“Hate” in a figurative, highly inflamatory-to-get-page-views sense, of course:

It is perhaps one of the strangest, most dumb-founding ironies in contemporary American culture. Evangelical Christians, who most fiercely proclaim to have a personal relationship with Christ, who most confidently declare their belief that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, who go to church on a regular basis, pray daily, listen to Christian music, and place God and His Only Begotten Son at the center of their lives, are simultaneously the very people most likely to reject his teachings and despise his radical message.

This is a article I would highly reccomend reading, if anything for the phraseology “Terminator Jesus.”  Instant classic.  The article finishes thusly:

Of course, conservative Americans have every right to support corporate greed, militarism, gun possession, and the death penalty, and to oppose welfare, food stamps, health care for those in need, etc. — it is just strange and contradictory when they claim these positions as somehow “Christian.” They aren’t. 

An author after my own heart.

One of Newt’s former wives will reveal on ABC’s Nightline tonight that he wanted an “open” marriage.  (See the story at Huff Po)  The response from the GOP field?  ”Eh, God’ll forgive him.”  The hypocricy is sickening.  The party of family values and traditional marriage accepts a man who has not only been married three times but, as it’s now revealed, wanted to sleep around during the second?

It is quite clear that those claiming to vote their “values” and “morals” have neither.  Their goal is not to legislate the Christian faith, nor is it to ensure a just nation founded on Biblical precepts.  It is about voting for what they believe to be their faith.  That is, voting for the comfortable charade they put on as a faith; voting for the golden calf they’ve named Jesus.

Christianity is about charity, real forgiveness, and doing what’s best for society as a whole.  The GOP embodies none of that.  Rather, it embodies a mere blasphemous charade of those tenets, wearing them as a mask to obtain the support of willing dupes who’d rather believe a lie than embrace the truth.  The fact that they’re prepared to accept Newt Gingrich as their president, despite his blatant disregard for the beliefs they claim to hold, is ample evidence of such.

FYI – I’ll be preaching at Centerville Baptist Fellowship, meeting at the Lakeview Elementary Cafeteria, at 10am today, and at Hope Baptist Fellowship, meeting at the Corydon bowling alley, at 1pm. Feel free to stop in!

Wednesday nights, Denise and I host a Bible study at our home.  Toward the end of last week’s, the topic of conversation turned to politics; specifically, who our new state representatives would be following the upcoming district realignments.  A few names were brought up, and I mentioned how I had met all the individuals in question and found them to be warm individuals.  One participant asked where I had been to meet three of our elected officials.  I replied I that I had met them at “last month’s meeting,” referring to the Democratic central planning committee meeting held each month.
“You’re a member of the planning committee?” They asked.
“I attend the meetings,” I answered.
“Well I’ve never seen you there.” They responded with an odd look on their face.  Here it comes, I thought.
“I go to the meetings….”
“Republican?”
“Nope…” I smiled.  The room fell silent as the proverbial pin dropped. Then the question was asked.
“How can you be a Christian and a Democrat?”
This a question I’m not unaccustomed to, nor am I unprepared for it.  I laughed, and gave my standard “there’s more to politics than gay marriage and abortion” response.  Given that we host a Southern Baptist Bible study, it was a response that took many by surprise.  It led to a quite spirited debate about the purpose of government and our elected leaders.  All in all it went as good as could be expected, with some even agreeing on some very left-of-center views, such as the need for a living wage standard.

The only possible reason I can see for God telling all these people to run for office is so we can see how hypocritical and ignorant they are.

Here’s one that’ll make ya think.

This… this is a doozy.  Praying for war.  Where does one even begin?  One verse comes to mind right away, Matthew 5:9. ”Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”  Another relavant, perhaps moreso, verse is 1 Tim 2:1-2:  ”I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”  Does what “Pastor” Hagee preaches sound a think like what Paul writes to Timothy?  Does it sound like an exhortation to pray for our leaders to be quiet and peaceful?

Sadly, John Hagee is focused on one thing:  The return of Christ, or at least his vision of how it will occur.  Mr. Hagee seems to constantly fantasize about the action-hero Jesus who comes to earth with an assault rifle and abs of steel; a Messiah with an attitude, as it where.  A savior who doesn’t come to save the sinner, rather one who comes to grip his followers in a manly hug while bidding “hasta la vista” to the chaff he throws in the fire.

Massive, all-out war in the middle east is the fantasy of doomsday evangelicals such as Hagee.  The only way Christ can return is if there’s a massive bloodbath in Israel which (for some reason) involves Russia, America, and a modern-day Roman empire, which is increasingly thought to be the EU.  We can only have peace on earth with Christ our lord if the blood of innocents fills the streets of Jerusalem.  Make sense?  Of course it doesn’t – but that’s Evangelical pre-trib rapture theory for you.  Scripture and logic be damned, we want a war to usher in our hunky savior and we’ll pray on cable TV until it happens.