Last night after the election was called and Senator Obama became President-Elect Obama, I got onto Facebook and Twitter to see what my friends were saying. The ignorance was palpable. I have never been so shocked, so offended, and so ashamed of my fellow brothers and sisters than last night (ok, perhaps just as offended as when I turn on Christian TV).
I wasn’t offended because I agree with President Obama. I wasn’t offended because I voted for him. I wasn’t pissed off because John McCain lost because I don’t agree with him, nor did I vote for him either. I wrote in Ron Paul on my Florida absentee ballot…and I didn’t write him in because I thought he had a shot at becoming the most powerful man in the world. I wrote him in to make a statement to the Republican party that if they want my vote, the least they could do is actually nominate a candidate who is an actual Republican. Ron Paul was the only one in the race that fit that bill. But I digress. The comments that follow are neither for nor against any of the candidates that were up for election last night. They are reflections on my disappointment in my fellow brothers’ and sisters’ reactions to President Obama’s election.
When the election was called in Obama’s favor many people updated their Facebook status. Some of the updates were extremely offensive, mentioning fried chicken and monkeys, and I commented on those statuses pointing out their ignorance and their offense. The offending parties took their statuses down and apologized, which was good. But I also saw a lot of other statuses from McCain supporters that I did not comment on. They went something like, “I can’t believe America voted for this guy, but God is still in control,” or “I’ll be praying for America for the next four years because we’ll need it,” or “God is still sovereign.”
Just to point out the obvious, whether or not God was sovereign or in control or whether or not you should be praying for your superiors was not up for a vote last night. God, in fact, knows the end from the beginning and works all things (that includes elections, car crashes, Red Sox victories, Tampa Bay defeats, etc.) according to his will. We are also commanded to pray without ceasing. These things go with being a Christian and are not dependent on whether or not your candidate was selected. To link the two together is to misunderstand both. What do I mean by that? Glad you asked.
There is a very strong idolatry that underlies such statements that are quoted above about the sovereignty of God or God still being in control. The idol, as it were, is one’s own will, one’s own wishes and hopes about what the future should have held. When this will or these wishes and hopes do not come to realization the thing one falls back on is God and his control and his sovereignty. Is that not completely backwards? Shouldn’t one always realize and always know that God is sovereign and in control no matter what happens, whether it was what you wanted or what you dreaded? God’s will, his sovereign control of all things, is not a fall back plan, something that we only think of or rely on when things go wrong or go the way we didn’t want them to. God’s will, his sovereign control of all things, is what should be primary in everything, whether those things be good or whether those things seem to us bad. To see his will and his sovereignty as a back up plan reveals a misunderstanding of what his will and sovereignty are as well as a misunderstanding of what it means to be a submissive servant of the God that you claim to worship.
The scary thing is that if McCain would have one then the statuses would have probably been filled with “God’s will has been done!” or “God bless America!” Well, like it or not, God’s will HAS been done and, in his infinitely wise and gracious sovereignty, he has seen to it that our next president will be Barack Obama. God’s will is not only God’s will when it aligns with your own. God’s will is not only to be praised and mentioned when things go your way. It should be praised and at the forefront of our thinking no matter what the situation may be.
And it should go without saying that one should pray in all circumstances and at all times. But we can’t forget the function of prayer. Prayer does not turn God into some sort of Cosmic and Divine Genie that showers our hopes, desires, and wishes down upon us so long as our hearts are sincere. Prayer is what God uses to shape our hearts and to sanctify us, as it puts us in a position of humility and utter dependence upon God. As C.S. Lewis once wrote, “I do not pray to change God; I pray that God may change me.”
To all the disgruntled McCain supporters: God is, and always has been, sovereign and is, and always has been, working things according to the infinite wisdom and grace of his own will. The way to deal with it is not to invoke God’s control or sovereignty as a last ditch effort for hope, but to change your hearts to realize that God is doing this for a reason…and that reason is ultimately good and was made with more wisdom that you could ever imagine.
To all the celebrating Obama supporters: Jesus is your savior. Salvation is not be found in anything other than the resurrected Christ. Our hope lies ultimately in Christ’s recreating this broken world and renewing the entire cosmos. While I am empathetic with you in your excitement and am happy for you, be careful not to make any politician or any human your functional savior. I am saying this to myself (with respect to Ron Paul) as much as I am saying this to you.
