Tag Archives: politics

30,000 troops and my proactive complaint

Posted on December 3, 2009 | Leave a comment

I heard yesterday that President Obama ordered another 30,000 troops into Afghanistan. Frankly, I am not surprised. I have probably written too much on my blog already about politics (“Creating our Own Kingdoms“) and “Why I don’t vote” and other such controversial things (“Post-election thoughts” and “Fear-Mongering“… I try to stay out of it and focus on what is happening in my local community and how that can change the world at large (which is entirely possible if we can tune in to the message of Christ and other universal teachings of love and peace).

But this?!? Seriously…


This is why I chose not to vote for any political personality, right or left, republican or democrat… I do not need to choose the lesser of the two evils… and I do not have to divide my allegiance or be disappointed by the choice of any president or political leader. For those of us who are seeking a world of love, peace, and unity, we will always be disappointed by a political leader of our choosing. Always… Peter Block writes in Community: The Structure of Belonging,

We love our habit of dependency and accept the culture of retribution because it reinforces the case for strong leaders – “strong” being the code word for autocratic, a message our culture is increasingly willing to accede to. We are fascinated with our leaders. We speak endlessly, both in the public conversation and privately, about the rise and fall of leaders. The agenda this sustains is that leaders are cause and all others are effect. That all that counts are what leaders do… That they are foreground while citizens, followers, players, and anyone else not in a leadership position is background. This is a deeply patriarchal agenda, and it is this love of leaders that limits our capacity to create an alternative future…

The effect of buying in to this view of leadership is that it lest citizens off the hook and breeds citizen dependency and entitlement. It undermines a culture where each in accountable for their community… In its own way, it reinforces individualism, putting us in the stance of waiting for the cream to rise, wishing for a great individual to bring light where there was darkness…

If we do not change the way citizens come together, if we do not shift the context under which we gather and do not change the methodology of our gatherings, then we will have to keep waiting for great leaders, and we will never step up to the power and accountability that is within our grasp.

I can no longer speak out without offering my own commitment to making a change for the future, for my children and their children. Protesting does not seem to make a lasting change as it is devoid of relationship and focused on fixing the perceived problem rather than living into a different future. I recognize that to lessen war, there needs to be less people who will accept war as an option… less in the military and less in the government. What I know I can do now is to begin raising and teaching new generations to have an abhorrence to war. That’s right…

We must raise generations of children who abhor the concept of war, who do not even see why killing someone for their ideals would make any sense whatsoever. We must encourage our communities and our children to be far more used to love than competition, vengeance, retribution, violence, or slander. It will happen slowly, unfortunately, but slowly is often the best and most long lasting way. It is the way of subversion.

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Post elections conversations about the kingdom, Jesus, and politics

Posted on November 6, 2008 | 3 Comments

So now that things are settled, I hope that questions and conflict regarding my perspectives on Non-voting can be minimized to a more constructive conversation on how we view our relation with the national government (side note… great post by Mark Van Steenwyk on this issue here).

I’ve had so many conversations in the last few days, and I hope there are more. Below is a dialog that I have been having with some friends via email. It lays out a lot of my own thoughts on some of these issues.

you say something about taking a stand and letting true beliefs show through….I guess I see a paradigm difference between “taking a stand” and “everything’s all cool, everyone can be who they want to be.”

What I originally said was: “Our decisions to take a stand for what we believe, to live differently, to value life, should not be swayed or altered by some leader of the empire.” What I meant by this is that the world needs consistency of practice. The world will only be changed significantly by those who are living consistently the values of the kingdom of God… over and above all else. So if I value life, then I am going to promote life on all levels whether abortion is legal or not. If I value community and taking care of my neighbor, what happens economically, with taxes, or with gas prices will not change that. And presidents surely don’t change that. It changes how we live it, but not THAT we live it. This is what I prioritize.

What I adhere to is a movement towards a whole existence following of the way of Jesus. For me, I don’t care if someone thinks they have all the right “values,” “beliefs,” or “facts” figured out in their head. If they aren’t living it, they don’t have a lot to offer me. And if someone is actively pursuing a more unified and loving world… they are beginning to move in the way of Jesus. I am SO committed to this that I refuse to do something as compromising as choosing the lesser of two evils to run for a national office… especially when I see Jesus modeling a leadership of sacrifice not power assention. His way was subversive and humble.

What about absolutes?  Do you still exist anymore?  That’s a deep one to ponder!!   I’d actually be really curious to hear your thoughts on that one. )  What about moral absolutes?

