What’s the message this presidential hopeful is trying to convey? And why is it attracting so many people across America—especially young people?

I say this because I’ve heard a similar message of change before from previous candidates. So is this completely different? Is Obama merely marketing himself to the American people with a catchy slogan? Or is he for real?

There’s no doubt, most of his speeches leave people “feeling good.” But is that all they’re good for? Or are Americans just so ready for a new president, they’ll stand behind the first smooth-talker that comes along?

I’m interested in finding out more of why young Americans are so drawn to this candidate. True, most teens and young 20-somethings have only ever known two names—Clinton and Bush—to assume the position of “most powerful leader of the free world.” So maybe we can find some sense in this: perhaps they’re ready to take a chance on a new name.

Sure, times have changed. This generation is not like each of the three before it. Nor will the next be like today’s generation. Ideas and views will change as each new election rolls around. And, in the future, new issues will arise and trump the priority of those that haunt us today.

But there’s one thing that won’t change or disappear—God’s Word. It stands firm, consistent, proved, and most importantly, it clearly spells out the one true message for hope and change only found in Jesus Christ.

Will our country ever finally realize that all the answers to these seemingly complicated issues lie in the Word of God? Will this generation and the next and the last ever come to fully understand that the fresh change and hope they’ve been waiting and searching for is found in Jesus?

Let’s hope so. I pray so.

Just this past weekend, our nation celebrated its 232nd birthday. On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved. Of the 56 signers, 17 lost their fortunes, 12 had their homes destroyed, 5 became prisoners of war, and 9 died during the war.

When Samuel Adams signed the Declaration, he said: “We have this day restored the Sovereign to whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come.”

And John Adams said: “I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. … I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost to maintain this Declaration. … Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory.”

Maybe not all did, but those noted gave their allegiance and obedience to Creator God alone when they fought for a free land in which to worship and live. Sin existed then as it does today, but many of us have forgotten the rich history that came before us—a history that is founded upon God’s Word.

God says to us, “If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

It seems so simple. Yet our country refuses to give honor and glory to anyone but ourselves. It’s time we initiate the “change” in our country by obeying God’s commands.

Take time to seek God, stand firm on the truth of His Word, and daily pray for our upcoming election, the candidates, and our government, military, education system, media, businesses, churches, and families.

Source: www.americanminute.com

Just this past weekend, our nation celebrated its 232nd birthday. On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved. Of the 56 signers, 17 lost their fortunes, 12 had their homes destroyed, 5 became prisoners of war, and 9 died during the war.

When Samuel Adams signed the Declaration, he said: “We have this day restored the Sovereign to whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come.”

And John Adams said: “I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. … I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost to maintain this Declaration. … Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory.”

Maybe not all did, but those noted gave their allegiance and obedience to Creator God alone when they fought for a free land in which to worship and live. Sin existed then as it does today, but many of us have forgotten the rich history that came before us—a history that is founded upon God’s Word.

God says to us, “If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

It seems so simple. Yet our country refuses to give honor and glory to anyone but ourselves. It’s time we initiate the “change” in our country by obeying God’s commands.

Take time to seek God, stand firm on the truth of His Word, and daily pray for our upcoming election, the candidates, and our government, military, education system, media, businesses, churches, and families.

Source: www.americanminute.com

How do you defend against such an accusation that you discriminate—if only in your mind—against others because of their race or ethnicity? There is no card you can carry that attests to the fact you are a fair-minded person or that a decision you made was not based on another person’s skin color.

That’s what makes Senator Barack Obama’s recent comments so insidious.

““We know what kind of campaign they’re going to run. They’re going to try to make you afraid. They’re going to try to make you afraid of me. ‘He’s young and inexperienced and he’s got a funny name. And did I mention he’s black?’” Obama said June 20 at a fundraiser in Jacksonville.

He has preemptively interjected the race card into this year’s presidential contest. At least for those who support him, this will be lens through which they will view all criticisms of their candidate.

Unfortunately it is common in politics for extraneous issues to cloud the decision-making process. Some individuals are keen on throwing up smoke screens to confuse and delude voters, seeking to make things an issue that shouldn’t be an issue and to take attention off matters that should be an issue.

A candidate’s race, ethnicity, sex, age, religion or socioeconomic status should not be a basis for disparaging the candidate. It is important for a voter to consider the whole of candidate. If, for a example, a candidate is an elderly Asian woman who owns a multinational corporation and attends a Lutheran church, it doesn’t mean that the candidate’s positions are not to be evaluated vis-a-vis God’s Word, even if you are not an older American or Asian or Lutheran or a woman or a person of means.

We should hope for a high standard of decorum among voters and among the candidates.

I remember it. People were freaking out so bad that it even started to scare me a little. You could go to the grocery store and see empty aisles where cases of water and essentials used to sit. Gas prices rose. People stocked up with loads of non-perishables. And some of the crazies even gathered together to welcome in extraterrestrials they believed would take over the earth.

