Obama v. Romney 7 Lessons for the Church

The 2012 election is over. President Obama has been re-elected. This morning 59 million Americans are happy. 57 million are not. Count me in the last group. Cynics are already saying today is the first day of the 2016 campaign! (They may be right). But before we can look ahead, I believe we can learn from this campaign. Here are seven lessons for the church:

1.      We must recapture the City. Looking at a county by county map of the USA would tell us that the Red team should dominate. But the Blue team has won the last two national elections. Why? Because of the cities. Republicans and Christians don’t do well in high density populated areas. We must raise up a generation of Christian leaders with the skills to understand and exegete the cities as much as many of love to exegete Paul’s Letter to the Romans.

2.      We must let Ronald Reagan rest. Too many evangelicals keep looking for the second coming of President Reagan. It’s not going to happen.  Reagan’s America doesn’t exist anymore. I loved Reagan; in fact I think he’s one of the four best presidents in our history (Washington, Lincoln, and FDR, thanks for asking). But President Reagan has died. We should let him rest in history. The next conservative President will be able to speak to and motivate and build his own movement, not resurrect President Reagan’s.

3.      Don’t let other define you. The Obama team spent a third of a billion dollars defining Governor Romney. He did not or could not respond effectively. Winning candidates are usually the ones who can define their opponents. It this case as an out of touch rich guy who doesn’t understand your problems. This should be a warning to all pastors, staff and church leaders. Our culture will want to define you, usually into someone you are not: backward, Neanderthal, anti this or that. If you don’t respond many people will take your silence as acceptance. We must respond biblically, in a Christ-like way, like a velvet brick.

4.      Worldview matters. My values effect my voting. Too many Christians today want to compartmentalize and insist that their beliefs and their voting shouldn’t affect each other. I know that I am not a citizen of this world, but I also know that I am to be salt and light, to act justly, love faithfulness and to walk humbly with God.’ We must stay engaged. I believe the church can walk and chew gum at the same time. We must share the life transforming power of the gospel. We must also not surrender our voice to our culture or our country.

 

5.      Secularism is here to stay. The fastest growing segment in America are those with no religious preference. Not only is secularism here to stay, it is growing. This requires the church to take a long view. We need focus, discipline and discernment to know when to speak up, when to shut up, when to stand up and when not to. Because we can’t do everything does not mean we cannot do anything. Secularism is here. It’s growing. Deal with it in the power of His Spirit and Grace! I have great appreciation for the ministry of Richard Land, except whenever he forgets that he does not speak for all Southern Baptist. I have heard him for years describe his dream for America: the 1950s without the sexism and racism. This is vision is myopic. The American family no longer looks like Ward, and June Cleaver. (I don’t think it looks like Modern Family either!) We must face the forces of secularism grounded in biblical truth and unflinching reality.

6.      Discipleship and apologetics must be a priority. Transactional evangelism has led to the tragedy of transactional discipleship. Get a ticket out of hell, do the minimum required. Discipleship should be transformational as it flows from a gospel-centered transformational evangelism. To properly engage the world we live in we must do more than information transfer. We must develop leaders and believers within our churches with the ability to share, engage and do ministry in the world not just a classroom. This requires developing skills in the discipleship process.

 

7.      We must think strategically and act tactically. In another life, I spent five years as a political junkie and campaign consultant. I didn’t support the President’s re-elect but I certainly have to give his team kudos. They had a plan (strategy) and executed it (tactics). Far too often in our churches we focus on the strategic (plans, mission & vision statements) but neglect the tactical. It doesn’t matter if we say we want to reach people and grow our church if we neglect to do the little things and commit to the processes to make it a reality.

Remember that we live in a democracy, the people are sovereign. As Christ-followers, Jesus is our Sovereign. As the late John R.W. Stott reminded us we live and move and serve between two worlds. Try as we might we don’t do it perfectly. Not yet anyway.

I’m Mike Tucker and I approve this message! Tell me what you think.