From My Perspective - - -

There are those in the media who make a determination of what and who should be targeted for special scrutiny in the political arena. Of particular interest in this political season are those who have either a personal label of being “Christian” or who are being endorsed by those who come from the broad mainstream of “evangelical Christianity.” A recent editorial written by Bill Keller in the New York Times illustrates this point. Note some of his comments: “…when it comes to the religious beliefs of our would-be presidents, we are a little squeamish about probing too aggressively. Michele Bachmann was asked during the Iowa GOP Debate what she meant when she said the Bible obliged her to “be submissive” to her husband, and there was an audible wave of boos — for the question, not the answer. There is a sense, encouraged by the candidates, that what goes on between a candidate and his or her God is a sensitive, even privileged domain, except when it is useful for mobilizing the religious base and prying open their wallets.”

He then becomes very specific with his concerns: “This year’s Republican primary season offers us an important opportunity to confront our scruples about the privacy of faith in public life…We have an unusually large number of candidates, including putative front-runners, who belong to churches that are mysterious or suspect to many Americans. Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman are Mormons, a faith that many conservative Christians have been taught is a cult…Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann are both affiliated with fervid subsets of evangelical Christianity — and Rick Santorum comes out of the most conservative wing of Catholicism — which has raised concerns about their respect for the separation of church and state, not to mention the separation of fact and fiction…Every faith has its baggage, and every faith holds beliefs that will seem bizarre to outsiders. I grew up believing that a priest could turn a bread wafer into the actual flesh of Christ. But I do want to know if a candidate places fealty to the Bible, the Book of Mormon…or some other authority higher than the Constitution and laws of this country. It matters to me whether a president respects serious science and verifiable history…I do care if religious doctrine becomes an excuse to exclude my fellow citizens from the rights and protections our country promises. And I care a lot if a candidate is going to be a Trojan horse for a sect that believes it has divine instructions on how we should be governed…”

We would do well to note and remember that a Sovereign God is involved in the affairs of the world He has created. Proverbs 21:1-3 (NKJV), “The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts. To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” The Message Translation states these verses: “Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God; he directs it to whatever ends he chooses. We justify our actions by appearances; God examines our motives. Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors mean far more to God than religious performance.” The words of Proverbs 14:34 should also be noted and remembered: “Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.” The Message has a succinct rendering of this verse: “God-devotion makes a country strong; God-avoidance leaves people weak.” Daniel 2 is a place to begin if one is to understand God’s control of His universe. In Daniel 2:45, Daniel states to King Nebuchadnezzar: “A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure." Nebuchadnezzar was a slow learner, and the interpretation of his second dream states – Daniel 4:24-25, “this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven…till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” It matters little what the media thinks or who they target. A sovereign God rules and will accomplish His will and His purpose in His universe!  Consider these things with me!