SASJKLQR@#$&(*@#&$*(_@#URIOJCL@#*(*@#&R()*@EJDKL:#(X)J@#()d

@swasheck Is this a cry for help?

;P

@YannisRizos in a manner of speaking

i live in the US ... and am sickened by the Christian response to this election. there're only a few more hours left, though

@swasheck Here's mine.

@JonEricson good post.

@JonEricson i'm staying off of facebook today because i have to resist calling my brothers and sisters whores

@swasheck I think we need to wake up that both political parties are (at their core) not in the business of glorifying God. And that's ok.

@JonEricson you'd be surprised (though probably not) at how blind most E. Christians are to that reality.

@swasheck I'm not. One of my friends has convinced his daughter to "cheer" for Romney the way he's trained her to cheer for the Anaheim Angels. At least the ballplayers are going to do their best to reward her enthusiasm.

Other friends are equally convinced that voting against Obama means that a person hates immigrants and gays.

@JonEricson if romney is elected, i hope that democrats take both house and senate. then we get to listen to the RR complain about romney being hamstrung (which they've overlooked about obama).

@swasheck I agree. I always like a divided Federal Government. ;-)

@JonEricson i'm less there and more in the camp that those who are really cheering hard for romney hate poor people. in colorado, the romney-ites all think that it's as simple as walking down to McDonalds and getting a(nother) job. when i asked them if they'd be willing to do that, the shock on their faces is like i asked them to sacrifice their firstborn.

i ask them why they're not willing to take on second or third job to "make ends meet" for themselves in order to wage war on poverty and not the poor.

@swasheck That's a good question.

the indignance with which i'm met paints them into a corner. their "out" is that they earned in through hard work. i usually ask if someone helped them along the way - and they've all received help in some capacity.

If only in learning English at an early age...

Most people overestimate their own contribution to their blessings anyway. :-(

it's frustrating ... and while i love Jesus ... i am finding myself increasingly furious with those who claim to call upon his name.

@swasheck I'm not sure how to say this... I wonder if you might need to find other Christians to surround yourself with. Have you been on a short-term mission trip?

@JonEricson i have --- a few

and it's the international Christians

that really refresh me

@swasheck Exactly. We had a couple of African seminary students visit and the world they come from is so different and so remarkable.

Maybe the Christians that are already in your life need to get to know people outside of their bubble like you have. ;-)

the problem is that i'm surrounded by very affluent people ... or by extremely conservative people.

Personally, I think the time for the Western Church is over. The church of the South will be the rock of the faith.

@swasheck There really is truth to what Jesus said: You can't serve money and God.

@JonEricson have you read this?

amazon.com/Turning-Points-Decisive-Moments-Christianity/dp/…

@JonEricson but the wealthy E.C. subculture has redefined "serve"

@swasheck No. Looks good.

@swasheck If I give 10%, I'm doing my duty?

@JonEricson it's excellent. the astute reader will note the trend of the spread of the gospel throughout the world. it's like in the gospel's dying breath in a region, it's firing up somewhere else.

@JonEricson it's not that well-defined. but more like, "my money is my business and it's between me and God. who are you to judge me? Jesus also talked about hard work so I don't want to enable laziness. sometimes I wonder if giving to the church is a good investment - I mean, I can just give my time to the local homeless shelter --- God looks at the heart, right???" blah blah blah

@swasheck I just found the list of titles of his books. Seems like I need to put all of them on my reading list.

@JonEricson that's the only one i've read. great history, even if from Wheaton. i was wary of it because of the extreme potential for bias, but he did a great job.

@swasheck And then they wonder why their children turn away from the church...

@JonEricson my wife grew up in a Republican, American, Southern, Christian (in that order) family.

so her habits die hard

my 7-year-old son apparently loves Obama

he's been badgering her about for whom she voted. she won't tell him. it's been pretty funny.

@swasheck My wife grew up in Orange County, CA. Similar deal.

@swasheck Nice. My son voted for Obama in his mock vote. My wife has done well to not criticise. ;-)

here's the best one ... "In the absence of a clear, Christian candidate, I feel justified placing my own economic interest above social issues."

that was a face-to-face conversation

and i just had to walk away

@JackDouglas Well, I got sick of seeing the question in the unanswered queue and worked up an answer.

@JonEricson great effort—really helped me with my own thinking on the topic, thanks.