Sunday, March 05, 2006

Blame Kelley for this one


Kelley wrote about this and asked for my thoughts. So you can blame her. I had no idea about it until just now.

Apparently there's an organization called Christian Exodus which is encouraging Christians to move to South Carolina to take over the government (through legal means). At which point they will cause the government to give them their rights as a State or secede.

My thoughts. Hmmm.

Well, my first thought was that this is a joke website, like Dog Island, which I like a great deal. It's enough to make me smile just to go visit. But the more links I started clicking on and attached blogs I started to see I couldn't figure out how anyone would have the time to make a joke website so extensive. Also, it is only marginally funny before it becomes, well, quite frankly, a little pathetic.

Anytime Christians start thinking that politics is the answer to world transformation I just feel sad. And when they add to that thought the concept that cutting themselves off from the evil pagans somehow helps things, I am just speechless.

Okay, folks, put your seatbelts on, because I have a surprise for you. The most political thing that Jesus said during his "earthly ministry" was to pay your taxes. It's not like the Roman occupationist government was a godly, loving government, either. They had slavery. They used crucifixion as a punishment for thieves, runaway slaves and political dissidents. They wore skirts.

Still, we don't see Jesus gathering a big crowd, standing up and saying, "Hey! I have one important message for you! Everybody pack your bags! We're all moving to Joppa, taking over the city council and kicking out the Romans!" Hoooraaaaay! Shouts of acclaim from the crowd! Much rejoicing!

Don't get me wrong. God cares about politics. He does. And one day he is going to take over the government and rule as King, which will be awesome. But the thing he seems most concerned about when he addresses various governments is whether or not they are just and righteous, whether they care for the poor and widows, whether the people are faithful to their spouses and so on. I don't think that Christian Exodus' desire to do away with the law that forces emergency rooms to treat people with no money fits in. I don't think that what the US really needs is a bunch of hospital waiting rooms full of impoverished dead people.

Why didn't Jesus make more political comments? Well, look at what he did talk about. He talked about transformation through personal relationship with him. He talked about love for God and your neighbors. He talked about entering the Kingdom of God. You want to change the world? Then share the good news. You want to see our society changed? Then start living like Christ matters, and teach other people to do it. You want to see the hearts of people changed, you want to see abortion and slavery abolished and every person working their hardest and private individuals taking care of the impoverished instead of the government doing it? Well, it's not going to happen through legislation, friend. Good luck. Go read about Prohibition. Societal transformation cannot come without personal revolution. Personal revolution can only come from the Holy Spirit. End of story.

NOTE: I just want to say that should the good Lord choose to bring judgment on the good people of South Carolina by allowing Christian Exodus' plans to come to fruition, I would much rather live on Dog Island.

NOTE (2): I would rather not live in South Carolina regardless of who is in charge.

NOTE (3): I am running for President of the United States in 2012. If someone could get started making bumper stickers I would sure appreciate it.

18 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:27 AM

    matt, you have my vote!

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  2. Aha! A pleasure to have your vote, Secretary of State Glo.

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  3. Anonymous11:51 AM

    Here I am in Pisa and your lovely wife is in the kitchen and we are having lots of fun here in Italy ...poor Matt. BUt I will volunteer to make bumper stickers ... how about Mikalatos/Bauer 2012 because I wholeheartedly agree. By the way, are you sure Dog Island is a joke??? I am so disappointed! And I was being so careful not to let our Lena see the website in case she got ideas.

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  4. How about Mikalatos/Culbertson? Or is that too "official" of a title? :P

    I'm making grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese and chili (no cheese).

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  5. matt i enjoy your comment to carolyn, i'm guessing VP is way too official for her, and you really should put cheese in chili, poor kids no wonder they're crying!

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  6. forget Mikalatos/Culbertson...vote for McComas/Zagorda.

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  7. Ha! Just remember, if you vote McComas/Zagorda, you are voting for cheese on your chili.

    And, while you might have the first vice-president with a Z in his name, we have the first woman vice-president. Although I will admit that she does not have a blog, which will probably kill us in the polls.

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  8. McComas/Zagorda in 2012!! boo to mikalatos, he saw pride and prejudice, you want a girly man running your country? me neither, let the mud flingin begin!

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  9. McComas/Zagorda: Chili WITH CHEESE for every household!

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  10. amen brother, amen

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  11. I have no problem with cheese on an individual's chili. The problem is when narrow minded people like Mccomas/Zagorda say that *all people* must have cheese on their chili. What about the lactose intolerant? What about people who just don't like cheese? What about people who happen to have chili on hand, but no cheese? Must they leave the chili uneaten? Have they not the right to eat their chili with or without cheese? Is this not the land of the free? Let's stomp our narrow-minded bigotry fostered by the dairy industry. I will not say that McComas/Zagorda have received money from the cheese lobby, I am above that sort of smear tactic. But someone should look into it just in case.

    Mikalatos/Culbertson: Pro Chili-Cheese-Choice

    Vote Triple C!

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  12. Anonymous7:59 AM

    I am a firm supporter of future President Mikalatos in 2012. I just wish he were running in 2008! I am in Crawford, Texas, right now but wanted to check in and show my support!

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  13. Anonymous8:02 AM

    Don't tell my wife, but I am voting Mikalatos/Culbertson in 2012, too!

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  14. I, for one, am not voting for Mikalatos/Culbertson in 2012. Matt's never done anything unpleasant to me that would even come close to justifying sentencing him to be President. And I don't even know Carolyn, so why would I wish that kind of punishment on her?

    Besides, Douglas Adams once wrote that "anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job." So Matt's clearly out...

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  15. Sometimes I wonder how much time you have on your hands...you even put links for Bush and Clinton on their comments! Maybe you should be president!

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  16. I resent the underhanded, shady implications that I am in some way responsible for my close personal friends George and Bill and their comments on my blog.

    Also, I would like to point out that I was in RD meetings from 9 am this morning until 4 this afternoon, and I have witnesses to prove it.

    PERHAPS YOU ARE TRYING TO DISTRACT US FROM YOUR POSITION ON THE CHILI CHEESE QUESTION!

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  17. Quasinaut01... I would like to hire you to head the CIA, because I still have no idea who you are. I have been quietly watching you and waiting for a clue.

    Here's what I know so far:

    1) You love sci-fi, and particularly Doug Adams.

    2) You are not currently on staff with CCC in the greater northwest or eastern europe (as is evidenced by your comment that you "don't even know" my running mate)

    3) You are sneaky, funny, and know things about slavery, chocolate and politics. Hmmmm.

    I feed all this information into my super computer and come up with a question that will reveal your identity:

    Do you live in (or near) Chicago, Illinois?

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  18. Mr. Mikalatos:

    It is, in fact, entirely possible that I may live in, or near, Chicago, IL.

    However, I cannot at this time confirm or deny this, especially given the offer to replace Porter Goss in 2012. While it would be imprudent of me to say whether or not I truly desire to replace Porter Goss in 2012, it is not unreasonable for me to assert that I have fewer gray hairs than he does.

    So there.

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