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You're Welcome at UBBC! Sunday Worship Service 9:30 AM Sunday School for all ages Coffee & refreshments at 10:30 Adult forums at 11 411 South Burrowes
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I'm just back from two weeks away - one week at a youth work camp in Massachusetts and a week at the beach with family. Now it's catch up time at home and at work. Initially that means doing a few loads of laundry and sorting through two weeks of mail, phone messages and of course, e-mail! At home I received 82 email messages, and at the office I received 22. Many of the emails were easily read and deleted, but one in particular caught my eye. The subject line read, God is Not a Republican. Or a Democrat. While that is not anything new to me, it did remind me that we are in the midst of a presidential election. For a moment, as I was relaxing on the beach soaking up the warm rays of the sun, reading a paperback novel, I had almost forgotten. But it didn't take long to be reawakened to the reality of American politics. This email came from the Sojourners community in Washington, DC. Founded in 1971, Sojourners is a Christian ministry whose mission is to proclaim and practice the biblical call to integrate spiritual renewal and social justice. In response to comments of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson openly endorsing and encouraging Christians to re-elect George W. Bush as President, Sojourners created a petition "to send a message to America that God is not a Republican, or a Democrat and that the Religious Right does not speak for you." "Remind America," it says, "that Jesus taught us to be peacemakers, advocates for the poor, and defenders of justice." Yes, vacation time is over and from now until November there will be no more opportunities to forget about the upcoming election. Television, newspaper, and email news, advertisements and appeals are daily parts of all of our lives. I don't believe there is any way to avoid them, nor do I think we should try. As Christians I think we are to be engaged in the political process. I believe we are called to read the Bible and the newspaper side by side, letting our faith walk right into the ballot booth to inform and guide our voting. In a keynote address to a Christian conference in Washington, DC this spring, Bill Moyers, host of the PBS Show, "Now with Bill Moyers" expressed his concern for the survival of true democracy in America. Moyers asked, "Where is the prophetic voice of Christianity?" In other words, where is the Jesus who sides with the poor, who feeds the hungry on the Sabbath, who blesses the peacemakers, and works overtime to heal the sick and the lame? "This Jesus," says Moyers, "has been hijacked and turned into a guardian of privilege instead of a champion of the dispossessed. He has been made into a militarist, hedonist, and lobbyist,…seeking tax breaks and loopholes for the powerful, costly weapons systems that don't work, and punitive public policies." "We need a faith," says Moyers, "that takes on the corruption of both parties and challenges the complacency of power…Let's get Jesus back." Better yet, let us get back to being serious about Christian citizenship. Let us be educated voters, educated about how our faith informs our politics. Let us be encouraging voters, those who encourage others to register and vote. And let us be prayerful voters, voters who hold the process, the candidates, the country and the voters in continuous prayer. Below you will find several websites that may be helpful as you prayerfully consider the candidates in this election. Back from vacation, Bonnie Vote Smart (information about candidates) http://www.vote-smart.org American Friends Service Committee: Questions for the Candidates Friends Committee on National Legislation: Election 2004 Candidates
and Information The Interfaith Alliance:
Bonnie |
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