Brief Book Review/Rant: The Revolution by Ron Paul
Between Now and Eternity
Let me start out by saying that the ultimate hope for any government is only Jesus. On this side of eternity, every political theory is lacking. The only perfect government will be the future one, where Jesus is king and the heart of every individual has been made perfect. Until that glorious kingdom is fully made known, every government will be less-than-perfect. Political party affiliation, political candidates, and political ideas will all be found lacking. So I don’t put an exorbitant amount of hope or time into politics. However, I do think we are called as Christians to live out the implications of the gospel to the various cultures that we find ourselves in, and this includes the political culture within America. Between now and eternity, I want to recommend the ideas of Ron Paul as a good solution to a lot of America’s problems.
A.S.A.P.
To be perfectly honest with you, to fully review this book would be a waste of your time and mine. To fully say all that I wish to say about the book, would be to quote the whole book. Rather than writing a lengthy review, I would rather you just read The Revolution. In fact, if you want to stop reading this review right now (which honestly is not much of a review anyway), and instead go read Ron Paul, I would applaud you. There is no portion of The Revolution that I wish to synopsize. I like every word. There is no part I disagree with. It’s all good.
The two political parties, as they currently exist, both promote a future for America that is heading towards total and complete futility. Ron Paul offers an alternative path. Bush was an awful president. Obama seems no better. Does either one intend to lead America into futility? No. But the politics they promote are like a heavy weight tied around the ankle of this country. The nation is drowning. These days America is not the America that we wish it to be. It is not the America that the founding fathers wished it to be. And personally speaking, I like the America that they envisioned better than they one we currently have. So I’m recommending this book.
Simply put, and I know this sounds awfully dogmatic, I dare you to read this book and consider its ideas honestly. Maybe you’ll disagree with some of them, but I think you’ll agree with a lot of them. And that at least will be a step in the right direction.
P.S.
This is an awfully good audiobook (concise, about 5.5 hrs), that’s how I read it. But, I’m thinking of buying a physical copy so I can go back and underline some stuff (see previous post).
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No commentsJohn Piper on the 2008 Election; Ben’s Political Manifesto
I think perhaps I confuse a lot of my friends with my political ramblings, so I want to make a sort of political manefesto to clear the air:
I don’t think the Republican Party or the Democratic Party offer much hope for America. I think Jesus does.
I don’t think the ideals of the Republican Party or the Democratic Party represent a Christian worldview. I think parts of the ideologies of both parties are both beneficial and/or horrible depending on the issue we are dealing with.
I hate to think that a majority of the Christians I know seem to be adopting the viewpoints of conservatism in its entirety without deeply considering all the issues. It’s not just a 2 issue thing, it’s multiple issues. (Yes we must be anti-abortion if we believe in the 10 commandments, and yes we will reject the radical homosexual agenda believing that it is destructive to society and sinful, but believing those two things shouldn’t necessarily make us Republicans who adopt wholesale all Republican ideals).
America is not a Christian nation. What is a Christian nation anyway? America is a nation where (at least still at this point) there is freedom for competing ideas. If we take away one group’s freedom, we simultaneously endanger our own freedom.
We should vote to protect a Christo-centric morality in America, but we shouldn’t be surprised if society rejects that morality and votes differently. Moral laws in America are decided upon by vote, so go vote!
Ultimately, as Piper says above, our trust and hope and happiness are not in the political system. We’re involved in the discussion, but not overly involved. I believe we have freedom to embrace some of the policies of a political figure, while hating other policies of that figure. How should you vote? I don’t know. Search your own heart and head, and pray. But don’t pretend as if all Christians must vote one specific way.
Whether it drives people crazy or not, I’m just in the middle, and I’m very much questioning both sides. There’s more that could be said, but this is a start. If anyone is interested to know, I did not vote for McCain or Obama. Comments and discussion are welcome.
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1 commentObama Responds to Cheney about Gitmo
On Sunday, March 22nd, President Obama responded to Cheney’s statements that the Obama administration wasn’t taking national security seriously. I think Obama’s statments about Gitmo and human torture are absolutely correct. In fact what Obama says here is exactly what Ron Paul was also saying the entire election. Check it out!
I couldn’t figure out a way to embed this video, but you can see it by clicking the link below.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Obama_fires_back_at_Cheney_on_0322.html
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No commentsObama our first Postmodern President
While watching election coverage tonight, I heard Charles Gibson mention that some have been calling Obama the “first postmodern candidate.” The term “postmodern” is about as loaded a term as imaginable, and it has a ton of positive and negative connotations depending on your worldview. I found the statement interesting, googled “Obama postmodern,” and found this article. I think it’s insightful and worrisome in some aspects, just as postmodernism can be insightful and worrisome. If Obama is our first postmodern president, then he reflects the postmodern worldview that has largely invaded Western popular culture.
p.s. – I am not trying to be anti-Obama, nor am I anti-Obama (at least as things stand right now). I do believe that the election of a black man in America is a huge step forward for race relations in a country that is still largely divided in many areas.
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