Wednesday, November 08, 2006 

faith in democracy...slowly returning...and a somewhat immature perspective on Ted Haggard

So since I have been old enough to vote, I have been slightly disillusioned with the whole voting thing. This has had mostly to do with guys I voted for losing. Sure that's shallow, but it sucks when you vote for someone (well, actually against someone) twice and things don't go your way. It is also hard to watch the country go in directions that seem...questionable. So I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with yesterday's election results. It makes me feel like the system isn't quite as faulty as I have felt it is. It seems very likely all of a sudden that the entire congress will go for the democrats, thus restoring that whole "checks and balances" things that's been missing for six years.

I also have to say that I am pretty shocked at how quickly after losing congress (at least the House) that Bush decided to dump Rummy. It might be the first bite of humble pie for the Bush administration to start chewing on. Last week Mr. Bush was pretty pro-Rumsfeld. Maybe that was just gas. I do hope that the word "bi-partisan" becomes more than just a catch phrase for the next couple of years. It would be great to see our government actually work for the people who elected them in more than a nebulus "protecting you from the terrorists" kind of way.

So I wanted to comment on the whole Ted Haggard thing. If you want to read a healthy black man's response to the whole situation. Go to postmodern negro's blog. Go ahead. I'll wait. Done? Good. Now for my less healthy take: hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahha!

Okay, sorry. one of my biggest ministry fears is making self righteous, graceless statements in public. The mantle of a pastor/preacher comes with heavy responsibility. using your power to ostracize homosexuals from the community of faith is despicable. Even more so when you have certain skeletons in your own closet. I think as a minister we bear the responsibility of holding the truth of sin, including our own, against the light of Christ. When we take positions of moral superiority, we set ourselves up for big falls. I know that from experience and I have been humbled by it. I hope that this becomes a teachable moment for Rev. Haggard and for all of the big mainstream evangelicals who tend to hold themselves up in a place of moral superiority. I do hope that after some counseling, Haggard can return to a life-giving ministry that opens the door to all God's children. I also hope he is cautious about whom he asks for a massage. Hehe.

More soon, including my eulogy for the 2006 Steelers...