For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, “My purpose shall stand, and I will fulfill my intention,” calling a bird of prey from the east, the man for my purpose from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have planned, and I will do it…For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD, for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
~God
5 November 2008 at 3.12 pm
Exactly. Well said!
5 November 2008 at 3.16 pm
thanks for this, art.
very good.
5 November 2008 at 3.35 pm
Well put sir!
5 November 2008 at 4.56 pm
The r3VOLution will continue quietly and persistently amidst all the hype and name-calling. Once the dust has settled, the education of the public must ensue on the benefits of promoting civil liberties and the inherent value of each and every US citizen; sound monetary policy; the cutting of federal spending (the national debt is now over $10 trillion) domestically and abroad; a sane, humble foreign policy; and the value of smaller, limited government for achieving these ends. This must be done with courtesy and respect.
Until the public is educated, we’ll continue to have these celebrity-style elections based on vacuous pandering to the emotions of the electorate.
Your words here are good, respectful and timely words. Thanks.
5 November 2008 at 5.36 pm
Art,
True dat. Thanks for posting these appropriate reflections.
5 November 2008 at 6.08 pm
Thanks for this, Art. I totally agree with you on everything you’ve said…especially for Ron Paul.
5 November 2008 at 7.15 pm
Thanks for writing that:)! You rule!!
5 November 2008 at 9.16 pm
art, that was what was in my heart, but that I couldn’t find the words to express…thanks.
5 November 2008 at 9.33 pm
Is that your ballot, because you know its illegal to take a cell phone into a voting booth (although I guess maybe it doesnt count if you mail in your ballot)
sinner…
Pax Christi…Nick
5 November 2008 at 9.50 pm
Yes, I do agree that many of the Facebook statuses leave me frustrated at how immature people can be… on either side, mind you. One little thing I can’t help but add to your comments about the God-invoking ones…
“When this will or these wishes and hopes do not come to realization the thing one falls back on is God and his control and his sovereignty. Is that not completely backwards?”
I admit, I was slightly taken aback at this. My status was one of the many which mentioned God’s sovereignty, and I do agree with your subsequent statements, but I have a bit different perspective. Yes, one -should- always realize that God is in power… but that doesn’t mean one always -will- remember that fact. Someone like me, who is struggling and crying out “Help my unbelief!” I know that God’s will will ultimately be done; but circumstances can leave me focused on the wrong things, and it often takes a major event–like this election–to remind me of the truth. It’s not that I intentionally keep it on the back burner for emergencies; it’s more like I let other things crowd the stove.
I don’t intend to demean your post… just offering an additional view. Please do reply if something seems erroneous or out of line… keep me honest! Thanks for writing!
5 November 2008 at 11.00 pm
Marie: Thanks for your comment. I don’t think it demeans my post but, rather, says what I was attempting to say from another angle. Essentially I’m saying, “Don’t let other things crowd the stove.” I’m not saying that people should not invoke the memory of a sovereign God in situations that they perceive to be tough; the psalmists do at various times. Rather I’m encouraging us, as Christians, to always keep it in the front of our minds so that we don’t end up only invoking it when we perceive things to be going negatively. So I think we might be saying very similar things using different words from different angles.
5 November 2008 at 11.01 pm
nick: That was an absentee ballot, so I’m not sure about the legalities of the situation. If it ends up being illegal and that RP loses the state by one vote, then I will claim it is a fake!
6 November 2008 at 12.53 am
Art…We Agree! We Agree! I have been having this same conversation with several people today.
6 November 2008 at 12.56 am
I miss hanging chads. Perhaps if I can get a noose around Mr. Mullinix’s neck…
I keed!!!
Great thoughts, Art. Appreciate your balance that those of us happy for the O-man need to be as humble and conciliatory as those mourning the defeat of McC.
6 November 2008 at 1.06 am
A few more good(by good, I mean bad) facebook statuses:
“I hope the rapture happens before January 20th”
“Wondering if Obama will ask Oprah to be his secretary of state”
” is thinking his more “pious” friends need to read wise old Solomon about regime change. Prov. 29.2 “when the wicked rule, the people groan.”
