Too Much Flexibility

Last week, I was called to jury duty. I was not selected to serve. That afternoon, I came across an old story about jury selection.

I seems that after being called for jury duty, a woman asked to be excused on the ground that she was opposed to capital punishment.

"But this is a civil suit, " explained the judge. "A woman is suing her ex-husband. It seems she put money aside for six years for a special vacation, but he took it and blew it at the track."

"In that case," she replied, "I could change my views on capital punishment."

Many people are disillusioned with politics because they are disillusioned with politicians. I have lived long enough now to see our nations’ two political parties flip flop positions on issues such as civil rights, fiscal policies, and more.

Perhaps, at times, the politicians were honestly seeking to do the right thing. Sadly, I suspect sometimes their motivation was winning the next election.

Obviously, one of the easiest ways to win is to run against what your opponent believes. Sometimes, politicians have done so—at the expense of their own beliefs.

It takes a lot of people to get good things done in our country. Changing long held views to win a short-term election reduces our chances.

We citizens hold politicians responsible. The best way to keep them in check is to keep ourselves in check. Prov. 21:8 states, “The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.” The supreme goal in democratic politics is not to win elections; the supreme goal is to do good.

The Man Who Snubbed George Washington in Death

One of my favorite historians, Edward J. Larson, writes about George Washington's death in 1799. There was one prominent politician, who refused to attend Washington's funeral. He refused to attend any memorial service for Washington. He refused to send any note of condolence or issue any statement to the press expressing his respect for Washington. That man was the vice president of the United States. That man was Thomas Jefferson.

It was almost two years before Jefferson demonstrated any hint of respect. After winning the presidential election in 1800, he called upon Washington's widow. Jefferson had grown bitter in his opposition to Washington’s political views. Finally, only after winning his election to the presidency, he did the right thing.

I crack up today when I hear folks complaining about partisanship and hostility in politics. Truth be told, it is rare when there is a lack of partisanship in politics. Throughout our history, the political dialogue has typically lacked civility and been mean-spirited.

This is one reason why I think we, as Christians, must be very careful regarding politics. Our calling is much greater. 200 years have not made Thomas Jefferson’s snub look any better, even though he was a Deist. Imagine the poor reception we receive from the unchurched world, when we behave in a way inconsistent with our Christian ideals.