In last week's sermon I spoke about "political idolatry" or when religion is manipulated to push a political agenda or when partisan positions are put above our allegiance to God. Well, wouldn't you know it, someone was actually listening to me. One of our regular visitors e-mailed me a link to an interview with John Edwards on Beliefnet
In the interview he speaks about his faith and how it influences his politics. He also shares about how God has helped him during times of struggle, such as when his son died in a car accident and when his wife had cancer.
What struck me most of all when reading the interview is Edwards' emphasis upon poverty in America. In my sermon last Sunday, I made the statement, "Don't expect a political candidate to show up at a soup kitchen unless they're looking for a photo-op around Thanksgiving." This is certainly true about most politicians, but I did not consider Edwards, who started off his campaign in Louisiana helping Katrina victims and who has repeatedly emphasized the needs of those unable to afford health insurance and those who live without enough food to eat. In the interview, he also talks about rushing to war and the genocide in Darfur as being things Jesus would not be happy about. It's certainly nice to hear somebody in the public eye saying these things.
It's too bad Edwards can't get beyond the Hillary/Obama media spotlight and it's too bad that his thoughts on poverty, justice, faith and politics won't be taken seriously. Issues like poverty and genocide are unfortunately not issues that win a candidate an election.
Grace and Peace,
Chase
In the interview he speaks about his faith and how it influences his politics. He also shares about how God has helped him during times of struggle, such as when his son died in a car accident and when his wife had cancer.
What struck me most of all when reading the interview is Edwards' emphasis upon poverty in America. In my sermon last Sunday, I made the statement, "Don't expect a political candidate to show up at a soup kitchen unless they're looking for a photo-op around Thanksgiving." This is certainly true about most politicians, but I did not consider Edwards, who started off his campaign in Louisiana helping Katrina victims and who has repeatedly emphasized the needs of those unable to afford health insurance and those who live without enough food to eat. In the interview, he also talks about rushing to war and the genocide in Darfur as being things Jesus would not be happy about. It's certainly nice to hear somebody in the public eye saying these things.
It's too bad Edwards can't get beyond the Hillary/Obama media spotlight and it's too bad that his thoughts on poverty, justice, faith and politics won't be taken seriously. Issues like poverty and genocide are unfortunately not issues that win a candidate an election.
Grace and Peace,
Chase
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