Why? When it comes up, many Lutherans see themselves as above the political process, ... I've heard it before; "Who wants to get their hands dirty doing THAT?"
Spare me. Being a citizen means we take stands; we speak, so standing and speaking may even result in being propelled into public office. Even for normal people....Politicians are not all power-hungry idiots.
As soon as one enters the political arena, others spend much too much time assigning motives. The critics (armchair quarterbacks) claim superiority to the elected who are then easily blamed for all that's wrong or doesn't work anymore.
That attitude doesn't deserve traction.
In this world, power corrupts, but in this fallen world, power translated into leadership means the leader will constantly be humbled not only by those who stand opposed, but ALSO by those who may have been friends. Being up front means becoming a scapegoat.... sometimes for good reason, but mostly, just because of visibility. (Keeps things simplistic). Ask any president. More often than not, the acquisition of power and the consequences of leadership tend to balance each other out.
But back to the beginning....Why do I stay involved in a "community website" that has a recently defeated candidate, Sarah Palin, as its focus? Am I wasting my time? I've wondered about that quite often. But I stick with it. Two reasons: first, call it the sisterhood or whatever, but I want to be available to defend Palin against the countless cheap shots others feel entitled to lob around about her; but there is greater cause and that is: I see and hear people commenting on that site that have never publicly taken a political stand before. They are brave to do so now, and I honor that, want to encourage that, even if at times their zeal seems to lead them in weird directions... Do they seem to be leaping into mid-air or off the deep-end with some of the posts? Yes. But we are broadening the discussions.
I continue to read and post because I am a Lutheran Christian, and Lutherans, with their Law/Gospel, Left-hand, Right-hand Kingdom perspective, have a unique contribution to make in any given political or "issues" discussion. The discussions start, and whether they concern abortion, terrorism, education or the economy these things deeply concern people and prompt them to write, talk, read, vent, to interact, to be part of a community. And sometimes I upset people, but still attempt to continue the conversation, to respect them, and finally, to share Christ. What a privilege.
Oddly enough, have met many Catholics, countless evangelicals, some atheists, but as of today, no Lutherans. Guess they are above that.
