Signing Off - Philippians 4:22

Philippians 4:22 All God’s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household. (NIV)

            Throughout my time as a pastor, I have known some political leaders who were also very fine Christians. Their dedication to the local community and the people of the region that they represented was a great witness to both their faith and loyalty to God, as well as to their own folks. They did not seek to be esteemed or powerful; they only wanted to serve and build up the community. They were honorable people and dedicated Christians, so I felt privileged and thankful for what they did and accomplished. Their witness to Christ and their service to the locals was both a blessing from God and a great gift to the community. They proved that both politics and religion can be mixed successfully.

            As the apostle Paul signs off on his letter to the Philippian church, he inserts something that would have been a surprise to the congregation. He passes on the greetings of those who belong to Caesar’s household. This was remarkable because it showed that Christianity had actually penetrated Caesar’s inner circle and close family. Who these people were, we do not know, but they would have been powerful and influential because of their close proximity to the Emperor himself. It was a foreshadowing of what would eventually happen hundreds of years later when Christianity would be sanctioned by Constantine as the official religion of the whole Roman Empire. From those tiny seeds of faith that were planted within Caesar’s household in Paul’s time, Christ’s Spirit grew until it overcame Rome and spread throughout our entire planet.

            I think the lesson that Paul teaches us here is this: political leaders do not have to ditch their faith in order to be effective. In fact, what this says to me, is that Christianity can positively influence powerful people, politicians, and local representatives to make their communities better places for opportunity and service, strength and growth.

Point to ponder

Who are the local leaders in my community? Am I willing to pray for them?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we pray for those people who represent us locally, regionally, and nationally. We ask that Your Spirit guides their thoughts and decisions to make our communities better places of opportunity, harmony, and unity. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come along and join us for worship at 11:00 AM on Sunday mornings. You will be made most welcome!

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Pentecost drawings called ‘Spirit Window.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Window.

Universal Healthcare: Do the Math

Quote of the Day:     Assume that the legislation establishing government  control of medical care is passed and that, it 'brings down the cost of medical care."  

You pay $500 a year less for your medical care, but the new costs put on employers is passed on to consumers, so that you pay $300 a year more for groceries and $200 a year more for gas, while the new mandates put on insurance companies raise the premiums by $300 a year, how much money have you saved?

                                                             

  Thomas Sowell

Church in a State

I am very disappointed and greatly concerned over some Christians who are letting their fears and anxieties about next week’s election extinguish their rationality and diminish their faith. The demonizing of the candidates on both sides has revealed the ugliness of prejudice and the great amount of ignorance that still persists in the hearts and minds of our people. I am ashamed that Christian people, who should know better, are allowing the devil to prey on their fears and overturn their faith so quickly.

Romans 13:6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing.

I’ve read some alarming emails and blogs from Christians on both sides of the political realm, who are absolutely hostile to the other camp. Their hatred is spewed out venomously and in doing so, they actually deny their faith. Isn’t Jesus who said love your enemies? Wasn’t it Paul who wrote that the authorities are God’s servants?

Perhaps the day after the election, on November 5, we should all get down on our knees and ask God to forgive us for being so spiteful, unrelenting, and unchristian. We represent Christ all of the time, if we call ourselves Christians, so when we diabolically demonize our opponents, we are not only guilty of slanderous gossip and character assassination, we are letting ourselves becomes the pawns of Satan. That’s something that we should never allow to happen, no matter how passionate we feel about our politics.

It will be part of my Christian duty to pray each day for the new President, whether or not I voted for him. As a Presbyterian, I firmly believe in predestination, so whoever the people choose, God has already decided that person will lead our nation. And no matter what policies the next President tries to push through or accomplish, my duty is still the same: I will pray for him as God’s chosen servant. I may disagree with politics and politicians, but I try never to disagree with God’s choices.

Perhaps this devotional has angered you. Maybe you feel as if you’ve been rebuked. If so, then look into your heart and ask yourself this question: have I allowed my political passion to override my faith?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, sometimes You must despair about how Your Church expresses its political views. Remind us that we are called to be peacemakers and servants, encouragers and disciples, citizens of heaven, as well as earth. Keep us from being hateful, proud, and alarmist. Remind us that God is always in control. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Religious Art: Christ of the Polls

Christ does not belong to any party...



