Christians Confront Crime and Missing Persons

          Missing. Vanished. Disappeared. Lost. Gone. These are scary, ugly words that describe people who, for various reasons, find themselves unfortunate enough to become unaccounted for and are not able to be found without help. It seems that, if we follow the news, especially online, that we see one case after another, of men, women, and children who vanish. Those of us who operate in the "world of the missing," whether as family members, professionals, volunteers or advocates, see literally one person after another, be reported as missing. And this does not take into consideration all of those who are not even reported as missing! People of all ages, and from all walks of life, of all races and ethnicities, go missing. Boys are as likely to vanish as girls; men are as likely to disappear as women. Having a missing loved one can happen to anyone at any time. And as Christians, we are called to be voices for the voiceless. Yet I believe that awareness of this epidemic is pretty absent in the Church as pastors and people rightly stress worship, discipleship and evangelism. I know this by experience, as a parishioner cased in St. Louis, Missouri and seeing apathy and ignorance when I've tried to inform local Christians.
          The epidemic of missing persons is so HUGE that I currently have three Facebook pages, including one just for missing children and one just for missing adults. Every time I log into Facebook and scroll through my Newsfeed or Facebook pages feed, I see one missing person case after another! Along with all those missing children and missing adults that do not get solved, are the many, many new cases that emerge. This does not even count all those missing children or adults who are never reported to authorities as such! And sadly, no doubt many in the Church are personally affected in some way or other by this, by experience or knowing other families or victims.
          I have "friended" many profiles on Facebook, that have been set up for missing people and they make up roughly half of my social network; these profiles are set up by family members and advocates, so missing persons posts show up on my homepage with alarming and heartbreaking frequency. It is the case of Lindsey Baum, who is pretty close in age to my own daughter, who got me fired up about this issue. Lindsey, who vanished on June 26, 2009, was almost 11 at the time and is still missing! Missing people are likely to never go away, nor the need for awareness. And for the sake of those who are not familiar with missing people, let me explain the issues surrounding them and how they apply to all of us and why this concerns us all.
          The first, and most simple reason people go missing is miscommunication about whereabouts. When, in any situation, one of us fails to let others know where we are going and where we can be reached, whether we are going for a few blocks, a few milies, out of our country, or even our state or country, it is possible for others to "lose us." For example, over four years ago, the media covered a heartbreaking story of couple in an affluent neighborhood who "lost" their baby because each parent assumed their child was with the other parent (and so was safe). Tragically, the child had vanished and his poor little body was found. This was all because of a misunderstanding, and don't we all have those? I know I do! But this couple was unfortunate enough to pay for theirs by the loss of a child. And this sort of missing person scenario is probably more common that we will ever know; isn't this one more incentive for communicating, especially concerning whereabouts, ours or others' in our care?
          A second reason people, both children and even adults, go missing is because they run away, that is they vanish by choice. Most missing people, especially minors, we are told, are runaways. Though most are found safe, many other runaways encounter foul play as they go on the run; they may end up raped or even murdered; most who run into foul play become victims of human trafficking, especially in the teen years. Thrownaways, those who are not reported as missing, also are just as much at-risk as runaways, of running into foul play. Human trafficking is a big issue surrounding missing people, as many of them are believed to be in the sex slavery trade (not the only form of human trafficking, which includes adoption trafficking or domestic servitude). Since many of us are parents of children ages 10-25 (considered to be most at-risk of becoming victims of human trafficking), we ought to be very concerned about this matter. This is a depraved, sick industry and it is a powerful incentive to drill into children that running away is NOT the solution to problems at home; it is also a big incentive to create a home balanced with the right mix of love and discipline so they the young will not even want to run away! For runaways cannot be assumed to be safe, though most missing children who are found safe, are runaways. And running away is not confined to children. Adults have also been known to vanish willingly. I understand that an average runaway, within the first 24 hours, is likely to be approached by a pimp. A few years ago, in regards to one adult voluntary disappearance, I read a book called Exit the Rainmaker, written by a woman whose husband ran away, and began a "new life" in Europe, moving from country to country. Tiffany Tehan is a recent case; an active parishioner and a mother, she ran off and was found with a man. We adults also need to lead by example, showing the young that running away from problems is not the way to solve anything. By facing our adult responsibilities, including caring for these children, jobs, homemaking, bills, or whatever we are called to do, we show them that running away is "uncool." And we spare loved ones and our communities unneeded anxiety, anguish as well as expenses of looking for us. We may even be saving our own lives!
