You, may find my view interesting, especially since I’m both a pastor and a professional journalist. I don’t get caught up into letting the media or political analysts categorize me as part of “the religious right” or “moderate evangelicals” or whatever little fancy terms they like to use to “label” Christians.Sadly, many of the biggest names in TV ministry play that game with the media. I won’t call names, but several household names (in ministry) lost me with the Bush-Kerry presidential showdown.
These prominent figures played on our faith, instead of using their influence (through the media and Bible knowledge) to help us make sound decisions on who would be the best candidate for president, they used that influence to sucker many of us into voting for a particular candidate.
Many of us overlooked the meatier issues, like the state of America, the economy, (political agendas) and zoomed in on the smoke screen (the abortion issue and the gay marriage/gay union issue). Personalities like the ones I’m referring to were highly effective in getting many of us to overlook the poor job President Bush was doing as president (in his first term), thus we looked at the “moral” issue. Consequently, Bush won and is now going down in the books as one of the least popular presidents in recent American history.
We Christians have wised up. Yes, we put our trust and hope in the Lord and trust that the Holy Spirit will lead us and guide us into making the right decision as we cast our ballots. At the same time, we no longer overlook the state of the economy and unsatisfactory domestic and foreign affairs just because some popular televangelists or (carnal) political analysts are so crafty into telling us things to spark “fear” in us.
Like I heard Private First Class Gomer Pyle say on one episode: “Fool me once, shame on You. Fool me Twice, shame on Me.” In other words, the Lord has placed in us a wisdom and a discernment to look what He’s doing.
Before the election, I told my friend: So, what’s going on now? “They” tried to, again, make this election be about “religion” and “morals” and Christian values. But guess what. Barack HUSSEIN Obama is a Christian. So, that doesn’t work. Since that didn’t work, they’re saying: His name alone makes him suspect for having Muslim ties.
The same people that imply that Obama is a Muslim are the same people who were EXCITED about him being “a member of Jeremiah Wright’s church” (for negative reasons). Well, Jeremiah Wright (though he’s a confused individual, in my view) is a Christian preacher. That’s never been denied (to my knowledge) by the Obama naysayers.
Well, how could his pastor be a Christian and Obama be a Muslim? So THAT didn’t fly. Now, they’re tryin’ to say that this man, this black man, by the way, is possibly “the antichrist”. Oh, so now he’s the antichrist? Are you KIDDIN’ me?!
They are desperate. And it’s showing.
They tried to say he didn’t have any “experience” to be the president. Oh, and Bush did? And McCain does? Give me a break. God has opened the eyes of the whole lot of us. We’re no longer being diverted from the issues through soundbytes that we’re being bombarded with. That’s not flying.
I added: My personal belief is that Barack Hussein Obama is the man that Jesus Christ has chosen “for such a time as this.” When He does something, He does it in a way that only He can get the glory.
Who else, other than Jesus, can (and will) take a black man in an America that still today isn’t all that gung-ho about a black president, and cause much of white America to be inspired by his chosen theme of “Change”?
Not only is Barack Obama a Black man, but he has a name that so many have likened to a more imfamous name — Osama bin Laden. The Lord, Himself (in my belief), gave the Barack naysayers something to run with. And foolishly they are running with it. They want to use fear to control our votes.
What I earnestly believe in my heart is that God said: “I’m going to take this man, and I’m going to — through him and his campaign — ‘do a new thing.’ ”
The Bible tells us that God takes “the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.” In other words, God bucks conventional wisdom. He bucks tradition. If it’s been done (by man) time and time again and it has historically worked, God steps in and says I’m going to shut it down. If it’s never been done, and it’s something that can be unprecedented, God says, THAT’S what I’M in. I’m in that!
Obama says that his campaign has been funded (a great deal) by the average Joe, nicklin’ and dimin’ it here and there. Sure, I believe he’s got wealthy folk contributing to his campaign financially, but for the most part, I believe God is giving him so much favor that He’s causing the little man to have a hand through his financial contributions, too, as well as his vote. What does this mean? It means that Obama won’t be beholden to lobbyists (is my thought).
All the negative attacks by Hillary Clinton and McCain God has turned into fuel for Obama’s success.
Now, when we reflect back to the Nov. 4 election, my friends, we see that Obama didn’t get caught up in personal attacks and minute matters that should have nothing to do with campaigning. What happened? He won big with 338 electoral votes to McCain’s 200.
Obama’s humility, in the end, decided the election.
But days before Obama won, I told my friend: I believe that when all is said and done, Barack Hussein Obama will be the next president of the United States. And he will NOT be assassinated. MLK took that bullet for him already!
Barack Obama is God’s choice, I really believe. Yeah, he leaves much to be desired regarding his stance on abortion/the gay issue. But guess what: So does McCain. They’re the only two candidates left. We’ve gotta vote for one of them. Both are professed Christians; both have views that contradict the Bible. So, political foes (or the “Christian Right”) can’t legitimately use that issue, especially with the Republicans’ vice presidential candidates parading around on stage her daughter’s “baby daddy” and talking about how proud of them she is. That cain’t fly.
Before the election, I said whoever we (as a nation) vote into office, will be the agent for change that God uses for such a time as this. I believe that man is Barack Obama. That’s my take on it.
Romans 13:1-2 tells us that Obama was ordained of God to be president. I say now, congratulations to our president-elect, Barack Obama — the nation’s first black president!
(The Rev. Donald Lee, founder-pastor of Kingdom Living Christian Center in Beaumont, Texas, can be reached for comment at pastordonjlee@yahoo.com or [225] 773-2248).