“thinks Obama had a good speech… which is the only leadership quality he has. Oh wait his writers so he is back to zero!!!!”
haha I like to read them and giggle. TO BE FAIR… a lot of people have written nice ones… BOTH ways also!!!
My favorite:
“Relax people, it’s not like we elected him God.”
I laughed A LOT when i read that one
6 November 2008 at 1.31 am
That literally made my night.
6 November 2008 at 2.22 am
haha I know, very nice! I just wrote a letter to political facebook status updates! Yeah! I’m PRO them because they make me laugh
6 November 2008 at 3.38 am
My thoughts exactly bro! I can’t wait for the day when you don’t even have to write this…but we both know it will never happen…until then keep using that gift of a brain that God gave yah! It’s a big one…you know that!
6 November 2008 at 11.18 am
Southpark, in its usualyl prophetic fashion, has captured the zeitgeist of the election
Long live Trey Parker and Matt Stone
Nick
6 November 2008 at 11.49 am
Appreciate this post, Art. Certain thoughts reminded me of a Driscoll political post (rare). You’ve probably already read it: http://theresurgence.com/in_god_we_do_not_trust
6 November 2008 at 11.53 am
“Relax people, it’s not like we elected him God.”
Like Christians try to elect Jesus God? Krishna is God.
6 November 2008 at 12.02 pm
Paul: Apparently your form of Buddhism has elected Krishna to be an independent and supreme deity from Vishnu, while other strands believe them to be united, while still other strands believe Krishna to be an avatar for Vishnu.
Don’t you love democracy?
6 November 2008 at 12.03 pm
Paul H. -
That was a well reasoned and cogent argument. Thanks for showing us the errors of our ways in such a finely laid out fashion.
6 November 2008 at 12.52 pm
I can almost hear “NO SOUP FOR YOU” at the end of Paul’s argument…
Nick
6 November 2008 at 1.59 pm
How is the statement “I can’t believe America voted for this guy, but God is still in control” any different at all than one your article said? Isn’t this just a person confirming what some people may forget? Isn’t it the same exact thing that you are saying? Maybe I’ve missed something.
6 November 2008 at 2.10 pm
C,
“I can’t believe America voted for this guy, but God is still in control” is a statement that assumes the possibility of God not being in control. The person who says this may very well know otherwise, but their chosen language betrays it.
6 November 2008 at 2.50 pm
I don’t see how stating the fact that God is still in control assumes the possibility of God not being in control. I could be missing it, but I just don’t see it.
My question is, is it ok to be sad about something but still know that God is in control? Is it ok to know that God’s will is always being accomplished but still not approve of some of the evil things happening on earth? Even though those evil things are part of God’s will and are glorifying him? Why did Jesus weep? There are some bad things that will happen with Obama, mainly his first act in office will be to “sign the freedom of choice act”. That is within God’s plan, but is very sad.
6 November 2008 at 3.24 pm
C: Let me take a crack at clarification.
What if I said to you: “Dice K walked 9 batters and only went 5 innings, but the Red Sox still won.”
What am I really saying? I’m giving you something negative that happened that I wish didn’t happen, something that could have put the second part of my statement (”but the Red Sox still won”) in jeopardy. If I was assured that the Red Sox would win the game before the game even started, then I would not have used the terms “but” or “still.” I would have simply said, “The Red Sox won and Dice K walked 9 batters and only went 5 innings.”
The phrasing and wording of these statements reveal an underlying threat to what is being affirmed. “Obama won, but God is still in control” reveals some doubt or the thinking that something within history could affect whether or not God is sovereign over history. If the phrases were written as “God is in control, and Obama won” then it shows that God’s control was never up for question and it also does not say anything negative about God’s will vs. our will.
Firstly, I don’t think Jesus wept for the same reasons that one should be angry at injustice and evil (I blogged about Jesus weeping here).
Secondly, no, it is not wrong to be sad or angry at sin, injustice, evil, etc. There is such thing as righteous anger. At the same time, we must always be mindful that, in the words of James, “the anger of humans does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1.20).
Thirdly, no amount of injustice, evil, wrongdoing, sin, etc. ever puts into question the sovereignty of God. God is sovereign: bottom line. We can’t always understand it and it doesn’t always make sense to us, but that does not negate that crucial, Biblical point. One can be angry, sad, etc. (like the psalmist: “why do you hide your face from me?”), but that does not put God’s control over all things in jeopardy.