          Many children vanish because of family abductions where the non-custodial parent (who does not have child custody) kidnaps them and harbors them unlawfully, often out of vindictiveness toward the other parent and as a way to "get back at" them. This kidnapped child is normally found safe but cannot be assumed to be so, especially when the non-custodial parent is known to be abusive, as in the high-profile, sad case, over a year ago, of little 8-year-old Aja (pronounced Asia) Johnson, who was taken by her stepfather and was found dead  (He had killed his ex-wife, Aja's mother beforehand). Years ago, I saw the tear-jerker, "When Andrew Came Home," about a 6-year-old boy who was kidnapped by his non-custodial father, and was found 5 years later. However, as often happens in the case of parental abductions, his father had turned Andrew against his mother, so he came home with deep fear and hate toward her. Fortunately, that story has a happy ending. Sadly, not only do such children come home, brainwashed, but sometimes the custodial parent never sees them again.  I read that rage-filled parents use parental kidnapping as a weapon to hurt the other parent, and are getting more blatant about actually hurting the children they kidnap. So children who are kidnapped by a family member should not be assumed to be safe! We parents need to realize that, even if our partner hurts us, using a child to "even the score" solves nothing!
          And then people, especially children, teens and young adults, vanish because they are abducted by acquaintances or by strangers. In this case, the missing person is more likely to be found dead and what happens to them normally happens within the first three hours. Abductors may take their victims to hold them captive, whether for a few minutes, a few hours, a few days, for months or even years, and this is when they are likely to be found alive. Long-term kidnapping survivors, like Elizabeth Smart, found alive after 9 months, or Jaycee Dugard, who was found alive after 18 years, are notable exceptions. People who vanish because of abductions are in the minority of the total number of missing people. We have many resources today to protect our children from such abductions, though there are never any 100 percent guarantees. We can be thankful for the AMBER ALERT program, limited as it is, as it covers only children whose abductions are witnessed, who are officially believed by law enforcement to be in bodily danger, and who are 17 or under (in my home state, age 16 is the cut-off age). Most recently, three girls, Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, were located in Cleveland, Ohio. They had been held captive in Castro's house for ten years, more (eleven for Michelle). If you follow the news, you probably are aware of the horrible conditions these girls were forced to live under, as their captor "hid in plain sight." He was respected in the community, attended worship services every Sunday and otherwise moved about in the community, and at the same time  brutalized these three girls. He fathered a child with one of them! Many of us may have seen his sentencing, where Michelle Knight gave a powerful victim impact statement. As Chsistians, we need to pray and see what we can do to help stop these crimes.
          Domestic violence is another big reason for missing people. A common scenario, which we hear about too often in the news, is when a parent, partner, or spouse abuses a family member to death and then makes the murder look like something else, like suicide or a mysterious disappearance. The only way we can deal with this one is to manage our anger (often easier said than done) and to find ways to prevent and end all forms of abuse in our communities. So much has been said about child abuse and spousal abuse that I need not go into it here. The sad stories about missing children or adults vanishing, and then being found dead (or not at all) and where spouses or parents are implicated, are far too numerous to list! Domestic violence by wives or girlfriends has become almost as common as that by husbands or boyfriends. On Investigation Discovery (ID), the sheer volume of solved cases covered there show how HUGE domestic violence missing persons/murder cases are! It seems to be getting worse, too! ID series like "Southern-Friend Homicide" and "Deadly Women" and the Oxygen series "Snapped" are just a sample of how epidemic murders are! Countless cases are featured on TV. Will it ever end?
          A final reason that people of all ages vanish is because they have special needs, especially cognitive differences, like amnesia, strokes, dementias, mental illness, autism, suicidal urges,or other such issues, that causes them to "wander off" or to "elope" where they are at-risk of bodily harm or foul play. Disabilities are often a big issue that surround missing people, but I fear that it is seen as a separate issue, for some reason. AMBER ALERT, the national program that has saved so many children's lives, does not cover anyone but minor children who have not only been abducted but whose abductions have been witnessed. The program does not cover children (and certainly not adults) with special needs who wander. There have been many recent cases of autistic children who have wandered off and whose bodies have been tragically found in bodies of water. The only answer I see for this is to seek to protect such people in such a way that takes into consideration their special situations while giving them some measure of independence. Yes, this is easier said than done!
          Christian brothers and sisters, you are being challenged to see what God may want of you concerning this. How will you respond?
         Below I provide links to helpful resources and I hope you will check them out. And if you have a missing loved one, please know that you are not alone and that there are many resources for you and people who care. If you are simply seeking to educate yourself about this, these resources will educate you to toward prevention and reducing your risks of having a loved one vanish. And if you want to help, there are options for that, too. Shouldn't getting informed about this and maybe getting involved be part of ministry?
         We all can help bring missing people home!

