Chuck Bridges Blog

Disclaimer: The comments in this blog are strictly the opinion of this writer and do not reflect in any way the Church where I serve. It should also be mentioned that this medium has exclusively been dedicated to the sharing of information about our church ministries, current trends affecting our faith, and other thoughts generated through my personal journey with Christ. In the future, that will continue to be the intent of this blog. But, for today, I am going to journey into the realm of our political season. Sorry!

I had really made up my mind not to say much of anything publicly about the election, the candidates, the economy, the war, the moral crisis, etc. but I just can’t resist today. What caused this stir in my heart to share a little? First, I just put the finishing touches on Sunday’s message. Since we are closing out a study of the Beatitudes, we are dedicating the entire service to the Persecuted Church/Worldwide! After reading numerous accounts of the price many have paid for standing up for Christ and watching countless video illustrations under the heading “Persecution” it occurred to me that God may just want me to share something about our present situation — regardless of the backlash it may cause.

Second, I just read the daily article by Chuck Colson — Breakpoint. (go to prison_fellowship@informz.net to read article). His comments concerning Alan Greenspan’s error in understanding human nature caused me to realize just how dangerous it is to have such incapable people in such high places of leadership. Of course Greenspan is no longer the chairman of the Federal Reserve. He was recently on Capitol Hill testifying before Congress (for who knows what?) and admitted that he miscalculated the “Greed” of our bank’s executives. It seems that Mr. Greenspan did not think that these powerful CEO’s would put their own interests over what was good for the country. Because Mr. Greenspan understands economics and not human nature, our country is in an Economic Crisis! Maybe Mr. Greenspan should have been required to have a few courses in basic psychology, peppered with a light dose of theology to understand that the “depravity of man” is real! At least Mr. Greenspan had the character to admit he was wrong!!

Why did this cause me to comment on our upcoming political circus? (Oh, I mean election) It occurs to me that, while it seems easy to blame President Bush and his administration, our economic crisis is clearly attributable to Greenspan’s leadership. Trust me, I do not agree with everything our President does or says. I continue to pray for him and his family as he completes his time of service to our country. But, it is so clear that President Bush is not to blame for this economic situation. And, even though both the House and Senate came under Democratic control in 2006 and the fact that many of our areas of decline can be traced back to that time, I do not blame a liberal Congress for our problems. The fact remains that our government can make some key decisions that may effect our economy, but the real cause that motivates change — positive and negative — is the American people! (e.g. When gas started getting short, people panicked and took cans to fill up and stopped at every store to “top off” their tank causing an even greater shortage). This goes back to the “human nature” issue.

Here’s my point (finally! you must be saying)! On most of the issues both candidates for our Presidency are spouting about, I do not believe they will make one bit of difference on most of them — either positively or negatively. It is a sad day when Americans actually believe that these guys can make their life better or that they should even try! With all the confusion and mudslinging done by these two candidates, there are a couple of issues which they do have definite influence over (i.e. Executive Authority).

The first issue is Abortion. I remember when Bill Clinton was elected. In his first 100 days as our President, he undid over 12 years of hard work by people who believe the Constitution applies to the most defenseless Americans — the UNBORN! I know that our next President will either continue to protect life or will undo existing laws and once again allow abortion for any reason at any time and make God-fearing, Pro-Life citizens like me pay for it! One of our candidates is in favor of keeping partial birth abortion illegal while the other one is in favor of making it legal again. If you don’t know which candidate is which, please find out before you vote on Tuesday.

The other primary issue for me is Marriage. One candidate believes that marriage is an institution established by God between one man and one woman. The other candidate believes it is alright for same-sex couples to marry. If this becomes the law of the land, and if we take a gigantic leap backward and begin murdering innocent babies who could easily live outside the womb again, then there is no sense in asking God to bless America or protect America!

I guess the bottom line for me in this election is which candidate (and neither would be my first choice) is more likely to stand for the basic morality that has made America  great. If you are not sure by their speeches, go online and check out their voting records as Senators. The records speak for themselves! Go vote on Tuesday because it is our God-Given duty. And, remember as you vote that, this world is not our home — as Believers in Christ, we are just passing through!