A Christian's Guide to American Politics

11/16/04 - Introduction

Let us pray:

Awesome Father, thank You for the gift of this day. Thank You for loving me, the most imperfect of all Your Divine Creation. Thank You for knowing my name. Thank You for Your grace and sacrifice. Thank You for Your Son. Father, we need You now. Please guide us in the ways of Your heart and show our worldly leaders how to govern justly. Please be with us in this, our time of need, and be with those around the world who cry out to You. We ask these things in the name of your son, Jesus. Amen.

Since this is my first entry, I think it is prudent to introduce myself and my purpose. My name is Tiffany Melton. I am a 24 year old Administrative Assistant. I live in Vinton, Virginia. For those of you familiar with southwestern Virginia, Vinton is right outside of Roanoke. For those of you unfamiliar with southwestern Virginia.... You don't know what you're missing. My parents opened an office supply store here in 1984. I was 4 years old. They both still operate the business, now entering its 20th year, and I am now also on the payroll. My father is also a United Methodist minister, and my mother and I are both Lay Speakers. Throughout my life, my faith has been vital. I, like many young people, was tempted by the ways of the world. Beginning at age 16, I abused drugs and alcohol, engaged in risky sexual behavior, suffered in school, and lost touch with God. After 5 years of serious methamphetamine addiction, selling drugs, homelessness, unemployment, physical illness, abusive relationships, and undiagnosed mental illness, I hit rock bottom. I got arrested for methamphetamine possession with intent to distribute.... A class "A" felony with max jail time of 15 years. My life had become overwhelming. During that dark time I thought often of suicide, but a tiny and persistent voice in my head told me that I was here for a reason and I mattered to Someone. All logic and reason said I was a goner, but my faith carried me through, and I somehow came out of the whole situation without spending a day in jail. God was watching over me. Of course, it took a long time for me to be able to identify that tiny, persistent voice as being the voice of God. I had always expected the whole booming voice from heaven with lightning bolts and earthquakes and such. And I never EVER would have thought God would talk just to me. Well, as I often find to be the case when I try to "figure out" God.... I was wrong. God does talk to each and every one of us. It's learning to listen that can be tricky. And so I started trying to learn everything I could about God. And I don't just mean Sunday School stuff and the Sermon on the Mount.... I mean I REALLY tried to learn everything. I wasn't content to hear just one interpretation.... I wanted to hear ALL interpretations. And so began my search for Truth. Ultimately, I came to know my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and I learned about His revolutionary teaching, His unquestionable devotion to His disciples, His loving sacrifice, and His glorious resurrection. I am fascinated by the Bible and I study scripture daily. Since coming to Christ, I have known freedom from addiction, liberation from the weight of my sins, and love unlike any other. Truly, I can say I'm in love with Jesus, and the great thing is.... He loves me too!

A few years ago my interest in politics seemed something totally seperate from my search for Truth. Over the last few months, and in light of the recent presidential election, I have noticed that religion and politics are actually inseperable. Here's why: People use their religious values to determine the environment they want to live in. In a democratic society, we shape our environment by electing representatives that share our values. Therefore, religion and politics form an unbreakable circle. The time for ignoring this link is over. Our constitution promises freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion. Our founding fathers (most of whom were deists, akin to Unitarians) understood the link and knew that no government would ever be free from religion. They wisely penned a constitution that did not set us up for failure. I believe in both strict interpretation of the constitution and of the Bible. I do not believe in altering either text to suit political purposes, nor do I advocate the use of the Bible in law making. I do, however, advocate education. I urge Christians to educate themselves about the Bible and about our government. I strongly recommend looking to the Bible for political insight instead of turning on the latest "talking head" show on your favorite partisan news network. And beware of false prophets. These are people who claim to be faithful Christians, but who manipulate and twist the word of God to serve their own purposes. These people can be found at all levels of spiritual and religious heirarchy, in every major religion in the world. In the Gospel, Jesus is said to have lost his temper only once.... And on that occasion he directed his wrath at those who would turn the house of God into a circus. These are the kind of people that Jesus fought against. They are religious and political leaders who invoke the name of God to justify unjust decisions. They are bigots who use obscure passages of Holy Texts to overshadow the overall vision of the faith. These are the most dangerous of all. Beginning with the "creative" translation of the holy texts we affectionately attribute to King James and continuing through the seperation of the Church of England to satisfy Henry VIII's lust for beheading his mistresses and continuing still through the jihad waged by the Taliban and Al Qaeda, we can see the negative effects manipulation of faith can have on a society. That is why it is SO important for each Christian to take time to develop a one on one relationship with God. A strong personal relationship with God can help prevent falling into the traps false prophets set. A strong relationship with God ensures that the source from which you recieve your information is the Highest Authority. A relationship with God can help you find the answers you seek in the scripture. A strong relationship with God is the foundation on which we, as Christians, must build our lives.

In America, our democratic system depends on an educated electorate. In the last presidential election, moral values was cited most often by voters as the issue that influenced their votes most. It is important to point out that Christians don't have a monopoly on morals. It is also important to point out that our country was founded on a principle of freedom of religion, meaning that there can't be any laws that promote one religion or one ideology over another. Even though the majority of our country is Christian, our laws should never reflect that in a way that makes believers of other faiths feel unwelcome. Our constitution is the most perfect in the world. It protects freedoms for people of all colors and faiths. Our country is a melting pot.... A mosaic of different cultures. Our constitution is constructed to protect the integrity of each of those cultures. As a Christian, I accept all people into my Christian family who love God and know Jesus as their Savior. As an American, I accept all people who love America and who know the value of freedom. I hope this blog will speak to both of those categories of people.

Each time I make an entry, I will begin with a Bible Verse. I will relate that verse to current political events and draw conclusions based on scripture. This portion of each post will have scriptural and historical talking points. In addition to my daily scripture lesson, I will also post other items that I feel are relavent to my overall message. Sometimes, I will post a "Daily Concerns" column, which will include headlines, news stories, and photos that I find moving on that particular day. This will act as a sort of "spiritual journal". Sometimes I will post my personal prayers. Sometimes, I will provide political commentary. Sometimes I will rant and rave. Sometimes I will cry. I'm making it available to the public so that perhaps a person might find strength in my struggles.

I hope that this blog provides a good resource for fellow searchers out there. Feel free to comment, question, or argue.... And God Bless You.

posted by Sweet Tea @ 1:02 PM