Friday, September 05, 2008

Faith and Politics...plus a factchecker video

In terms of politics, I consider myself non-partisan. Because of my position as a preaching minister, I try to keep pretty quiet about which candidates I support, etc. as a matter of personal conviction. You will notice that my last few posts have been somewhat political in nature, and that several items in the rss feed in my sidebar are political in nature. I believe that it is a perfectly legitimate option to not participate in politics as a matter of Christian conviction (allegiance to the Kingdom of God rather than the Kingdoms of men). However, I also think it is a perfectly legitimate option for a Christian to involve themselves in politics, provided that they remember that their first allegiance is to the Kingdom of God. In this case, ones political convictions will be informed by their faith convictions...and these convictions will vary (and historically have varied) from believer to believer. In general, I think that this should be expected and provides a wonderful opportunity for believers to learn from each other. On the other hand, what I've noticed lately is that many seem to be letting their politics inform their faith (on both sides of the aisle)...and that their political positions are not even theirs, but rather some media personalities who produce what can only be rightly called propaganda. Hint: if your favorite personality is always sure to include Obama's middle name at every mention of him, OR if they question John McCain's service in the military and experience as a prisoner of war...it's propaganda. Sincerely, I implore you...if you are a Christian who chooses to involve yourself in the political process...PLEASE quit buying propaganda from either side wholesale. PLEASE check non-partisan sources. PLEASE make sure that you aren't being used by either political party in a power grab.

I twittered about www.factcheck.org earlier in the week. I also recommend www.politifact.com . These are non-partisan sources who check the claims from both sides against the facts. They are free and easily accessible resources. Below I'm posting a video from factcheck dealing with claims made at both conventions. I sincerely hope you find it helpful.
AE


3 comments:

Dan Jones said...

This a great point in the increasing tension that is rising with the upcoming election. It is easy to say that everybody else is falling into this trap, however I have found myselft to be a little to passionate at times about my positions (although I do try to get my facts straight!) Thank you for the reminder Adam!
-Dan Jones

preacherman said...

Adam,
Thank you for sharing this wonderful post and your thoughts with us about this topic. You do are fantastic job. Keep up the great work.

Unknown said...

Adam,
I am so proud of you - for your commitment to Christ, your compassion and love for others, and your ability to think for yourself and outside the box!!! I only listen to the candidates themselves (not to the pundents who comment afterwards,) and I also check the facts. I'm not having such a great day at work - sad social worker stuff going on, but you make my day. Love - Mom