
Church sign links Obama with Osama bin Laden
JONESVILLE, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina pastor says he wasn’t trying to be politicalwhen he posted a sign in front of his church linking Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
Pastor Roger Byrd said he just wanted to make people think when he put up a sign reading “Obama, Osama — humm, are they brothers” in front of the Jonesville Church of God on Thursday.
Obama, a Christian, attends Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Fifteen percent of respondents to a recent Associated Press-Yahoo News poll said they thought the Illinois senator was a Muslim.
WYFF-TV reported Monday on its Web site that Byrd said he won’t take the sign down. He said his congregation voted unanimously Sunday to keep it up.
The church is part of the Church of God, a Pentecostal denomination based in Cleveland, Tenn., according to the organization’s Web site.
Jonesville is a town of about 1,000 people in northwestern South Carolina. [Source]
Believers, we have to do better than this. Slurs directed at someone because of the name his parents gave him are never Christ-like. Trying to analogize somebody you disagree with to a bloodthirsty terrorist is below a cheap shot. What are seekers to think when they see such a sign? Oh yeah, I know what: Christianity is for the ignorant, Christianity is racist, blah blah blah.
I have always been a little queasy when believers on the left, right, or in the middle attempt to baptize their candidate (or a particular policy) as God’s will. How would any of us know? Remember all of the times God allowed Israel to suffer at the hands of her enemies?
Furthermore, while I love the U.S. and am deeply grateful to live here, I don’t believe for a second that we have any claim to being ”God’s favorites” or that He necessarily has a vested interest in the outcome of any election. I think that somehow the God who sent His son and established a church in the decadence of 1st century Rome will still see His will done, regardless of who occupies the Oval Office.
Every time another one of those asinine forwards about some candidate kicking puppies, sympathizing with terrorists, or sacrificing roosters to Satan lands in my inbox, the more appealing the Lipscomb doctrine of civil government looks. David Lipscomb (1831-1917), the Restoration leader, proposed that Christians had no business dealing with the government beyond what was mandated by law; in other words, paying taxes. While most of the time I can find many flaws in his argument, lately it looks more and more appealing to me.
I honestly don’t care who any Christian votes for. It’s not my business. But if/when you vote, do it for a good reason.
If you want to hear the Old Testament read in a whole new way, click here. What possible commentary could I add to this? [H/T: The Wittenburg Blog]
I know that I am making a habit of pimping blogs and sites lately, but I have to recommend a blog by Jay Guin. An elder at the Tuscaloosa Church of Christ (Roll Tide!), Guinis addressing touchy topics with style, keen Biblical knowledge, and consistent compassion. He is currently addressing the need for church of Christ schools to reorder their priorities. Among other things, he suggests dropping athletic scholarships and funneling that money into scholarships for Bible majors…hello! Wonder how that will play amongst the brethren?