On November 5, I hope to be remembering that I am (still) among God’s many adopted children on this earth, people with many different skin colors, countries of origins and deeply held beliefs. As a Christian, I believe I am here to be open to God transforming me more and more into the character of God’s son, Jesus Christ. This is what mattered to me yesterday, matters to me today and will matter to me tomorrow.   » Read more…

In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe, there is a character who doesn’t know he is a descendant of Attila the Hun. He can’t figure out why herds of marauders in fuzzy hats occasionally charge through his consciousness. That is sort of how I feel when people start disagreeing about politics: they turn into ranting barbarians.   » Read more…

Here is a resource (PDF document) that Mennonite Church USA has distributed to congregations. It is a handout for distribution, put together by Rachel Nafziger Hartzler, Pastor of Pleasant Oaks Mennonite Church. It is based on this article, by Leo Hartshorn.

Presidential campaigns carry with them a collection of temptations for Christians (and non-believers) we seldom acknowledge. Both candidates and their running mates profess to be Christian, and yet who among them or their staff could claim to have never distorted their opponents record, never taken a quote out of context for political gain, never embellished their own record, never ducked an opportunity to speak prophetically about a sensitive issue, never taken money from a questionable source - and the list of pecadillos goes on and on and on.   » Read more…

In thinking about the post-election climate, I somehow gravitated to John D. Roth’s 2005 essay “Called to One Peace: Christian Faith and One Witness in a Divided Culture.” (Sorry John, but I read your piece after I had cast my ballot early . . . maybe the fact that I found your essay is evidence of God’s prevenient grace.)   » Read more…

When I was in the sixth grade, Dwight Eisenhower became president, defeating Estes Kefauver. After the election one of my friends said, “We all must be for Eisenhower now.” I have remembered his comment because of the wisdom he displayed. Regardless of whether we have a President McCain or President Obama, we must be for him. To be otherwise is to be obstructionist.   » Read more…

When I was in third grade, I remember having a conversation with my parents about land mines. An international treaty that aimed to stop the use of land mines had triggered our conversation, and then-President Bill Clinton, who was previously in favor of the treaty, was suddenly persuaded by the Pentagon to avoid the treaty. Confused about the details, I asked my parents for more information.   » Read more…

As the election nears, I find that I’ve become increasingly concerned with the focus on faith that has become quite evident. This is surprising to me, as I usually am fairly apathetic regarding most issues political and religious. However, this country’s intense focus on the religion, spirituality and faith of our candidates for and holders of political office is quite alarming.   » Read more…

At a town-hall style meeting in early October, Republican supporters booed John McCain for calling Barack Obama “decent.” McCain said Obama is a “decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States.”   » Read more…

Given the substantial and continued drops in the stock market these past days, I am more concerned than ever about the shameful situation that exists in our historically Christian nation. That is, I find the prevailing notion that healthcare is a market commodity and not a basic human right in the US an affront to my Catholic Christian beliefs, the core values of my ministry site, Goshen College, and the ethics of my nursing profession.   » Read more…

Students submitted these views during the presidential candidate debate between U.S. Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama on Oct. 7 at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.   » Read more…

From my perspective, the liberal arts education is one of the most important foundations for civil discourse and civic engagement in our democracy. There is a basic assumption built into the liberal arts education: that one perspective is never enough because truth is not something we can fully grasp, but rather something that we must pursue through disciplined study.   » Read more…