. Now this doesn't mean that Jesus did not mix the two at every location, just that it is not always recorded that way.

Which brings us to a very important question: Is it okay to only preach the gospel but not physically help people?

If you are a Christian, that question probably seems pretty ludicrous to you. I mean, who actually thinks it's okay to preach to people but not help them in the midst of their needs at the same time? Who thinks like that? Christians, that's who, and we do it all the time. 

We sit in worship services and learn about the needs of people around the world. Many of us gather in small groups to discuss gospel issues and the plight of the poor and needy inevitably comes to our minds. You drive down the road and see the man on the corner holding up a sign pleading for help. The national news shows yet another story of a country boiling with unrest under the strain from a godless dictator. Your heart aches for those in need and you hold out hope that those people in need would find help and most importantly would enter into a relationship with Jesus. 

That's usually when you think to yourself, "I can't help everyone who has a need and no matter how vocal I become about social injustices, my solitary voice will rarely be heard by those who can actually enact change." Therefore, many of us throw our hands up and assume that here will be others who have more influence with the world's change-agents who can actually get the job done. We'll just wait for them to step up and do what we know they are capable of doing while we continue to go to church and study our Bibles together and remember to pray for those around the world who are struggling. Where is Bono when we need him?

Here's the problem with that line of thinking: Its completely un-Jesus-like. Jesus never separated grace from action because to Him they are not mutually exclusive. Grace is not about works - never has been, never will be - yet grace without works is hardly grace at all (James 2:14-26, "Faith without works is dead."). No, you probably can't change the world by yourself, but you can do something. So do it. 

That leads us to another relevant question in our conversation:  Is it okay to help people in need without preaching the gospel to them?

In order to address that question, let's highlight one example from Jesus' life in Mark's gospel. At the beginning of Mark 8 we know that Jesus has previously fed 5,000 people from just a few pieces of bread and a couple of fish, and now He and His disciples find themselves in a similar situation with a large hungry crowd in front of them (Mark 8:1-10). In this example, it does not say that Jesus had been teaching the crowd, although we assume He probably had been since the crowd had been with Him for three days. Instead, Jesus' focus is on their physical needs:

I have compassion on the crowd, because they've already stayed with Me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home famished, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a long distance. (Mark 8:2-3)

Jesus saw people in need and instantly His heart went out to them. He had to do something. And we are given no indication at all that the action of feeding these people in any way was conditional on whether or not they had sat down to hear a gospel presentation. The compassion that Jesus felt was born out of the reality of the grace of the gospel that He came to live out among us.

It must be the same for us. Our desire to help others in need must be born from the reality of what grace has done in our lives and not whether we are able to successfully promote an agenda. Yes, it would be fantastic if every person that we helped would surrender his or her life to Christ; if every mission trip that we undertook to help those in poverty resulted in tremendous harvests for the kingdom of God; if this campaign to end slavery and human trafficking resulted in countless men and women falling in love with Jesus. Oh how I pray that his happens!

Yes, we must continue to preach the gospel to those in need because the gospel is ultimately the only thing that can satisfy. At the same time, let us seek to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, and free the captives with all of our efforts, even if it means that we are not able to proclaim the gospel message as we would hope to do. We do so because our actions are driven by grace, the grace that has transformed us and given us hearts to love as Jesus loves, and because grace and action are not mutually exclusive. As we strive to be grace givers and grace livers, the power of God in and through our actions will not return void. Needs will be met. Hurts will be healed. And the gospel of grace will be proclaimed.