#11 – Praying For A Savior On Capitol Hill

There is something about Televangelists preaching on TV that just draws me in.  I usually can’t help but watch their sermons.  Maybe it’s kind of like the need to look at a bad car accident.  You know you should turn away, but you just can’t.  I was watching a Televangelist the other day and he was talking about the “end times.”  One would think that the obvious purpose of a sermon about the end of the world would be to talk about Jesus coming back to redeem and renew everything that had once been lost or broken.  But that wasn’t his main point.  In fact, I don’t recall him ever mentioning Jesus at all.  His main thesis was, “I personally believe that we are currently in the “end times.”  I believe this because the Bible says an anti-Christ will rise to power in the last days.  This anti-Christ will have the appearance of being good, and will be loved by many.  But in reality, he will be evil.”

At this point, he began talking about Barak Obama and his stance on abortion.  Basically, he was inferring that Barak Obama could be the anti-Christ.  Obama is loved by many, has great power, and appears to be good but is really evil.  I wish I was making this up.  At this point I began to imagine what Jack Bauer would do to this preacher if he was alone in a room with him for 5 minutes.  I started to chuckle when I thought about Jack shooting the preacher in the kneecap…and I thought it was probably time that I turned the channel.

I am not sure of many things in my life…but I am sure of this; Barak Obama is not the anti-Christ.  Nor is he the savior of the world.

George W. Bush was not the anti-Christ, nor was he the savior.
Bill Clinton was not the anti-Christ, nor was he the savior.
George H. Bush was not the anti-Christ, nor was he the savior.

…and the list goes on and on.  44 different men have been the President of the United States.  Some of them have done great things and some of them have done horrendous things.  But none of them have been the anti-Christ and none of them have been the Savior of the world.

Despite this fact, every election year numerous Christians pray that their party’s candidate (Republican or Democrat) be elected and that the other evil candidate (Republican or Democrat) is not elected.  Both sides feel their side is right and the other is completely wrong.  I remember the facebook and twitter updates from people on the night that Barak Obama was elected.  On one side people were saying, “God help our country.  Obama has won…God forgive our sinful nation.”  On the other side people were saying, “Thank you God, Obama has won!  God, bless our country.”

How is it that each side truly believes that their side is right and the other side is wrong?  That their candidate is right and the other candidate is wrong?  That their political party is God’s party and the other party is anti-God?  How do we reconcile what we believe to be the “biblical” values or our party of choice with the non-biblical values that our party embraces?  What if we are against abortion but we support gay rights?  What if we are against the war but support a small government?

Do we support both of the parties or neither or the parties?

“Savior on Capitol Hill” by Derek Webb
I’m so tired of these mortal men
With their hands on their wallets and their hearts full of sin
Scared of their enemies, scared of their friends
And always running for re-election
So come to DC if it be thy will
Because we’ve never had a savior on Capitol Hill

You can always trust the devil or a politician
To be the devil or a politician
But beyond that friends you’d best beware
’Cause at the Pentagon bar they’re an inseparable pair
And as long as the lobbyists are paying their bills
We’ll never have a savior on Capitol Hill

All of our problems gonna disappear
When we can whisper right in that President’s ear
He could walk right across the reflection pool
In his combat boots and ten thousand dollar suit

You can render unto Caesar everything that’s his
You can trust in his power to come to your defense
It’s the way of the world, the way of the gun
It’s the trading of an evil for a lesser one
So don’t hold your breath or your vote until
You think you’ve finally found a savior up on Capitol Hill