Another post-election reflection

Black independent conservative La Shawn Barber isn’t mincing words:

“As long as families (the foundation of society) are in shambles, conditions won’t improve much. But with Obama in office, white liberals can feel good about themselves and blacks can feel proud, fatherless children and dead babies be damned.”

Read her post, “Barack Obama’s Post-Racial Delusion.”

More (yes, more) election debrief

Mike Ratliff is pessimistic about an Obama presidency, and encourages believers to stand firm:

“A careful reading of the book of Judges in the Old Testament makes it clear that it is God who raises up and takes down leaders. God uses evil or unrighteous judges and leaders to bring His righteous judgment to bear on a people. With the victory of Barak Obama yesterday all of the dread about what would happen to this country if an ultra-liberal came to power seems about to become reality.”

Collin Brendemuehl is concerned about the future of conservatism, positing that if it fails, America fails …

“Because only conservatism today stands against socialism … Because conservatism today can stand against economic excesses … Because conservatism can keep business out of government …”

Steven Waldman finds it peculiar that a Focus on the Family member would portray Obama as a Nebuchadnezzar figure.

The Boar’s Head Tavern bloggers are mulling over the similarities between Obama and JFK:

“I’m struck by how now finally I can understand how so many people were excited at the election of Kennedy, who was: A younger man …Charismatic … Handsome/Striking … Intelligent …”

James Anderson argues that this is no time to be proud (glad, yes), philosophically speaking:

“Suggesting that the election (or electability) of a non-white president is praiseworthy or prideworthy is to confuse the obligatory with the supererogatory. There should never have been any barrier in the first place.”

Phil Johnson takes issue with Scott Klusendorf over the role of Christians in politics, underscoring what he believes is “the wrongheadedness of seeking political remedies for every manifestation of human depravity” (Klusendorf’s post here).

Similarly, Michael Spencer suggests that “spiritually empty, poorly led and poorly taught evangelicals are mistaking the Kingdom of God on earth for the victory of their political and cultural preferences.”

Jake Bouma tells why he thinks the release of official statements by Christian denominations on the election is dumb (i.e., counter-productive); and the Rev. Churck Currie exhorts church leaders to meet with Obama’s administration and offer an agenda:

“Our churches should support the new president’s agenda when it is appropriate and push and prod when needed. We should be a loving critic of the world around us. No one should hesitate to challenge this president if the occasion calls for it.”

Some election debrief

Beliefnet editor Steven Waldman shares some interesting ‘factoids’ such as the following:

• Turnout was up more among Born Again Christians than among youths….
• In Colorado, the base of James Dobson’s Focus on the Family, the percentage of evangelicals supporting the Democrat doubled since 2004.

Thabiti Anyabile offers some keen insights at Justin Taylor’s blog:

“There will no doubt be many associations made between [Obama's] skin color, assumptions about his race, and a host of successes or failures during his presidency. But let us Christians avoid such errors. Let us avoid saddling this one man with the responsibility of representing a “race” of people, or saddling the people with this one man’s failures or achievements.”

And Taylor Marshall blames Obama’s win on American Catholics.

Yes we can …

Scott Ott offers encouragement to conservatives grieving over Tuesday’s results by sharing the following video:

A first

Image by Patrick Moberg (HT: Abraham Piper >> Wesley Hill)

Some election humor

(HT: Locusts & Honey)

Voting Machines Elect One Of Their Own As President

“Stuff Christians Like: The Election Post You Have to Write”

From Prodigal Jon:

“My friend Lisa in Oregon just reminded me though that there’s a law that says all Christian bloggers have to write one of the following two posts the day after an election:

1. If your candidate lost, you have to write:
God is sovereign and will provide. He is still in control. Everything is going to be alright.

