It was very interesting to me to see Rick Warren live and in person on Monday night, and then watch him talk to the presidential candidates on Saturday night, along with the rest of the nation. I found this quote from the Washington Post very interesting:
“This was not a debate. There was not a winner or a loser. The one sure winner was Rick Warren, who overnight changed the face of evangelicals in this country from the cartoon caricature of rigid, right-wing fundamentalists to one of open-minded, intelligent, concerned citizens. There were grumblings that the forum should not have been held in a church. But Warren managed to keep the religious aspect of the event to a minimum, including in his questions. And he followed his own advice, the lead sentence of his best-selling book “The Purpose-Driven Life.” It wasn’t all about him.”
I said it Sunday and I’ll say it again here; if you’re depending on the government to save you then I’ve got some bad news for you. Whether Barack Obama or John McCain becomes president I still don’t place my faith in either of these men. The government holds no power for the salvation of mankind. Only the gospel holds this power. If evangelicals would stop thinking of themselves as a voting bloc and start reaching the world with the gospel, I believe a lot of these other issues would completely disappear.
It’s really simple. God hasn’t selected Rick Warren to save evangelicalism; although I applaud him for a job well done. And God hasn’t ordained Barack Obama or John McCain to save our nation; only Christ has such power…and the willingness to do so.
GREAT words!
Thanks Jim. This is exactly what I believe and I pray that whoever is selected will guide as God sees fit. I consider myself a proud independent who tries to make a decision based on all the facts; not just a select few or false statements about either candidate. I have studied each candidate extensively and I am proud to say that I feel at peace with my choice. I urge others to take the same care as I did – no matter who you end of selecting. My oldest brother was very hostile to me this past weekend based on my choice and did so in front of my daughter, Alex. At the end, Alex asked why Uncle Jim was so upset. I said people are very passionate when it comes to politics and I think that is great. I also reminded her that everyone is entitled to their opinion and should not be terrorized. I think it was an excellent point to make to a 7 year old who is very involved in this election. Thanks for the great words.Leslie Wheeler