I now have three Facebook pages because of the enormity of this epidemic. Please visit each of the links and "like" each page if you are a Facebook user.

Missing Kids

Missing Adults

Awareness For Missing and Unidentified People

National Domestic Violence Hotline, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, translatable in 170 languages
1-800-799-SAFE  (1-800-799-7233),  1-800-787-3224 (TTY)

National Child Abuse Hotline, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, translatable in 170 languages
1-800-4-A-CHILD  (1-800-422-4453)

National Runaway Safeline (formerly Switchboard)
1-800-RUNAWAY  (1-800-786-2929)

National Human Trafficking Hotline
888-3787-888

LostNMissing, Inc..
This is the website for a nonprofit which provides comprehensive services for familes with missing loved ones and also educates about prevention of seeing a loved one going missing.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
This is the website for a nonprofit which provides comprehensive services for families with missing children with a database for all children in the US who are reported as missing, and provides lots of information, including how to prevent children from going missing.

National Missing and Unidentified Persons System
This is the US database for ALL missing and unidentified people whose cases have been entered into it. It can be used by law enforcement or by the public; it is considered to be much-underused because people don't know how to use it or don't know about it in the first place.

Let's Bring Them Home
This is the website for a nonprofit which serves families with missing adult loved ones. It provides a comprehensive database for all adults in the US who are reported as missing.


ChildHelp.
This is a website for a nonprofit which provides comprehensive services to prevent and end child abuse in our communities; this site also includes a hotline to reporte child abuse.

PeasInTheirPods.
This is a website for a nonprofit which serves families of missing minority children, children when usually are underserved.

There are other resources which I'm sure you can add!

 
         
         
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Halloween: A Christian Perspective

