Don’t know if this helps or hurts.
For those who are fans of Mike Huckabee for his family values and faith this will help bring people to his side. For those who don’t agree with these issues I think it will turn people away. It will be interesting to see how it works out.
I’m wondering how Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh are feeling after endorsing Mitt Romney for President. Will they side with Huckabee now?
Wait – did Eric just post a new blog entry?
I assumed he was having too much fun in Alaska to keep up with his blog ;-).
Some good stuff. Posted today:
The Voxtrot song “Brother in Conflict†came on today. The last line of the song caught my attention. Ramesh Srivastava sings — screams, really, several times: “I had to lose my idols to find my voice/ lose my idols to find my voice/ lose my idols/ to find my voice.†Appropriate for someone who channeled Morrissey in early songs.
It reminded me of the Bob Dylan song/spoken word piece “Last Thoughts of Woody Guthrie.†Dylan performed this at New York Town Hall on April 12, 1963.
It’s a eulogy, but not for Guthrie, who was still alive at this point. Dylan obvious owed a great deal of his early work to Guthrie. This was Dylan saying goodbye to that influence and moving on to something new.
Today is Super Tuesday – if voting is taking place in your state – don’t let your opportunity slip by. Get out and have a say.
As I think about the campaign and the differences in opinion among “evangelical leaders” and the GOP I can’t help but notice some of the differences in the varied camps. It seems to become more and more clearer that the old guard – the so called “staunch conservatives” and those whose view of the Gospel may be more “conventional” are struggling to find their candidate. There’s not one candidate who they can grab hold of comfortably. Yet many who might lean more towards an “emerging” view of the Gospel seem to have no problem supporting a Huckabee presidency. Maybe I’m off a little bit but it seems like the GOP party is struggling between Western colonialism and new emerging ideas like caring for the poor, loving our neighbor, helping the downtrodden.
From the Mike Huckabee campaign:
Recently, out on the campaign trail, a voter asked if my personal faith informed my decisions. My answer was simple, just as it always has been: my faith is my life – it defines me. My faith doesn’t influence my decisions, it drives them.
Real faith makes us humble and mindful, not of the faults of others, but of our own. Because of our faith, we become less judgmental in that we see others having the same frailties as ourselves. Faith gives us strength in the face of injustice and motivates us to do our best for “the least of us.”
Our forefathers birthed this great nation in a spirit of faith – not a mandate telling us what to believe, but an acknowledgement that divine providence pervades our world.
I firmly believe the greatness of our nation then, does not come from our government or politicians, but lies in the hopeful, optimistic spirit of everyday Americans. Americans who acknowledge that providence has set us apart.
I have campaigned long and hard for the Republican nomination for President because I believe this to be true. There have been peaks and valleys. Yet throughout the journey there has always been my fervent hope that the good people of America will come together and support my candidacy, because they share these same principles and optimism. If you share these beliefs, your vote tomorrow is critical to my success. I humbly ask for your vote.
Now I could go on and tell you how great I am and why you should vote for me. I won’t. Instead, I have asked prominent religious leaders and friends to share with you, what they think of me and why your vote for me is important.
Dr. Rick Warren, Saddleback Church:
“I know most of the candidates running for president but I’ve known Mike Huckabee the longest, since we did our graduate degrees together in the late 70s. Mike’s a man of vision, compassion, and integrity. I’ve watched his uncanny ability to identify with normal people in ways that many leaders don’t. That’s probably why TIME named him one of the five best governors in America. He’s definitely presidential material. But honestly, what I find most appealing is his self-deprecating humor. That’s a key sign of a spiritually and emotionally healthy leader – someone who is comfortable with himself, is authentic, doesn’t wear a mask, and is secure enough to be humble. People love that.”
Janet Folger, World Net Daily:
“We don’t have the luxury to sit back and wait to see what happens without us. Too much is at stake. Bypass the “Fear Tier” who have negotiated the non-negotiables of life and marriage and turn to the candidate from the pro-family tier who has the best chance of winning: Mike Huckabee. The good news is now we don’t have to choose between a pro-life, pro-marriage candidate and a “tier one” candidate “who can win.” Huckabee just became both. Now we just need to unite behind him.”