...and only He can bring the donkey and the elephant together.

Church Politics

We're having a political war at the church

4 Minute Devotions: Creeds and Cartoons

CNN are showcasing my political cartoons this weekend - why can't we stop demonizing each other during this campaigning crazy season?

Podcast version here

1 Peter 3: 8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

As we head into the last month of political campaigning, we get into the silly season of the whole election. This is the time when each side demonizes the other and voters are left wondering who to support because all the candidates are imperfect. Most of the population buys into partisan politics and this creates an almighty social divide, never mind a political one.

After the last presidential election, I wondered how I could survive the insanity of this next one. We campaign so long in America that it appears to be a way of life over here. There is no rest from political campaigns; there is no escape from lobbyists, pollsters, and polls.

Last year, I decided to start drawing simple cartoons about the election. It started off as therapy for me, late at night – my wife Evelyn will tell you that I suffer from acute insomnia. I also used it as a political barometer, so that I wouldn’t get too serious about the process. I lampooned the politicians on both sides and quickly discovered that they all make gaffes, which can be turned into humorous drawings. I set up a cartoon blog called “Pushing the Envelope,” which now gets about 200 hits a day from all over the world.

My cartoons are going to be showcased on CNN this weekend as part of their CNN international programs. What began as a joke for me, has turned out to be an interesting story for CNN. I guess it’s the whole Presbyterian pastor and partisan politics thing: I’m cutting through the wall of Separation between Church and State.

I wish that we could all live according to Peter’s creed, especially during the political crazy season. Harmony, sympathy, compassion, and humility would be so refreshing to see, instead of the usual dirty, demonizing campaigning that will blast over our TV sets and radios in the coming weeks. When I think about it, I wish that our churches would also adhere to that creed. Think of how much more healthy our denominations would be, if we would seek harmony in the midst of our conflicts; show sympathy to our ‘opponents;’ share compassion in times of schism; and act humbly when we theologically disagree.

One day, I would love to draw a cartoon, depicting the diversity of the whole church, with Christ at the center celebrating Communion. I might even add a few politicians to the crowd!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, as we head towards that momentous time of choosing a leader for this nation, we pray Your blessing upon our people. In the midst of our differences keep us free from division. After the time of our voting, keep us free from conflict. Bless whoever is chosen to lead us with wisdom, discernment, and strength for the unknown days, times, and events that lie before us. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

PS CNN will be showcasing my cartoons at the following times this weekend:

SATURDAY 7:30A EASTERN (11:30A GMT)
SUNDAY 2P EASTERN (6P GMT)
MONDAY 9A EASTERN (1P GMT)
MONDAY 1:30P EASTERN (5:30P GMT)

After Saturday, the program will also be available on the internet at http://cnn.com/ireportforcnn

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org

Tony Blair: Seek Faith, Not War

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has called for faith to be given a central role in tackling the world's problems.

Mr Blair said faith should be rescued from extremism and be a force for progress, in his first speech on faith since becoming a Catholic.

He said politicians found it difficult to talk about faith because they "may be considered weird".

His speech was accompanied by a noisy anti-war protest and silent vigil by Catholic peace group Pax Christi.

Mr. Blair, who converted to Catholicism months after stepping down as prime minister last summer and is now a Middle East envoy, told an audience of 1,600 at Westminster Cathedral he was often asked if faith was important to his politics.

"If you are someone 'of faith' it is the focal point of belief in your life. There is no conceivable way that it wouldn't affect your politics," he said.

Read the rest of the story here…

Tony Blair Coming to teach Americans about Faith

Tony Blair Coming to Teach Americans about Faith

Tony Blair is to teach students at Yale University in the US when he leads a seminar on faith and globalization.

The former prime minister has been appointed as a fellow at Yale and will begin teaching next year.

The prestigious Connecticut university said the work was related to Mr. Blair's Faith Foundation which will be launched later this year.

Read the rest of the story here…

United Nations Warns of New Food Crisis

Conservative Leader says that Food Security should rank alongside Energy Policy and National Security.