It's getting close to that time of the year when we celebrate Halloween. Of course, stores have been selling Halloween cards, Halloween party supplies and produce suppliers have been selling pumpkins for a couple of months. They have been doing this in St. Louis, Missouri, where I am. It's all a reminder that, in a week, most children under 12 and some older teens and adults, will wear their favorite Halloween costumes. My husband and I did this as parents, while I more have just gone along with the Halloween tradition because this is what pleased my spouse. It was okay with me as long as no costumes that evince occult symbols, like witches costumes or suggestive costumes. We had to deal with going through candy to get rid of hard candies that provide zero nutritional value and that pose a choking hazard. Also, we had to go though them to make sure that none of the candy had been tampered with by those up to no good. Predators.In Currently, our daughter is a teen and Halloween isn't so much of an issue now. I have been reading Facebook posts that Christian users post, declaring that they don't celebrate Halloween. One user even has been using a "I Don't Celebrate Halloween!" profile photo, those words superimposed over a pictured pumpkin. I know that the issue of those of us with a Christian worldview celebrating Halloween has always been an issue. When I was growing up in the 1970s as a teen, I had read a book by Christian singer/author, Pat Boone, where he stated that after he and his family had experienced a Baptism in the Holy Spirit in the Charismatic Church body, they stopped celebrating Halloween. I admired their stance on this, but I thought they were impractical and "over-strict." Now I wonder as I believe that they have a point. They renounced the celebration of Halloween because of it close associations with the occult and the use of costumes and practices that open the door to the Devil. Yes, we who have a Christian worldview believe in a personal Devil who, while unseen, is very much at work trying to destroy the world and the Christian community. The seemingly innocent word "magic" is also linked to the occult, and practices that call up supernatural operations that are not of God, are harshly condemned especially in the Old Testament. During Halloween, we like to tamper with this side of the supernatural with certain costumes. I'm sure our motives are innocent and we think it's all "just for fun" and "shouldn't hurt anyone." But I have always sensed that there is more to Halloween and the typical way that most of us celebrate that day. Tampering with the occult, and anything liked to the Devil, gives him an open door to attack us and our children. I know that the easy solution to tackling the Halloween issue is just not to celebrate it at all. I don't blame such Christians a bit and there is no law that tells us that we should or have to observe that day of the year. In face, the Bible does not command us Christians to observe anything EXCEPT the Sacraments of Baptism and Communion. If you believe that something is wrong, even if it's not wrong in itself, then for you it IS wrong. Those of you who are raising young children, I would hope that you find other ways that they can have special, wholesome fun on that day. For they see their peers celebrating Halloween. Because fitting in and not feeling left out matters so much to growing children, I think that it's preferable for us as parents, when we are raising young children, to come up with wholesome Halloween alternatives that allow our kiddos to enjoy that day but that don't have any occult ties and that, above all, keep them safe. For in addition to the moral concerns about the occult ties of this particular day, Halloween is a field day for child predators and pedophiles. So many of them use handing out candy as a way of luring children and gaining their trust before preying on them, molesting them or even worse. So child safety is just as issue for Christians as occult ties. Halloween can be dangerous not only spiritually but also physically! When my daughter was younger, our former congregation offered what they called a "Trunk or Treat" servant event. At this event, children handed out candy to attendees and these candies would include messages telling of the love of Christ. Many churches typically offer servant events that involve handing out candy, using this as a springboard to share the love of God with their communities or safe, wholesome Halloween parties where children can hang out, eat candy and have a great time. I think these are great! Christian parents, you don't have to get renounce Halloween altogether. There are wholesome, safe ways to celebrate on or around that day, and let your youngsters still get in on their Halloween fun. And reader, if you don't "do Christianity," you too have to see that Halloween proves to be a major child safety issue, even if you have no concerns about its occult ties. I think offering Halloween alternatives to families and to their communities is a valuable service that many congregations do at this time of the year. And I know that many of you make this a family event night and take your young ones to "trick or treat." This is fine but I recommend avoiding costumes that suggest occult ties, like witches or warlock's costumes, and to never leave them unattended, of course. What do you think? Photo Courtesy of MorgueFile.com. Photo by mensatic. This photo can be found here.

Want To Fight Poverty, People of God?

Malaria in Africa Awareness Banner

I'm sure that if you have followed the news, whether online or on TV, several months ago, you have been saturated with coverage of a baby. This baby is known as the "royal baby," and we were subjected to nonstop two-day coverage of every detail of this baby's birth. Who was he? He was born on July 22, 2013, to Catherine "Kate" Middleton and to Prince William Alexander. The day before, we were taken into every detail of the anticipated  arrival of this "royal baby" who is named Prince George Alexander, 8 lbs. and 6 oz.. I know that many people no doubt were fascinated with and entertained by this baby, born into wealth and destined as third in line for the throne in the British monarchy. But I wondered at all this saturation coverage of one very fortunate baby born into privilege. I could understand why citizens in Great Britain have been absorbed with this event, but I could not understand the worldwide fascination. I wondered, and still do, Where are our priorities?
What about all the countless far less fortunate, destitute, and hurting children throughout the world?
Why not focus on one of them and raise awareness of their need and our responsibility to help them with our time and yes, our money? And, as Christians, God makes it clear that we have a responsibility toward those who are less fortunate. This "royal baby", as he has often been called in the media, is clearly more fortunate than most of all. We are told in Scripture to focus on those who have less than us, not on those who have more, like the celebrities and their children.

