Don't choke the dinner guest

I'm still a little riled about an after dinner conversation last night with a dear family friend. First off, this guy is way, way smarter than I am. He's a Doctor of something-or-other involved with Politics and Religion and a professor at a fairly prestigious University in England. Raised in this area, he's lived overseas for much of his life and has developed the usual slightly jaundiced eye towards America. Can't say I blame him all that much for that.

We got into it when he opined that 'the Evangelicals' in America have sorely missed their responsibility for social justice; ending hunger, war, disease, etc. Long story, but he believes that politics and religion mix. I couldn't be farther from that opinion. For the record, he's a nominal Catholic, I'm born-again non-denominational.

I don't want my pastor to tell me how to vote---the church is NOT a place to dictate political policy. I can understand why my friend believes this--it's his whole being. He is so far up the ivory tower he needs oxygen. It's quite easy to pontificate at lectures in England and seminars in Italy and in the pages of books.

I flummoxed him when I asked what was going to matter to him in 200 years. He looked at me and shook his head. I chased him around on it for a bit and he finally sputtered, "Well, I hope that I'm...." He never finished the sentence.

He isn't sure.

I am.

Christians aren't going to 'be' a political party. We're not going to form something that is going to rid the world of hunger, war, strife, and disease. We can't. The problem is too big and frankly, in my humble opinion, we don't have the time. The clock is ticking.

So in the meantime we need to do it one-by-one, person-to-person, case-by-case. I'm talking about the neighbor, the co-worker, the son or daughter, the people we come in contact with who are broken and hurting and in need of the gospel message. They don't need religion, they need to hear about Jesus Christ in the right way---not with screaming and yelling and condemning and finger wagging.

Stroll up and down the cable channels and you'll see examples galore of ways to push people AWAY from faith. Walk up and down the streets of New Orleans and you'll find examples galore of people who were touched by people being the hands and feet of Christ.

For every narrow minded Pharisee howling about an company offering benefits to the gay couples there is that humble and quiet servant who is knitting a prayer shawl and extending a kind hand and word.

Politics? I happily ignore it all.

Religion? No thanks.

Faith? I'll take it.