THE UN World Food Programme (WFP) is to hold an emergency meeting in Rome today, as rising food prices across the world threaten to create a new constituency of millions of city-dwellers who are unable to afford basic foodstuffs.

The Organization for Economic and Co-operative Development (OECD) has warned that food prices could rise by between one fifth and one half over the next ten years.

The sudden leap in the worldwide price of grain and other basic foodstuffs could mean that millions of hitherto relatively affluent people in cities would not be able to afford food, Greg Barrow, a London-based spokesman for the WFP, said on Tuesday.

He said the key factors behind the price-shift were:

• demand for meat from India and China, as their economies grow. Feeding livestock diverts grain stocks from markets;
• high oil prices, which have pushed up the costs of oil-based fertilizers and the cost of transport;
• arable land that has been switched to bio-fuel production, and so is lost for food supplies;
• weather extremes caused by global warming, which have damaged farming in the developed countries that supplied the global market.

Read the rest of Bill Bowder’s article here…

Daily Devotions: Tax Season

Because it’s an election year, there’s a lot of talk about taxes. One politician says there will be no more taxes, but doesn’t clarify if he’ll increase the present ones. Another candidate for the Presidency talks about a Fair Tax (although personally I think that is an oxymoron). As the scramble for voters continues, the promises about decreasing taxes increases, probably in direct proportion to how soon a nomination can be made.

Bible verse of the day

Matthew 22:21 "Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

In Christ’s time, taxes were paid to foreign invaders who were loathed by the Jewish people. It’s bad enough giving your money to the government, but it must be a hundred times worse giving it to a foreign government. That’s like saying to the invaders, “Thank you for destroying our country. Here’s some money to make you even stronger.”

Because the Jews hated paying taxes to Caesar, some miscreants used this as a means to trap Jesus. He was becoming too popular, so His opponents tried to set Him up. They asked Him whether or not it was lawful to pay taxes. If Christ plainly agreed to pay the taxes, He would be portrayed as a collaborator. If He disagreed with paying taxes, then He would be denounced as a dangerous usurper.

Jesus was in between a rock and a hard place, but He dealt with the situation beautifully. If the image on the coin was of Caesar, then obviously it belonged to Rome. And since it was an image, devout Jews would have nothing to do with holding on to graven images. Or as Jesus put it so succinctly: Give to Caesar what is his, and give to God what is God’s.

Sometimes as Christians we are faced with similar dilemmas. We try to be faithful to Christ without being mean or confrontational in the world, but sometimes the world does things that confronts or demeans our faith. It’s a hard path to walk, but Christ understands. It’s a road that he traveled many times in His own life.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we really want to be effective Christians in and to the world. Sometimes we fail because we allow our pride and anger to usurp our faith and destroy our good intentions. Grant us strength and determination to be all that You wish to become as servants in God’s Kingdom, and as witnesses in the world. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Romney's Faith Shouldn't Affect My Vote...Oh yeah???

If the Mormon Church is so wrong on all of these beliefs, then why should I trust Mitt Romney to get things right for America?

Key tenets of the Mormon faith

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

-Nature of God: God once was a mortal who became an eternal being after a great trial.

-Jesus Christ: Christ was God's first-born spirit child, his only earthly child and the only perfect mortal.

-No Trinity: Mormons reject the idea of the Christian Trinity - God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit as one ethereal being. Instead, they believe the three are separate beings joined in a common purpose.

-Pre-existence and the afterlife: Before their mortal birth, humans existed in pre-mortality and were born in the spirit world to heavenly parents. Mormons also believe in the resurrection and teach that most people will receive some measure of salvation and have a place in a three-level eternal kingdom.

-One true church: Mormons say their faith is not Protestant, Catholic or Orthodox but holds a unique place as "restored New Testament Christianity." Founder Joseph Smith said God told him none of the existing churches were practicing Christianity as it was intended.

- A living prophet: Mormons believe the head of their church is a living prophet, seer and revelator who can communicate with God.

- Book of Mormon: The text on which the church is based is said to have been translated from an ancient language inscribed on gold plates. Mormons believe it is an account of Christ's interaction with inhabitants of the ancient Americas before he ascended to heaven.