I am not sure how to answer the question of whether I exist. I don’t think I really need to. Of course we do… but I don’t see how absolutes fit into whether we exist. I am thinking, however, that your question about absolutes has something to do with what someone said a while back about there being an increase in immorality in the next 4 years. By immorality, I assume we are talking homosexuality… anything else?

As I mentioned something about homosexuality in my last note… I will just say that I don’t have a definitive answer on whether homosexuality is right or wrong. Let’s say I stray towards thinking that it is not in line with God’s intended plan for humanity. As a follower of the Jesus way, though, I think it is more destructive for me to focus on the immorality and condemnation of that rather than build relationships with those who are gay and repent for the way the church has treated them. There are more important things to be concerned about.

From what I see from Jesus, homosexuality is a less immoral thing to be concerned about than things like loving your neighbor, not worrying, individualism, consumerism, pursuit of power, religiousity, pride, selfishness, doing good to your enemies, not killing, serving one master (something that distances me from being engaged in the national political process), etc. So to me these are just as immoral. And just as absolute. For me, absolute means no compromise… not even voting for someone who has less immoral stances than the other.

And then the idea of being too enmeshed in the system?  How can anyone claim to not be enmeshed in some type of system,

The only system that I want to be “enmeshed” in is the kingdom of God. Being enmeshed means that I compromise one for the other. i never want to compromise the kingdom of God for something else… especially something like the nation of America. We ask ourselves the questions of “how can I be a responsible CEO as a Christian? How can I go to war as a responsible Christian? How can I live with  incredible power as a Christian?” What we should be asking, in my opinion, is “How can I be true to Jesus in this messed up world? What must I do to actively take a stand as a set apart people?” This often means not participating in this world’s ways of taking a stand.

especially with our God given right to chose our leaders based upon character and whom we deem best to lead.  that is a privilege.  That is our right as Americans, as humans, as Christians.

I guess I see “right” as something that is inherent in our existence that we can claim. Especially when it comes to God. That is our right as Americans. If you can show me anywhere that says that God has given Americans a right that he hasn’t given others… I will be impressed. God-given rights are things that span across humanity. That voting is a God-given right or a right that we have as Christians is perhaps the most telling statement of the confusion that we have gotten ourselves into as Americans. Is going in with our military and killing innocent people also a right that we have? Is going out and spending all of our money on useless things a God-given right as well? Privileges are not rights. I think that it is almost a Jesus mandate that we give up our privileges for the sake of the other and the kingdom of God. Phillipians 3 talks about that.

There are many other in the world who would give anything to chose between two great candidates.  That is a good problem to have.

“Great” for America… but not great in the eyes of the kingdom. The Greatest will be the least of these. The children, the homeless, the depressed, the homosexuals, the imprisoned… those who think they have no place in the kingdom of God. It is those who are great in the eyes of Religion and this world who are lost… I’m sorry, but that is what Jesus said and lived.

it’s just the ideals of the party..

This was said in regards to being ok with Obama, but not with the democratic party. This is why I do not participate in party politics. This is why I did not vote for any individuals, only state and local policies. Party politics, left / right, conservative / liberal (I can’t believe how 4 years ago we were running around yelling “frickin libs!!”), democrat / repulican… all of these are some of the most divisive things within the existing and historical body of Christ. It is absolutely detrimental to the growth of the kingdom. To lump ourselves on either side means we are forced into being associated with things that are not Jesus. It is inevitable… the poles were created by values of this world’s systems.

So there you have it… my response. I tried not to lob too many bombs on you guys. This is just where I am… I am in the process of trying to line my life up with my convictions. This takes much longer than I could imagine.

Thanks for the dialog,
Nate

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It’s not that I want people to live in fear

Posted on September 29, 2008 | 2 Comments

… I just don’t see anything negating fear other than that which looks like the kingdom of God and the way of love. We read Hebrews 2 last night at our Sunday night gathering. The author writes that Jesus in his life, death, and resurrection came to

free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

John notes in his letter that

Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how we have confidence when we are judged: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he loves us first.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians,

flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable… when the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

So many things we put our hope in foster fear.
- Governments use fear all the time… and not just on a national scale, but on a global scale
- Our commercial, consumer economic system keeps us in fear
- Our need to stay young causes fear
- Our need for safety causes fear
- Isolation, individualism, depression, anger, retaliation… all results of this deep fear

We are a fearful people in a fearful country in a fearful world. We put our hope and spend so much time in this realm of the perishable. It is as though we have these deep needs and we try to fill them with things that will fade. What happens when the perishable fades? Its death. The reason why death hurts is because of sin… that seeking to fulfill our deepest needs with that which fades. We move beyond this fearful existence when we become those that look like Jesus. We “clothe” ourselves with his image.

