You put your left foot in, you put your left foot out ……

2 comments August 21st, 2008

I saw this bumper sticker the other day and laughed so hard I had to park the car for a minute. Here it is:

What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it’s all about?

Pew Poll: Most Americans want churches to stay out of politics

2 comments August 21st, 2008

This is from today’s Politico.

“For the first time in a dozen years, a majority of Americans believe that churches and religious institutions should “keep out” of politics, according to the annual Pew Religion and Public Life Survey.

“It’s the highest level of public concern with faith’s effect on politics since Pew began asking the question in 1996.

“The rise in Americans’ desire to separate religion and politics – from 44 percent in 2004 to 52 percent today – appears due to a surprising increase in conservative distaste for mingling the institutions – from 30 percent in 2004 to half of conservatives expressing the view today.

Among white evangelicals, 36 percent want religious groups to stay out of politics, a dramatic rise from 16 percent four years ago.

“The findings come in the wake of the Saddleback Civil Forum Saturday, when in unprecedented fashion both presidential candidates – Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama – joined popular evangelical leader Rick Warren at his mega church for their first back-to-back campaign appearance. “

I think this is especially interesting. I’ve always defended the church’s role in the political discussion, and our leaders’ personal convictions and beliefs are considered so important in the USA that the first forum showcasing the two candidates took place at Rick’s Church Americain. (Everybody  goes to Rick’s.)

The Pew poll reflects what I’ve seen here in Rockford: The evangelical movement is changing. Evangelicals are realizing that over the past two decades they’ve been essentially rolled by the Republican Party; courted and flattered by the elephant men to get their votes, then largely ignored after the elections.

The Republicans are not the social conservative party. The Republicans are the “green” party.

Warren’s church is but one of example of how evangelical churches are acting out their faith commitment in a “boots on the ground way.”  Look at how Heartland volunteers are quietly rehabilitating Rockford’s public schools, three at a time. Warren’s church is heavily into a Rwanda reconciliation and rebuilding project, and Pastor Rick is pushing orphan relief and poverty issues  without making overt and obnoxious political pronouncements about what he’s doing.

The attitude of these Christians is more Bono-esque than Dobson-diatribe. The thinking really is,  “What would Jesus Do? ” instead of “Which Republican would Jesus elect to enact His program on earth?”

It is dawning on evangelicals that His kingdom is not of this world.

Thompson: Illinois government a mess

2 comments August 21st, 2008

James R. “Big Jim” Thompson came to Rockford Wednesday to stump for Republican state’s attorney candidate Chuck Prorok. In a news conference at Cliffbreakers, he talked about the state of state politics and government. The state’s longest-serving governor — 14 years — said he is not amused.

“The current situation in Springfield is one of the most distressing I’ve ever seen. Certainly waht I hear on the streets from Democrats and Republicans alike is that there’s plenty of blame to go around,” Thompson said. “There’s an inability to agree on most challenging problems. We haven’t had a construction program since Gov. George Ryan,” he added.

“There’s failure to agree on how to finance a program, failure of Democratic legislators to trust the governor to fairly appropriate money for programs; that’s something I’ve not seen before,” he said.

By way of contrast, Thompson, a moderate Republican and Chicagoan who worked with mostly Democratic majorities in one or both houses of the General Assembly, said he got everything he wanted from lawmakers “except a World’s Fair. I wanted to have a 1992 World’s Fair in Chicago, and they said no.”

Thompson, a supporter and campaigner for John McCain, conceded the Arizona senator won’t win Illinois — Barack Obama’s home state — “but I think McCain has a good chance to win the presidency. The polls I’ve seen have McCain ahead. The electoral count is very close,” said Thompson, who said Iowa, Michigan, Missouri and Colorado are some swing states where “McCain has a decent shot.”