Suffering Children 

What about children like these pictured? Children who need the basics of food, clothing, medical care, education, and more? Let me give you some grim statistics.  Research bears out that all over the world, 21,000 children die of extreme poverty-related diseases. Every minute, 15 children throughout the world die in these ways. Precious children. Children with purposes and potential poured into them by their Creator. Most of us are aware of these heart-breaking, sad facts. We feel overwhelmed and helpless because we know that we cannot begin to save them all. So we throw up our hands and conclude why bother worrying about all these children we can't help? But if you read your Bible and Jesus' life, you probably know about the tiny offering that a poor widow put in the Temple treasury at that time. Her offering was in stark contrast to that of many rich worshippers who put in large amounts. You know whom Jesus praised, she who gave out of her need, not those who gave what they did not need.

You no doubt may have heard of child sponsorship. You know that child sponsorship is a commitment of time and money. I don't want to make anyone feel guilty by bring up the story of the poor widow.Yes, I fully understand that all of us have many financial responsibilities and must commit our money to a budget if we want to know financial health. You know what, though? It does not cost much money to sponsor a child through good nonprofits. Surely many more of us can find room in our budgets to include a monthly child sponsorship. Yet I would not personally recommend any nonprofit. Some are better than others at meeting the needs of children and strengthening communities.

Spiritual Awareness Banner

 I don't know if many of you have heard of Compassion International. You may have. You may have seen my recently-added Sponsor Me widget on the right sidebar of this BlogSpot. This badge easily links to this nonprofit that is a treasure trove of information about child poverty, the many countries where Compassion serves children and communities, their own blogs, and many external links to many who are spreading the word about this unique nonprofit. And what makes them special? Why does it cost a bit more to sponsor a child through Compassion than through other nonprofits? They provide food, clothing, medical care, educational opportunities. They partner with many local places of worship where they serve children, to address these children's spiritual needs. They provide their own online stationery, where you can email your sponsored child without having to pay postage; then they hand-deliver your message. What is unique about Compassion is that they are explicitly Christian, and every sponsored child is exposed to opportunities to hear the Gospel of Christ and they and their families get to know caring Christian workers.

Spiritual Help Stats

Don't just take my word for it but click the Sponsor Me badge on the right sidebar to go right to Compassion's site and find out what they do. There are so many registered, waiting children who would love to have a sponsor like you. You and I cannot save all these children. Nor are we expected to! But maybe we can save one or even more through committed, long-term child sponsorship. We are always talking about how the world needs heroes. We do! Most of us may not be heroes in the eyes of the world and in the dramatic sense like firefighters, military persons, law enforcement, and others. God does not expect us to be such heroes. But we can be heroes in the eyes of a precious but hurting child who needs us. God only asks us, as His people, to make a difference in the lives of select individuals when He puts them in our sphere of influence.

Children Get Education

                        

You see those children above. Do you think they would be able to attend school without caring persons like you and me who are willing to reach out to them? Have you considered this personalized and unique way to make a lifelong difference in the life of a precious child in need?

You Can Help A Child

Christians Confront the US Government Shutdown

All of us who operate from a Christian worldview are just as unhappy with the current government shutdown as are those who do not share this worldview, or who do not consider themselves "religious." We see how politicians decision to this partial shutdown has profoundly affected the lives of many, especially those who have low incomes, their children, the families of those who have given their lives in military service, disabled veterans, many federal workers considered "nonessential, and other vulnerable people. Yet these same politicians continue to collect their own salaries and enjoy numerous benefits. Yes, some have said that they are foregoing those salaries and have proposed legislation to stop governmental salaries as long as the shutdown continues. We may or may not be aware that, in a week, if the US house Of Representatives, the US Senate, and President Obama do not reach a compromise and raise the debt ceiling, the US will go into default. This means that the US can't pay its bills and can't borrow more money. The result? Most services and most programs, like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Veteran's Benefits, Head Start and many other services that many of us in the US count on just to survive, will be shut down. While we have a partial government now, we would have a total government shutdown if the US were allowed to go into default. This has never happened in US history according to my understanding.

