Today, however, I feel I need to put out there for whoever happens to read this blog two blogs entries that I read today. I give a standing ovation to both John Piper AND Jared for speaking out!
The first one written by John Piper and can be found on http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=29681064 and the second one written by Jared from The Thinklings blog: http://thinklings.org/posts/piper-on-obamas-speech-to-school-children .
1.
I Hope My Daughter Hears the President’s Speech
September 6, 2009 | By: John Piper | Category: CommentaryI am stunned at the outcry against the President of the United States speaking to the youth of this nation about the importance of education.
I am embarrassed by the governor of my home state saying, that the president’s plan to address them is “disruptive . . . uninvited . . . and number three . . . I don’t think he needs to force it upon the nation’s school children.”
This speech seems, for me, to be an answer to a prayer that I have prayed for the president repeatedly.
Father, the condition of our schools and families is so broken that nothing seems to be working, especially for the poor in our urban centers. Help our president to have the courage to use his amazing place of influence to speak into this situation in such a way that boys and girls would take their studies seriously and put school above sport and homework above hiphop and graduation above gangs.
O, Lord, create a culture where it is not cool to fail. Give our President the courage to call all children, especially ones who feel hopeless about academic work, to fight for knowledge the way gangs fight for turf.
And as the President plans his speech, help him to feel as helpless as he really is to meet the greatest needs of the children, so that he turns to Jesus who alone has the answer for the ruin and the wrongs of our cities. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I hope my daughter hears the speech.
It only takes about 15 comments before someone compares Obama to Hitler.
Nothing has pushed me more toward committing not to vote again than this stuff lately. I've never seriously considered not voting before, but all this reaction to this thing will do it, I think. I don't know how else to express it, but it just grieves me. And 8 years ago, I think I'd be yelling and blogging and arguing right along with everybody.
Fear and worry are the affections of the idolatrous. I don't mean to over-spiritualize this stuff, but I am utterly convinced that the more awake to the gospel we become, the less pressing all this stuff seems. And I don't think in good conscience I can help my brothers and sisters who are acting like this win an election.
You probably don't care. But I'm just gonna put that out there, because I don't think I'm alone in feeling this way.
You might be losing the political capital you think you've gained now that the president is pretty much a lame duck for the time being. If this is the continuing face of Christian conservatism, I'm out.
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