This is more than an affirmation… I feel like it is more than an adherence to certain doctrines… maybe even more than what we traditionally consider “Christian.” It comes down to looking like Jesus in all areas of our living, loving, breathing, serving, and sacrificing. When our hope is here, we have no fear. No fear. This does not pass away like the shifting of governments, economics, disasters, relationships, and so much more. All these things will come and go like the tide… like the fog. People will always be divided over these things. The republicans will not be able to love the democrats, the socialists will not be able to love the commercialists, the rich will not be able to love the poor, and on and on. We will live in fear until we live the kingdom of God. Where there is fear there is not love.

And so, no, I don’t want people to be afraid. It hurts me so much to think of this world in its fear and desperation. We must… we MUST be a light in this dark place. Face to face, heart to heart, breath to breath, and stride by stride as we walk, live, and serve together in love.

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What if Jesus ran for president?

Posted on September 18, 2008 | 2 Comments

Would anyone vote for him?

What if someone ran for president and their whole platform was the message of Jesus? Love your enemies… serve each other… balance of power and wealth… year of Jubilee (cancelation of debts)… forgiveness of our neighbor… would anyone vote for him/her?

Would the Christians vote for this person even?

Or would it be a vote wasted?

What would happen if Jesus got elected?

This seems to me the only viable option as I seek to prioritize living in the kingdom of God over everything else as I think about the conditions it would take for me to cast my vote in the national election.

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Why I don’t vote… can I say that here?

Posted on February 21, 2008 | 19 Comments

I want to preface this by saying that I am finding myself increasingly not alone. Some of my most admireds are saying some of the same things. Greg Boyd, Mark Van Steenwyk, …parker and others… although my thoughts are my own, coming from a number of years of thinking about this. During this time, it seems to come up more and more as people wonder where I stand. This may be the only post on this subject unless something else is spawned from comments. I welcome the feedback.

The last few conversations on this regard came from questions from Ben and Tony… so thanks, you guys, for spurring the ideas.Emergent, contemplative, Celtic… all feed into my understanding of my place in this world and how disconnected I want to be with the political process. I am primarily concerned with the kingdom of God that Jesus talks about, primarily concerned with what is happening from the heart to the relationship, and I am truly seeking to be as singular of mind and heart as I can. I believe that Jesus has taught us to be a certain way… regardless of who is in political power. If I can’t be this way, it is not going to matter whether someone I like or someone I don’t like is in power. No one with that much spotlight is going to stay true to a kingdom way of living.

It’s not that I think my vote won’t matter… it’s not that I don’t want to exercise my rights as an American citizen, or that I am taking that for granted… it’s not that I don’t care if someone in power is out for my best interests. These arguments are not enough for me to change my mind.

It is that I don’t want to be stretched thin. I don’t want so much of my thinking and research and concern to go into much other than relationships and transformation. I smile as I hear people talk of their concern or worry about what is going to happen in the elections. I think… “Huh… something reminds me of Jesus mentioning that we shouldn’t worry about tomorrow…” He talks about birds and flowers, dependent on God for all they need. He also talks about the need to not lobby for position… as his disciples desire to sit at his left and right hand.

Tony put something up on his blog regarding an email he received. Some great thoughts here.

You can’t escape ideology except by escaping politics altogether. You can, of course, form communities in which ideology doesn’t matter so much. Sure, society has long had many groups and whole institutions in which that was the case–sports clubs, for example. But it would be a mere confusion to think that the possibility of such communities somehow means that there is now magically another way of “doing politics.” No new political discoveries will come out of emergent Christianity, but if the community is actually made up of diverse people who actually tolerate people with viewpoints that are very different from their own, that’s fantastic.

I like this. Some may say we need to have an ideology. I’ve heard a lot that we are coming up with a “third way.” I don’t know if there will be a “third way,” but I do know that there will be some way… and it may not look like Jesus in the end. I am going to have to live differently in spite of that. I am going to have to adapt to that new way. I am a part of something much bigger… but it brings me much closer to home. I am part of something much more complex… but it brings me to a place of much more simplicity.

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