I wouldn’t say that this year’s election will have the same effect on people, but more than once, I’ve heard people around me express the nervosa they’ve developed around which candidate will win and what will happen once he takes power. Again, I’m noticing increasing intensity in end times talk and panic rising in the voices of those believers who think this is it for us and our freedoms as followers of Christ.

Just this week, Barna came out with some statistics about the current presidential election status and said this:

“Unless Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama commits political suicide between now and Election Day, the Senator from Illinois is in a very comfortable position to win the November race against Republican challenger John McCain. A new survey from The Barna Group, exploring the voting preferences of registered voters who are likely to vote in the upcoming election, found that not even the existing strong support of the evangelical community will be enough to lift the Republican hopeful over the top. … The Christian community in the U.S. has largely shifted its loyalty to the Democratic nominee in this year’s race.”

Already, people are stressing over the rise of terrorism, natural disasters, and persecution of believers. So I can only imagine that once some of my friends find out about this, they are going to panic and question what’s in store for their futures. For others, it’s not going to bother them at all. And for some Americans, this is the best news they’ve heard in eight years.

For me, no matter how worked up I may get over the way the world is going, I have to keep one thing in mind—God is sovereign in all situations and nothing that happens in our lifetimes will take Him by surprise. He holds the past in His hands, is powerfully moving in the present, and is in complete control of our future.

The story stated, “High rates of divorce and unmarried childbearing costs U.S. taxpayers at least $112 billion each year, making marriage enrichment a legitimate policy concern, a first-of-its-kind study sponsored by four public policy and research groups said.”

Basically, taxpayers are paying for anti-poverty, criminal justice, and education programs, and for those who have been negatively affected by divorce or by being an unwed parent.

In the article written by Erin Roach, Ben Scafidi, lead researcher and economics professor at Georgia College & State University, is quoted as saying, “Prior research shows that marriage lifts single mothers out of poverty and therefore reduces the need for costly social benefits. This new report shows that public concern about the decline of marriage need not be based only on ‘moral’ concerns, but that reducing high taxpayer costs of family fragmentation is a legitimate concern of government, policymakers and legislators, as well as community reformers and faith communities.”

Are the high prices we have to pay because of our fault? Or is it the government’s fault for not putting enough priority in this area?

The BP News story said, “Public officials for years have given little attention to trends of divorce and out of wedlock births, dismissing them as social problems, the researchers said, but the study suggests marriage is more than a moral or social institution—it is an economic institution as a generator of social and human capital.”

Aside from the proposed “marriage enrichment” seminars to encourage healthy marriages, what are other ways the church can reach out to single parents—those who are victims of divorce and those who had children out of wedlock? Can the church do better job educating and counseling couples before they “tie the knot”? How better can we impact our culture with the message of hope and importance of family than what we’ve already established?

The most important question may be: Have we overlooked this area of concern to the point where it has become accepted in our culture as a way of life? If so, how do we fix it? Is it a church issue or a government issue?

However, a http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,355836,00.html>Fox News article said, “A group opposed to gay marriage has asked the court to stay its decision until after the November election, when voters are likely to face a ballot initiative that would once again define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Passage of the initiative would overrule the Supreme Court.”

A http://www.field.com/fieldpollonline/subscribers>Field Poll recently stated that over half of Californians back the legalization of same-sex marriage. However, the “http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=28117>Los Angeles Times/KTLA poll of 705 voters released…found 54 percent backed the proposed gay marriage ban and 35 percent opposed it.”

If this amendment holds up, California will be the second of two states, the first being Massachusetts, to allow gay marriages to legally take place.

Do you know what you believe and what the Bible says about this issue? Many have argued against the scriptures that speak out against homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, and Romans 1:26-28)—taking it out of context, twisting it around, and calling the Bible, in part, false and misunderstood.

The Bible is truth. It is God-breathed and infallible. This we can know for sure. God’s Word is clear on this subject. So should we be learned on what it says for the sake of preserving marriage between a man and woman, the family, and some semblance or morality left in our nation, while also loving, praying, and sharing Jesus with those who are dealing with homosexuality.

Do you know where our presidential candidates stand on this issue? Does this affect your decision in this year’s upcoming election? How are you going to stand for truth in our culture today?

When the survey figures zeroed in on Americans who attend religious services of any kind at least weekly, that modest majority of 52 percent increased to a more substantial 65 percent of our citizens who find no fault with Christian participation in politics.

And for the record, most Southern Baptist pastors—65 percent of them—expressed their disagreement with the notion that believers are too greatly involved in politics.

The results of the poll, taken at a time of heightened, if not yet peak, interest and involvement in the political process give a timely indication of the level of acceptance by Americans of the role played by Christians in shaping public policy that is not at all surprising.

Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, found the survey “in line with the involvement of people of faith throughout our nation’s history with political issues that have a moral component,” citing the abolitionist movement against slavery and the civil rights movement in opposition to racial injustice as “religiously motivated.”

Politics, which by one definition is “the process by which groups of people make decisions on who gets what,” is not limited to government. It is evident wherever people interact, whether in corporate, academic or religious settings.

Especially as the time for annual meetings of the Southern and the South Carolina Baptist conventions draw near, and often when decisions are made having a major impact on convention ministries, criticism over the prevalence of politics in the denomination is voiced.

Nevertheless, the political process has been and will continue to be a vital and visible component of denominational life for Southern Baptists and for believers from all walks of Christian faith.

Central to—and for that reason inseparable from—the political process is the acquisition and application of power and influence. How the power and influence are acquired likely provides the key to understanding how they are applied, and that will determine in most instances whether the political process works for the benefit of detriment of the denomination.

We as Baptists would be wise to embrace the political process as neither inherently evil nor inevitably good, but rather for its potential as a helpful tool in building the kingdom of God on earth when power and influence are used appropriately by those who seek to be our denomination’s servants, not its masters.

[This commentary originally appeared in The Baptist Courier (S.C.), May 15, 2008. Reprinted with permission.]

But what I remember most is thinking, “I have to gain the approval of my classmates, so I need to make sure I’m putting on the right face and attitude in front of each person until Election Day.”

It’s true. Our election was a popularity contest. If people liked me, then they would vote for me. It didn’t matter what I promised or didn’t promise to do for them the next school year. It didn’t matter if I didn’t regularly hang out with all the various demographics populated around campus. All that mattered was that if they knew and liked “Kaylan” more than the other person I was up against, then I’d get their votes and win the election.

Luckily, my opponent dropped out of the race at the last minute, so being the only person on the ballot, I was a shoe-in.

Remembering how seemingly intense I thought the school elections were back then made me think of how insignificant and petty that particular process really was. Ultimately, my position as Vice President turned out to be a glorified “party planner” for school events. But I think it’s safe to say that this could be loosely compared and discussed next to today’s elections.

Many times, it seems that today’s election process is also nothing more than a popularity contest. This thought, in itself, should cause us to consider whether or not we’re voting on the person because he or she is likable or on the values, morals, and standards he or she believes in and endorses.

Each time you vote, throw out the popularity factor and focus on the integrity, character, and beliefs of the candidate. Do these things match up with godliness? Does the candidate uphold biblical principles in line with God’s Word? Or are you voting on him or her simply because he has a great smile and a way with the people?

The results were quite informative. The majority of Americans (52%) either “strongly disagree” (32%) or “somewhat disagree” (20%) with the statement. Even larger majorities of faith-affiliated Americans disagreed with the statement. When researchers asked Americans who attended religious services of any faith at least once a week, disagreement with the statement was even higher, with 65% indicating they were comfortable with Christians being involved in politics, and only 21% expressing varying discomfort with Christians’ political activity.

Those who self-identify themselves as “born-again,” “evangelical,” or “fundamentalist” expressed the highest level of disagreement (72%) with the assertion that “at times Christians are too involved in politics” with only 27% telling pollsters they agreed (“strongly” or “somewhat”) with the statement.

These results do not surprise me at all. They underscore and reinforce the feedback I receive on a consistent basis from grassroots Christians of all perspectives, particularly conservative Christians – Catholic and Protestant.

The survey’s findings are particularly dramatic given the fact that LifeWay Research and the ERLC worded the poll’s question in a way that would elicit the most negative response possible, by using the word “politics” as opposed to “social issues” or “public policy.” “Politics” has a negative connotation and is often perceived as partisan, rancorous, and something that many Christians feel is too “worldly.”

If we had posed the question, “I’m concerned that at times Christians are too involved in social issues or public policy,” I am quite confident the level of disagreement with the statement would have been even higher.

These polling results suggest that those pundits, analysts, and religious leaders that tell us that people of faith are disillusioned with politics and public policy need to get out more and talk with the people who actually go to churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples. If they did, they would find that the people who most often attended religious services disagree with their assessment by an almost two to one margin, 65 percent to 31 percent. On a more personal note, among Southern Baptist pastors who were asked the question of whether “at times, Christians are too involved in politics”, two thirds of them either “strongly disagreed” (41%) or “somewhat disagreed” (26%).

When people of faith enter the political process they should always understand that their ultimate allegiance is to the Almighty, not any ideology or party. People of faith have an obligation to be involved as “salt” and “light” in the world, and that includes “politics.” They should be voting their values, beliefs, and convictions, based on their understanding of the imperatives of their faith.

This column was originally published at Casting Stones, a blog hosted by Beliefnet.com.