To say that God is still sovereign raises questions as to whether that could have not been the case. God is sovereign, otherwise he is not God but some deified version of Bobby Fischer: always a few steps ahead, but always trying to stay in control.
6 November 2008 at 3.58 pm
What if I said to you: “Dice K walked 9 batters and only went 5 innings…
I would say: “He must’ve been starting against the Rays.”
6 November 2008 at 4.00 pm
Well played, sir. Well played.
7 November 2008 at 1.04 pm
“The scary thing is that if McCain would have one then the statuses would have probably been filled with “God’s will has been done!” or “God bless America!” Well, like it or not, God’s will HAS been done and, in his infinitely wise and gracious sovereignty, he has seen to it that our next president will be Barack Obama. God’s will is not only God’s will when it aligns with your own. God’s will is not only to be praised and mentioned when things go your way. It should be praised and at the forefront of our thinking no matter what the situation may be.”
I agree fully with the idea that many link the will of God with their personal dispositions of the directing of things. I also think I know what you mean here when you suggest that God remains in control despite who is in political power in America. My question is (and this is not to say that God’s will has NOT been done in the electing of Senator Obama over against McCain) where do you reconcile the tension of God’s will not being accomplished on earth as it is in heaven? To say that whatever happens in our political scene is the outworking of God’s will leaves me wondering what you mean by 1. God’s will, and 2. your view of humanity to possess the ability to inevitably fall out of God’s will.
I hope I am making sense. Perhaps I am responding too heavily to the polarization of sovereignty over free will. I live in the tension, as I am sure you do too, and if you could clarify this for me I would be grateful.
Thanks for your thoughts dude.
7 November 2008 at 1.16 pm
http://www.patrolmag.com/scanner/946/young-conservatives-see-apocalypse-on-the-horizon
this is also scary slash amusing.
7 November 2008 at 1.18 pm
Jon: That’s a great question and reflects something that I should have been more clear about.
There are two ways to speak about God’s ‘will’ in Scripture.
The first is the moral or ‘revealed’ (ala Grudem and Frame) will of God. That is, what humanity should do (commandments, etc.) and what the world would be like if everyone followed the commandments of God (i.e., God desires all humans to be saved). This moral or ‘revealed’ will of God, as we know, is not always followed. This is the will that is referred to in the Lord’s prayer, as we should pray that God’s will, that is, his revealed moral and ethical commandments, be followed on earth as they are in heaven (i.e., perfectly).
The second is the sovereign or ‘hidden’ (or ’secret,’ again ala Grudem and Frame) will of God. This ‘will’ of God is what will come to pass as has been predetermined by the wise counsel of God’s will (ala Romans 9.18; Acts 4.28, etc.). This is called the ’sovereign’ or ‘hidden’ will of God because it: 1) does not change and 2) is not known to humanity beforehand.
This is, more or less, the classic Reformed view on the ‘two wills’ of God as spoken about in Scripture (see Bavinck, Grudem, Frame, etc.).
Does that make sense?
7 November 2008 at 3.15 pm
Thanks for your clarification. Most of my theological development has been under the influence of this understanding of the two ‘wills’ as well. Perhaps my brain hates the idea that we can, in our human condition, wrap God’s will up into these categories. There still seems to be something missing, but no system is perfect.
Would it be fair, then, to say that God’s will has been accomplished in this sense (the Presidential election) because God’s will is always being accomplished, again in some sense, with reference to what you have described as the ‘hidden’ will?
Perhaps this is what you have been saying all along and I am just trying to determine your meaning.
7 November 2008 at 3.30 pm
Jon: That would be fair to say and would be consistent with, for instance, Ephesians 1.11 which says that God works ‘all things according to his will (thelematos).’
I’m not a systematics guy, so I get somewhat lost in the discussions of the different wills of God. I pretty much exhausted my knowledge on the subject in the last comment!
10 November 2008 at 10.09 pm
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I’m so glad someone finally addressed this crazy Facebook/e-mail phenomenon…and so thoughtfully. I know I’m late to the conversation, but I just want you to know how much I appreciate your response. You hit the nail on the head.