Stephen Strang, who was recognized by Time magazine in 2005 as one of the “Top 25 Evangelicals in America”:
“Mike Huckabee is an outstanding communicator who has a proven track record of success as governor of Arkansas . He is a true conservative who holds values common to most Americans. Governor Huckabee is a strong, Bible-believing candidate who articulates our values as well as any politician in my lifetime.”
Rick Scarborough, who heads Vision America, a national coalition of Pastors whose mission is to call Christians to be proactive in restoring America to her Judeo-Christian heritage:
“In Mike Huckabee, we have a man who has successfully bridged the chasm that divides people of both parties who share common values and faith. At this time in American history, we desperately need someone to lead us who can step over the partisan divide and unite people if we are going to solve the massive problems facing our nation.”
Jerry Cox, who is also the past director of Unborn Child Amendment Committee:
“Long before his involvement in politics, he was a defender of the unborn, a promoter of character in our schools, and stalwart champion for traditional values. His compassion for people, his command of the issues, his faith in God, and his genuine desire to work with people on both sides of the aisle are a rare find in the politics of today.”
Jim Pfaff, who is president and CEO of the Colorado Family Action and has been active in pro-life/pro-family politics for more than 20 years:
“It is critical, at this time in the history of our country, that our elected representatives truly understand the significant role that families play in our culture today and in the future. Mike Huckabee has been a reliable champion for the values of faith, family and the protection of the unborn over many years of public service.”
Mathew Staver is Dean of Liberty University School of Law and founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, a nationally prominent legal, educational and policy organization specializing in religious liberty, the sanctity of human life and the traditional family:
“We need a leader who understands and is prepared to confront radical Islamic terrorism, who will protect America and her boarders, who does not merely lip sync moral and religious values but who really believes and practices them, and who has the experience and personality to govern a divided Congress. Mike Huckabee is that man.”
Kelly Shackelford, who serves as Chief Counsel of Liberty Legal Institute and president of Free Market Foundation:
“The reason you are starting to see everyone coalesce around Mike is that he doesn’t just talk about conservative issues, he breathes them and has a passion for them. He speaks the truth with an honesty and grace that no other candidate can match in either party.”
Phil Burress, the president of Citizens for Community Values who won this year’s Focus on the Family Grassroots Action Award:
“I have met and interviewed most of the Republican Presidential candidates. After several months of research, I am pleased to announce that Governor Mike Huckabee is the most qualified candidate to hold the office of President of the United States ,” Burress said.
Some more thoughts from Chp 3 of Brian McLaren’s Everything Must Change:
Trying to spur some more discussion for our book club….
In Chp 3 McLaren talks about his visit to Bujumbura in Africa. As a meeting he was scheduled to speak at began he writes that the guy who brought him to the conference says that as a son of a preacher and going to church all his life, sometimes five times a week, in all his childhood he “only heard one sermon.”
Ouch! He says that one sermon was heard over and over again every week. “You are a sinner and you are going to hell. You need to repent and believe in Jesus. Jesus might come back today, and if he does and you are not ready, you will burn in hell.”
Growing up I can’t say that this was the case for me, but then again I can’t say I remember any sermons from my childhood through probably high school.
After graduating high school I began attending Baptist churches, including on very conservative Baptist church and I would say that that was almost the case for that particular church – only mixing in sermons about the importance of tithing.
How does that compare to your life growing up? How does that compare to English and Scottish churches or churches around the rest of the world? How do messages like that help Christians grow?
Is that typical in other churches? Do our churches continue to ignore ideas like hatred, distrust between tribes/neighbors, poverty, suffering, corruption, injustice? I feel that at encounter we’re closer to addressing these issues but we could be doing more.
“They told us how to go to heaven. But they left out an important detail. They didn’t tell us how the will of God could be done on earth.”
