John 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 commentNew Music: The Virgins, The Dead Weather, NASA
I’m admittedly not the most up-to-date person when it comes to music, but when I hear something I like, I’m a fan through and through. The latest three bands that have caught my eye (I don’t own the music yet or anything) are The Virgins (saw them on Jimmy Fallen), The Dead Weather (Jack White’s new side project), and NASA (saw them on Carson Daly). The Virgins have a pop-punk 80′s feel that is current and fun, and The Dead Weather have a raw, down and dirty rock feel that is typical of other White-influenced music, and NASA have an awesome remix/hip-hop/sample heavy sound. Check ‘em out and tell me what you think.
Links:
Article on The Dead Weather in Paste Magazine
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No commentsJohn Piper
Andy, my brother, showed me this video back around Thanksgiving, but I’m just now posting it. All I can say is: moving. Every time I watch this clip I nearly tear up, but it’s awesome. I’m thankful for the voice of John Piper to the American church. In my opinion there is no more important theologian / pastor alive today than John Piper.
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No commentsMtv Music
MtvMusic.com has been fiercely trying to add every music video ever to their site. According to arstechnica this is in response to YouTube’s similar efforts. It appears as if MTV is winning. I think it’s awesome because I can relive amazing videos like this one. Apparently tons of new videos are being added everyday by the MTV crew.
Update: I love this site!
Check out my MTV profile!
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No commentsMore Wild Sweet Orange
I’ve mentioned Wild Sweet Orange a few times before, but I just read this article on Relevant and thought it was really good. Relevant digs a bit into the meaning and influences behind Wild Sweet Orange. They article also included a recording of WSO’s Letterman performance, pretty cool! If you haven’t checked out this band yet, it’s not too late. They’re great!
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