The World is Watching

If you ask my kids or even some of the young people I work with, I’m ancient.  Having very recently turned 40 years old, I’ve found myself reflecting.  That was why I first picked up the book Keeping the Faith (link below).  This was a collection of essays from a wide spectrum of people who wanted to look at how Politics and Christianity converged in this day and age.

I wanted to understand the American Evangelical mind.  From the outside looking in, American Evangelicals and Westboro Baptists and Christians used to be interchangeable to me and it painted my view of Christianity in the US and around the world.  I’ve since gotten to know and converse with many American’s (many who have left their Evangelical upbringing behind or are trying to) and I’ve found that that American Christians don’t all look like this; and I thank God for that.

Unfortunately though, the world is still bombarded with the mentality that we are to think that White American Christians are God’s chosen people.  It leaves the rest of us to wonder; when exactly was the “great America” that is being aspired to?  Was it when native land was being stolen and people were being slaughtered?  Was it when people were owned for the purpose of forced labour?  Or is it a fictional Leave it to Beaver or Pleasantville type world where everyone knew their place and minorities weren’t seen unless they were serving?  Which of those things is exceedingly Christian that you want to get back to?

“Don’t live in the past!”  “We can’t be judged by the sins of our fathers!” These are common arguments that one would put up based on my statements above and there are points on multiple sides of that so let's just re-focus back to modern day.

Building a wall to stop people from seeking asylum when they don’t feel safe in their own country.  Fanning the flames of hatred toward other religions and “shithole” countries.  Enacting laws that continue to punish minorities at a higher rate than whites.  Filling the highest court in the land with people who think like you and are vested to you in order to push people down and take away rights.  It has been said that you should build a longer table if you have too much for yourself but leader of the free world would rather build a wall to keep it for himself in order to Make America Great Again. 

People talk about the “where were you when” moments in their life.  At the young age of 40 I feel like I’ve had a disproportionately large amount of these moments.  I’ve tried to come up with a complete list of these moments in my mind but I’m certain I’ve missed some. 

The Challenger explosion.  The fall of the Berlin Wall.  The first offensive by the US in the Gulf War (I remember as a 10-year-old watching explosions with glee; no concept of the fact that people were dying).  The World Series banner flies north of the border.  Touch em all Joe! The Death of Princess Diana.  9/11.  Canada Wins the Gold Medal.  The capture of Saddam Hussein.  The Golden Goal.  The death of Bin Laden.  Gord Downie’s last show.

With the exception of the sports and The Tragically Hip reference (look them up if you don’t know), there is a common thread with most of the major events that I “remember where I was” and that is that I was a spectator.

Not only was I a spectator, my entire country was a spectator and for many of the events, the world was a spectator to the actions and response of one country:  The United States of America.

Well now my American friends, I have to tell you that once again, the world is watching.

We live in a new cancel culture where people aren’t allowed to change.  If it ever went out on the internet, then it’s the gospel truth and you can never come back from that.   If that’s the case, someone who wants to dig hard enough will find my anti-Obama Facebook posts.  “Enjoy your Change” is part of the sentiment I offered.  As a Canadian, I had fallen victim to the binary mentality of black and white, right and wrong, with us or against us mentality that seems to grip US politics.

If I’m being honest with myself and others, if it was November 8^th, 2016 again and I was a US citizen, then I would have probably voted Trump at the time.  For the most part this was based on my views of conservative good, liberal bad.  It was great when I didn’t have to think beyond that.

But life has taught me to dig deeper.  Since that time, I’ve grown much deeper in my faith but also learned to ask many more questions than I ever would have thought to. 

So now with the little platform that I have, I am asking something of you my American friends.  Seriously think about your vote. 

Do I think that a vote for Biden will mean some sort of kumbaya, utopian society?  Absolutely not.  I don’t know what a Biden presidency will do for your country or the world. 

What we do know is where your current Commander in Chief stands and the way he conducts his business. 

If you are a Christian voter, I want you to ignore previous affiliations.  I want you to ignore what everyone in your family is doing or what they are saying at your church.  I even want you to ignore how you've voted in all of the previous elections.

I am challenging you to think for yourself.  Think about the man and think about your faith and its teachings.  Think about if Jesus were here and he had a ballot. 

If it’s November 4, 2020 and you’re sitting at a diner counter with Jesus; will you be able to justify your vote based on what he’s taught you?

 

https://www.keepingthefaithbook.com/