Jesus for President

I just read a pastor's blog post on the "Jesus for President" authors who are now on tour. No, they are not advocating a sign-in vote for Jesus.

This goes much deeper than that...

"This whole project is about the political imagination of what it means to follow after Jesus," Claiborne said. "The language of Jesus as Lord and savior is just as radical as it would be to say 'Jesus as our commander in chief' today." (from Cnn, see link below)

Below is my reply (comment) to the pastor's blog post, which you can read here. I have quoted the sections I responded to.

It seems to me you missed the point of the Jesus for President movement. I see it as a way to undo the damage done by those who have tried to hijack Christianity for the Republican party by focusing on 2 emotional issues, which is the real abomination.

Inspiring people to vote with the heart of Jesus is not a mockery - it is truth. They are not advocating one party over the other, which is refreshing.

On the comments...

"To see Jesus as some political leader is to miss the boat entirely. It mocks Christ to say that He would support driving around in vegetable oil-running cars instead of gasoline in order to protect the environment. It embarrasses Christ to say that He would take money from the rich and give it to programs that feed the poor, give medical care to the less fortunate, or to keep the environment clean."

This is certainly radical thinking from a Christian. I wonder if we are reading the same Bible and serving the same Lord. Jesus would not "take" anything, but He would certainly accept the gifts and use them for the very purposes you mentioned.

We are to be good stewards of the planet, and we are instructed by Jesus in His own words to "share" and take care of the poor. You need to read Matthew 25:31-46 again.

The only way we can do this successfully is through our government, because denominations are divided and do not work together on a large scale. Plus, many non-Christians are in favor of helping the poor in this manner. One does not have to be a professing Christian to help mankind or to help the people of God. Remember Rahab in the Old Testament? She was saved by her actions. (Learn more about Rahab here.)

"We don't believe in Jesus because he said help the poor."

True, but IF we believe in Him then we will follow Him and His teachings, which leave no question in this matter.

I leave your blog very sad, very sad indeed. I will not say definitively that YOU have embarassed the Lord, for I will not be so bold as to speak for Him, but it is my belief that you have embarassed and offended Him by ignoring His teachings, claiming that only "churches" can help people.

Read More about the Jesus for President tour at CNN.com

I am glad to see more Christians "taking back" our vote. A vote is a personal thing and should not be overpowered by any Christian leader who is supporting one party over another one based on one or two issues.

ALL issues must be considered when choosing a candidate. This has never been more urgent a mission than it is today.