2. If your candidate won, you have to write …”

Congratulations, President-Elect Barack Obama

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

1 Timothy 2:1-4

It’s the final countdown

Nearly everyone has got something to say this election eve:

• Doug LeBlanc, a McCain supporter, vows to pray for, support and criticize whoever wins tomorrow
• John G. Stackhouse discusses some recent books about American politics written by evangelicals
• Mere Comments‘ Anthony Esolen opines on which candidate has a valid claim of standing in the ‘Christian tradition’
• Aaron at twoorthree.net writes an open letter to President Elect McCain
• Mark D. Roberts posts “A Christian Response to the 2008 Presidential Election“
• Dennis Sanders defends his position as an ‘Obamacon‘ at Culture11:

“We could be electing a very liberal president with a liberal Congress that will basically leave Obamacons high and dry. But I think instead of saying that we are setting ourselves up for a heartbreak, one should be asking why are people defecting.”

• Carolyn McCulley makes an appeal: “Don’t Waste Your Vote,” while Peter Suderman suggests nah, don’t bother
  
• John Piper explains why a woman shouldn’t run for vice-president, but wise people may still vote for her
• Douglas Groothius challenges us to pray like Daniel (HT: Tom Gilson)
• Nathan Williams looks at the election in light of Romans 8:28 (”All things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose …“)
• Eugene Cho explains his vote
  
• Dan Edelen writes “To My Fellow Believers on This Election Eve“
• Mark Olson outlines a plan for reforming the election process and bringing it into the information age
• Denny Burk makes his closing argument for life:

“With nearly 50 million babies already dead, is it not clear that in America abortion-on-demand is the greatest human rights crisis of our time? The only reason that people do not feel the weight of this horror is that abortion is largely out of their view.”

• … and Douglas Wilson urges all Christians to give their vote to Jesus, like the boy who surrendered his fish and bread …

Who will win?

Steve Hays lists reasons either Obama or McCain might walk away with the nomination …

“You cannot be a Christian and vote for Obama”

An article by Janet Porter posted at WorldNet Daily:

“To all those who name the name of Christ who plan to willfully disobey Him by voting for Obama, take warning. Not only is our nation in grave danger, according to the Word of God, so are you. …”

(HT: Brian McLaren)

Well, you can’t say they’re not consistent

(HT: Doug Pagitt)

An election prayer and an election message

A prayer by John A. Hardon, a Jesuit priest (HT: WDTPRS?):

“Lord Jesus Christ, You told us to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God. Enlighten the minds of our people [in] America. May we choose a President of the United States, and other government officials, according to Your Divine Will. Give our citizens the courage to choose leaders of our nation who respect the sanctity of unborn human life, the sanctity of marriage, the sanctity of marital relations, the sanctity of the family, and the sanctity of the aging. Grant us the wisdom to give You, what belongs to You, our God. If we do this, as a nation, we are confident You will give us an abundance of Your blessings through our elected leaders. Amen.”

Ligonier Ministries has made available this sermon by R. C. Sproul on voting.

McLaren: “Why I’m Voting for Obama” (update)

The fourth in a series of posts by emergent author Brian McLaren, dealing with environmental concerns.

See also parts 1-3:

1. On the “framing narrative” or mindset of each candidate
2. On the issue of personal integrity
3. On “the least of these” (foreign aid, trade, poverty-relief, etc.)

(Update 10/28) Part five is up, on “The Sacredness of Life“:

“Some of my friends and relatives have been reading my reasons for voting for Barack Obama, but the issue of abortion is a major roadblock for them. They believe that a vote for Obama is a vote for abortion, and a vote for McCain is a vote against abortion. They are surprised to learn that I believe an Obama presidency could actually take us farther in reducing abortion than a McCain presidency, and it could do so through a wiser, less-divisive, more effective strategy. Here’s why. …”

The dignity of democracy

At In the Agora, Zach Wendling defends his third-party vote:

“My detractors are proposing that voting for a candidate polling in the single digits means that I don’t have a say in the outcome. It escapes their attention that up to 49.9% of the electorate can have no say in the outcome of an election.”

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