most of my life i haven't really fit in the demographic that i find myself in. i'm a card carrying democrat who happens to be madly in love with jesus. as an observer, you'd probably categorize me as a 18-34, white male, evangelical, democrat. being white is weird for me. its weird because its a demographic that should be natural yet its really not. i guess i say this because i don't really understand the ethos of white people generally. the things that tend to concern white people don't really concern me; and the things that they assume, i don't really assume (generalities, obviously, calm down). evangelical is weird for me too. for instance, what does evangelical even mean. i think its supposed to mean something like not just the common church goer but the real christians. i guess, but it really just seems like todays versions of the wasp's. when i hear evangelical i think the same people who handed the current president 2 elections in a row or anti gay or anti abortion or joel osteen and rick warren or using faith as a crutch or 'put god back in our schools', etc. with the people that i'm currently doin life with they are by and large, republican (almost as a birthright). for people who don't know me politically, its probably assumed on me that i'm a republican as well (which bothers me a little more than it should, i need to let go of it and get over it to some extent, so hold me to that if i lash out on someone that assumes me right, when i'm left). so again, i find myself out of place.
in these highly charged political times i find it appropriate to let you know where i stand. i'm a pro-choice democrat follower of christ. i know, james dobson must be somewhere spitting out his ovaltine all over the place. i don't care. i'm unashamedly pro-choice. i feel completely free from condemnation in stating it. my shoulders even feel a little lighter as i speak. it feels good to just, say it, ya know. i am absolutely, 100% percent, postively convinced that god is completely sovereign, just and loving in his choice of his children. it is not god gets one vote, satan gets one vote and we get the third vote, no! its completely up to the pleasure of god as to whom are his children. he rescues us from absolute torture and anguish and adopts us as his own completely apart from all of our evil and provoking him through the life, death and resurrection of jesus christ. see, the choice that i'm pro of is god's. we cannot have choice! if we had choice, we would choose evil at every opportunity. but as it is, god chooses; and i'm so thanful that he does. with god having the choice, it frees us from a legalistic view of salvation where we feel we have to hold on to it so tightly because we may lose it at the next bar, porn site, water cooler gossip session, etc. with god having the choice, we get to worship him freely and rest in all that he has done. its the best thing ever: god gets all the glory (because he did everything), adoration, exaltation, and honor and we get complete joy, fullfilment, purpose, passion, love, excitement, inheritance. we get to live with jesus! we get to be known by the all-magnificent/powerful/wonderful/creator of the universe! we get to share this wonderfulness with everybody, not because we have to but because we are so overwhelmed with the truth of the gospel that it just come out. see, under god's choice, duty flys right out the window. in the kingdom of god, you don't hear things like, "well, i gotta go out and share the gospel" or "i ought to get up early tomorrow so i can do my quiet time" or "i should go give that raggedy lookin fellow by the freeway ramp some food". those words go right out the window. instead we say things like "get to" or "want to" or "honored to". life in the kingdom is kinda like a fire hydrant, when the top is popped off, it has no other choice than to flow freely with water. in the same way, when the chains of slavery to sin pop off there is no other choice but to live freely for the one who has set us free, we are compelled to. praise god that he has made me to be a pro-choice follower of himself!!!
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2:37 PM
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4 comments:
Interesting post Joe. Glad you were able to get the monkey off your back.
You seemed to say two things. Do people have choice or not? I think we do. It is not as though we are robots. We have choice, it is just always away from God. That is why he rescues us.
Also, so are you also "pro-choice" on abortion? God is sovereign and can choose to let the babies not be aborted if He wants... right?
You seemed to say two things. Do people have choice or not? I think we do. It is not as though we are robots. We have choice, it is just always away from God. That is why he rescues us. BY CHOICE I MEANT ULTIMATE, DETERMINING CHOICE. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? I DEFINITELY WASN'T TRYING TO TACKLE THE BIGGER ISSUE OF THE TENSION BETWEEN GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY AND OUR RESPONSIBILITY, NO SIR, I THINK I STILL NEED AT LEAST A COUPLE THOUSAND YEARS OF STUDY ON THAT ONE. I WAS MAINLY USING THE PLAY ON WORDS TO TALK ABOUT THE TABOO OF THE ABORTION ISSUE AND THE TABOO OF THE 'CALVINIST' ISSUE. IN SOME CIRCLES TALKING ABOUT THE COMPLETE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IS JUST AS BLASPHEMOUS AS BEING PRO-CHOICE AS FAR AS ABORTION GOES.
Also, so are you also "pro-choice" on abortion? God is sovereign and can choose to let the babies not be aborted if He wants... right? I KNOW, IF I WAS TO HOLD TO GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY TO THE ABSOLUTE EXTREME, THEN I WOULD HAVE TO AGREE WITH THAT AND I DO AGREE WITH THAT. I BELIEVE THAT EVERY SINGLE PERSON THAT SUCCESSFULLY TRAVELS THE BIRTH CANAL IS DETERMINED BY GOD AND ULTIMATELY SERVES THE GREATER GLORY OF GOD, FROM JESUS TO HITLER; FROM ONE WHO HAS HAD 3 MISCARRIAGES IN A ROW TO EVERY CHILD WHO DIDN'T MAKE OUT THE BIRTH CANAL BECAUSE OF AN ABORTION. SOMEHOW (I DON'T ALWAYS SEE IT OR DEFINITELY DON'T ALWAYS UNDERSTAND IT) THEY ALL SERVE TO GLORIFY GOD AND GOD HAS SET EVERY SINGLE ACTION/NON-ACTION IN ALL OF HISTORY FOR THE PURPOSE OF HIS GREAT NAME AND EXALTATION OF THAT NAME. I THINK WHERE WE CAN TAKE THE COMFORT IN IS KNOWING THE CHARACTER OF THIS GOD THAT WIELDS ALL THIS AUTHORITY. SINCE HE IS COMPLETELY JUST AND IS COMPLETELY RIGHTEOUS AND COMPLETELY GOOD, THEN WE BREATHE EASY. I THINK IT CAN BE HARD FOR US TO REALIZE THAT BECAUSE ALL OF THE EARTHLY EXAMPLES WE HAVE SEEN OF ONE HAVING SEEMINGLY ALL POWER AND HAVING IT BE ATROCIOUS. THATS WHY ITS GONNA BE SO GOOD WHEN THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS FULLY REALIZED.
AS FAR AS IF I'M PRO CHOICE OR NOT, YOU'LL HAVE TO STAY TUNED TO THE BLOG, BECAUSE MY NEXT POST WILL ACTUALLY TACKLE THAT AND NOT FAKE TACKLE IT LIKE THIS POST DID.
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I do LOVE you brother!
Okay GOD's choice is Pro-LIFE
so if you are all for GOD's choice.................
so that would mean PRO-McCain !!!
check out my blog i just posted an interview w/ the OBAMA dude
Oh Joe, you're too clever for me. I think I'm confused, though. I don't see "free will" or the sovereignty of God as contradictory. And God's sovereignty is surely super-reassuring. But I think I was expecting the rationale behind the pro-choice position.
Anyway, Jesus is Lord! Let's get that firmly implanted in our being and see what He does from there.
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