What would God say about what is going on in Washington and about this current economic crisis? Well, according to my understanding of the Scriptures, God places a lot of importance on how we treat vulnerable groups and individuals, especially children and the poor. This includes government policies and decisions that hurt vulnerable groups and individuals. He condemns those in power profiting off them, which most of us, Christian and non-Christian, see as the US government doing to so many of us in the US. The Affordable Care Act, or as many call it, Obamacare? Which was the reason for the shutdown in the first place? What would God say about either keeping it funded, as many in Washington and the President want, or repealing it, which many others in Washington are calling for? Again, according to my understanding of the Scriptures, God calls on all of us to do all we can to preserve and protect the lives of others. This incudes helping others access health care, which helps preserve life. So He would expect the government to do all it can to preserve the lives of its citizens, which includes making accessible healthcare to those who can't get it on their own.

Yes, fiscal responsibility matters and God is against irresponsible spending, waste and fraud. This hold true whether these are being done by us as private citizens or is being done by the government in its policies and decisions. Therefore a balancing act has to be done. God expects this of us private citizens, particularly us Christians. He expects it of a government. So the US government ought to, Biblically speaking, strive to be fiscally responsible while at the same time allow enough spending to help those poor, less fortunate, and vulnerable citizens who can't help themselves or who need a hand up. He hates strife and disharmony and clearly would not approve of all the partisanship bickering that has been going on for a long time and has climaxed in the current government shutdown. What we see going on now is much, much older than President Obama's time in office and are only a build-up of what has been going on in Washington for decades. And since the problem is so old, it will take a long time to fix it. Just as with any human problem, it will take everyone working together, setting aside their differences, discerning what is best for the interest of all concerned, and courage to act according to one's convictions.

Yes, most of us are frustrated, even angry, with the US government. The phone lines of Congressmen and Congresswomen are being flooded with angry, frustrated phone calls from their constituents. Many, in frustration, are taking to the street or going to the media. Petitions are being circulated. As Christians, whatever we feel about the US government, we are called to honor them, to willingly render our duties to them (taxes, voting, etc.), and to pray for them. They need our prayers as much as ever now, as Christians confronting a shutdown that can become a total shutdown. Pray that God will give them grace to set aside their differences, wisdom to discern what to do for the best of all citizens, and the courage to carry it out. Our faith ought not be in a government that is made up of imperfect, sinful people like us. Our faith must be in a perfect, faithful God Who will keep His promises to us and will do what is right. We need to remember that He is in control, even when it doesn't look like it. He has power over all human rulers and can work through even corrupt politicians.

No matter what you believe, what do you think? Sound off.
This photo is courtesy of MorgueFile.com. This photo is by earl53. This photo can be found here.

Is God A Republican or A Democrat?

I have made an observation and it is pretty much across-the-board, among many Christian people in so many Christian denominations. I'm talking about how so many Christians are identifying themselves as Republicans because of their conviction that Republican values are more closely aligned with Biblical values than Democratic values. For the most part, they base their support of the Republican party on deep-seated convictions of the sanctity of life of all human life, including lives that may be seen as "better off dead." Also, they often base their support on the deep-seated conviction of the sanctity of traditional marriage as created by God to be between a man and a woman. And the Bible clearly addresses these issues, in both the Old and New Testaments. God clearly declares that He sees us as already alive from conception on (Jeremiah 4: 4), (Luke 1: 41-44) and that homosexuality as a lifestyle, is against His plan for us and unnatural Leviticus 18: 22), (Romans 1: 26-27) There are many others, who call themselves "progressive Christians," who support marriage equality and are neutral about abortion. They try to address the issue of homosexuality by redefining GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender) by declaring that this lifestyle is not sinful and that we should just accept and affirm GLBT persons. They may deplore abortion as evil but believe that it should be available to women as an option. Progressive Christians place priority on caring for the socioeconomic needs of the poor, children, women, those with disabilities, and others who are vulnerable. The Bible clearly addresses our social responsibilities to our neighbors in need, in the Old and the New Testaments Nehemiah 5: 14-18), (Matthew 25: 34-45).
These are just two of countless verses from cover to cover!