- Second Coming of Christ: Smith believed the Garden of Eden was originally in North America, near today's Independence, Mo. Mormons migrated to Missouri in 1831 because Smith taught that would be the new Jerusalem, where Christ would return.

Huckabee hunts for Evangelicals and gets their vote

Those Iowan evangelicals : Who voted for Huckabee and why.

By Ted Olsen, Christianity Today

The analysis you've probably read this morning or heard last night was that Mike Huckabee won the Republican caucuses in Iowa because of evangelicals. The WashingtonPost.com headline right now: "Evangelicals Fuel Huckabee in Caucuses." You probably also heard a lot of references to Pat Robertson's second-place Iowa win in 1988.

"Evangelical Republicans in Iowa chose one of their own in Mike Huckabee," writes Liz Sidoti of the Associated Press. "He made his religious beliefs and his rock-solid opposition to abortion, gay marriage and gun control central parts of his campaign — and it paid off."

Read rest of the blog here

Taking Back the U.S. for Christ

February conference in Oregon aims high.
Source: www.ReligionAndSpirituality.com

The "2008 Restore America, Know the Truth, Change the Culture" conference will take place Feb. 22-23 at Rolling Hills Community Church in Tualatin, Ore., a few miles south of Portland. The conference is designed to show how Christians can restore their historical American culture.
Georgene Rice with KPDQ-FM will be Master of Ceremonies. Speakers include former lesbian activist and magazine editor Charlene Cothran, former Muslim terrorist Kamal Saleem, syndicated columnist Starr Parker, Terri Schiavo's attorney David Gibbs III, historian Marshall Foster, movie makers Jonathan and Debra Flora and WorldNetDaily.com Vice President David Kupelian.

Read the rest of the story here

The Lord is not OK with it, Fred

Fred Thompson's remarks yesterday about him being OK with the Lord and the Lord is OK with him, shows either disrespect to God or ignorance about the Christian faith.

Matthew 26:40 Then Jesus returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter.

Our congregation, like any other in existence, has more church members than weekly worship attenders. Over any given 13 week period, I think we have at least sixty percent of our members and their families attend at least one Sunday. It’s really sad, but it is a trend that is happening around the nation. People are turning worship into an extra-curriculum exercise or leisure pursuit. They won’t dare miss an episode of one of their favorite TV shows, but worshiping God is something that they can give and take as they please.

I’ve tried hard to impress upon people how important worshiping God actually is, but to no avail. In our free-spirited society, even church members take God for granted and only use Him in emergencies. They don’t believe that they’re harming themselves or that God cares about something as unimportant as going to church on Sunday. I don’t know where they’ve gotten that idea; it’s certainly not in the Bible. Jesus and his disciples gathered at the synagogue every Sabbath, and even after His glorious Resurrection and Ascension, Christ’s apostles gathered at the temple for weekly worship. Anyone who thinks that we can glibly turn up when we feel like it and expect God to be pleased, is being careless with their faith. Even Fred Thompson, one of the Republican candidates for President, stated yesterday that he was the religious conservative’s choice…and then went on to say that he didn’t go to church! Who’s he kidding?

To truly worship God means to turn up when we don’t feel like it. When we treat worship as a respectful obligation to God, just as Jesus did, then we can truly begin to call ourselves Christians. Otherwise, we’re just dabbling in the faith and have no real relationship with God at all.

To highly independent people, this will read like religiosity, forcing them to submit their lives to God’s rules instead of their own. And they’re absolutely right, because the word “worship” in the Bible means to bow down painfully before God in a position that is totally uncomfortable. In other words, it’s a humiliating experience when we realize that we are made for God’s commands, and are not creatures of our own comfort.

It’s time that the Church stopped softening the message to appease the feelings of those who take God for granted. Jesus wouldn’t have put up with any of that empty spiritual nonsense, so why should we?

In the midst of all our busy weekly lives, can’t we at least keep watch with Christ for just one hour?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, shake us and move us, challenge us and change us. We falsely think that You fully accept our ideas and opinions about worship. We fool ourselves into believing that we’re OK with You and You’re OK with us. Keep us from deluding our hearts and deceiving our minds. Get us back into church on a regular basis to worship and glorify You, especially on those Sundays when we’re too busy or don’t feel like it. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.