Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee

Politics is ugly.  I don’t think there is anyway around that. In recent weeks people on both sides of the aisle have been lobbing ugly responses dragging the name of God into their responses.  Focus on the Family asked for people to pray during the Democratic National Convention so it would rain out Obama’s speech. Then Michael Moore said that Hurricane Gustav was proof that there is a God. 

Instead of praying against the candidates I’m going to take an approach that I actually think Jesus would have taken.

Matthew 5:43-45

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Why should anyone who considers themselves followers of Jesus wish bad things on anyone? The truth is either Obama or McCain will be our next president.  So instead of praying against one and for the other, I’m going to pray for both of them.  I’m going to pray that God’s Will be done and that God will bless both of them.  I’m praying that God will give them both wisdom to make wise decisions.  I”m going to pray that God will give them strength to stand up for what is right.  I’m going to pray that they are successful.  

So instead of praying against people, I’m asking that we all pray for everyone!

What do you think?

Yesterday someone named Mike posted the following on my post called I don’t get it.

FYI, Clinton confessed to his church in 1998 and repented as reported by Baptist Press http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=25273

That means no more Clinton infidelity comments or jokes, right?

I read the article and I think Mike has a good point. According to the Baptist Press article President Clinton expressed repentance to his church. Here is what Rex Horne President Clinton’s former pastor said:

In October 1998, Clinton wrote a letter to the 4,500-member congregation, asking for forgiveness. Horne at the time told the Arkansas Baptist news magazine that the president had expressed repentance and sorrow. He said he “sensed an affirmation of the president’s request for forgiveness” from “the great majority of the people” attending the service when the letter was read.

Horne has never publicly disclosed the contents of Clinton’s letter to the Little Rock church, citing it as a personal matter between a pastor and his congregation.

Many pastors and other religious leaders have fallen in recent years. Naturally most followers of Jesus want to be forgiving. But does that only include those in the “Evangelical” or “Religious Right” community? I admit I’ve been hard on President Clinton in the past. My hockey stick is somewhat bigger when it comes to liberal democrats.

Was President Clinton playing his pastor and his church? I don’t know. But I feel I need to give him the same benefit of Grace that I would to Ted Haggard or Rick Ousley. Who knows if someone is truly repentant? I think only God knows for sure. But as followers of Jesus we are to keep on forgiving even if it is someone we disagree with.

Matthew 18:21

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times

I guess I have seventy more hockey sticks to pull out.

What do you think?