McLaren suggests this isn’t just an African problem – and I would tend to agree. Did North American church leaders teach the early colonists to treat the Native Peoples with love and respect? Did they consistently and with one voice appose slavery? Did they express outrage over the exploitation of factory workers or the second-class status of women? Did they/do we stand up for refugees and immigrants? Did they oppose white privilege, segregation, anti-Semitism, stereotyping or Muslims and other forms of ethnic prejudice? Did they see the environment as God’s sacred creation that deserves to be cherished and conserved?
Lots of places I believe the church has failed and continues to fail…
Jesus continued to talk about “the kingdom of God.” McLaren says this idea – contrary to popular belief – was not focused on how to escape this world and its problems by going to heaven after death, but instead was focused on how God’s will could be done on earth, in history, during this life.
McLaren continues and says the Gospel is not just a message about Jesus that focuses on the afterlife – but that the Gospel is the core message of Jesus that focuses on personal, social and global transformation in this life.
What does that mean to you? Is that idea contrary to your beliefs? Does it help answer some of the questions about your faith?
Rick Warren, author of the Purpose Driven Life, showed up on the Colbert Report recently.
Warren’s critics are already bashing him for not sharing The Gospel while on TV.
A good friend of mine e-mailed me a question about fellowship in the church yesterday.
I wanted to ask you a question about church and Fellowship.
Is there debate about people who don’t attend or belong to a church,
but conduct Fellowship (by that I mean prayer and study) in their
home with other people, but without a reverend or priest or some sort
of Church leader present?Some people go to Fellowship during the week with like minds and then
go to church on Sunday. But is it rare for Christians to not go to
church at all and just have Fellowship throughout the week?
Basically, what’s the role of Fellowship?
Here are my thoughts:
Not sure if by Fellowship you mean a specific program of some sort or not. My circle of friends refer to “fellowship” in a number of terms/ways/definitions but it mainly just simply means to “hang out together.” If we sit around at a coffee shop we’re fellowshipping. If we eat a meal with family or friends we’re fellowshipping. If we attend church together we’re fellowshipping.
There are those who are adamant that Christians be a part of a local church body. That definition can vary depending on who you talk to. Some may say being a part of a community group/small group meets the “requirement.” Some say a home church would work. While others think you must be a part of a particular church body that meets in a church building and you must be there every time the doors are open.
For me personally, I believe a person can be just as strong of a Christian by simply studying Scripture in their home alone as they can be by being a member of a mega-church like Prestonwood Baptist, or a small local church like Sardis Methodist.
But I do believe Jesus talked strongly about community and our need for community. I believe we are created to yearn for community, both with God and with our fellow man. I think that community is important on many levels. For one it helps encourage one another and two it gives us an opportunity to “work out our faith” (Philippians 2:12) with others. In other words by meeting with others in fellowship or community it helps us understand and “work out” what Scripture means when it talks about things like “going to church” or “tithing” or “sharing love” or “loving our neighbor as ourselves.”
Our church has a strong push towards community groups that meet throughout the week (full disclosure – I oversee them). Our leadership team has talked many times about the people involved in the groups.
Some see our community groups as an extension of the church – people come to the Sunday morning service, want to get more involved and know more people, so they go to a community group and build relationships there. Others see community groups as the entry point for people outside our church – i.e. people who aren’t coming on Sunday mornings, who aren’t involved in a church are invited by their friends to come and enjoy community/fellowship/Bible study at someone’s house, rather than feeling pressured to attend a large church service.
I think both views are vital and I’m thrilled to see both happening. I can think of 3 or 4 people/couples that are involved in a community group during the week and have never attended a Sunday morning service. That’s awesome to me! I’m glad they’ve found a place where they feel comfortable to share their thoughts on God and life.
I’m also thrilled to see those involved in church finding ways to share God’s love with those around them – whether they attend our church or not.
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Any additions, subtractions or disagreements? What are your thoughts on fellowship and church attendance?