Conservative Christians and progressive Christians have this in common, that God has spoken about what government's role should be and what our roles should be as Christians. Where conservative and progressive Christian differ is what they see that the role of government should be. Christians who support Republicans lean toward government's role in our lives being kept as small as possible, our personal liberties and responsibilities maximized, and that the government should be focused on protecting life and freedom and not spending money on government programs for "the underserving poor." Progressive Christians lean toward the government taking care of all vulnerable citizens while in no way denying personal responsibility or choice. There are factions in the Christian Church about which party we should support and which party more closely subscribes to Christian values. I think that this is based on where Christians come from and what they most value.

I grew up in a denomination that is staunchly conservative and that attracts many parishioners who support the Republican party. My observation of so many of these persons who I have encountered, whether in person or online, is that they prioritize moral issues like abortion and homosexuality, and do not see all the other issues as quite as pressing though they agree that these issues are important. These church people so often don't seem to put much priority on so many issues that the Bible clearly speaks to, especially our responsibility to the poor and vulnerable. Many years ago, when my spouse and I were members of the congregation that were married in, we were getting ready to pull out of our parking lot. I saw a bumper sticker that declared, "Friends do not let friends vote Democrat." Over and over, I have seen bumper stickers that have espoused "Republican" issues, particularly the right of the unborn to live, even when they are inconvenient to those around them. Years ago, on the weekend before one Election Day, our Pastor admonished all of us listeners to go to the polls and to "protect the unborn with our votes." I knew that this meant that we were to vote for Republicans.

Frankly, I felt politically alienated in the staunchly conservative Christian congregations that my spouse, daughter and I had been members of. I felt that we did not have much in common with so many fellow parishioners who supported the Republican party. So many of them seemed unaware of, even indifferent to, many moral issues which they seemed not to deem as priority as the sanctity of life and of traditional marriage. I agreed, and still do, that life begins at conception and should be protected from conception to death. I also agree that marriage, as God set it up in the Old Testament (Genesis 2:24) was meant to be between a man and a woman and He has not changed His mind about that (Matthew 19: 5,6). Frankly, I have never felt comfortable going to vote. I have often handled it by voting split-party, voting for a mix of Republicans and Democrats. I want my votes to protect ALL I value, not just a some! But I would hear, and still hear, conservative Christians shame their brethren who support Democrats, declaring, "God will hold you accountable for supporting candidates who endorse killing the unborn through abortion and who celebrate homosexuality!" I know no easy answers to this problem. Both the Republican and the Democratic parties embrace values that the God hold dear. Both parties also neglect values that God prizes. I'm bothered and offended when Christian leaders and pastors implicitly or explicitly endorse political parties or political candidates. Men like Rev. Franklin Graham, son of Rev. Billy Graham, has appeared on MSNBC to defend his conservative views and their superiority. Prolife groups have come out asking supporters to oppose President Obama and the Democratic Party.

I have heard it suggested that we Christians support "the lesser of two evils." The issue, as I see it, is what each of us sees as "the lesser of two evils." For many, that means voting straight Republican or straight Democrat. For some of us, it means voting a split-party ticket. I see nothing in the Bible that tells us which party or which politician  we should support. Christian leaders like Ron Sider and Jim Wallis lean are advocating for a consistent life ethic that would merge the best of both political parties.We are told to "Render to Caesar what is Caesar's, and render to God what is God's." We are told to pray for all politicians. Who should we support? The Bible does not tell us how to vote or which candidates to support. Of course, many Christians will disagree with me, but that is the way I read my Bible.

When Jesus lived among us as God made man, the reason so many rejected Him is because He would not get on any political soapbox, and stood up to the most rejected religious leaders of His day. I wonder what He would say about the factions in the Christian Church today?

God is not a Republican or a Democrat. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Praise Him. Photo courtesy of MorgueFile.com. Photo by Krosseel. This photo can be found here.