On the other hand...

I’ve talked about a belief I have regarding Christians abstaining from voting, or otherwise contributing to the “system” of the world.

Disregarding to some degree the religious aspect of it, my basic premise, from a practical standpoint, is that you don’t change a system from within. The saying, “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem” comes to mind. How can you change the system if you’re part of the system? The system must be changed from without.

Easing a little religion back in, that’s what I was advocating as the proper response from Christians - to try to positively influence the system from without - as representatives of Christ to the world at large.

I recently conceded to a friend that this point of view is, in fact, a conflict within myself. Most obviously, if Christians refuse to take part in the voting process, then only non-Christians will be in office running the world - presumably with non-Christian ideals and agendas.

This morning I was listening to Dr. Tony Evans. He was giving a sermon on service, and he got me thinking. God calls us to service. Just put that on hold for a minute while I make a brief detour. Hopefully it’ll all tie in at the end.

A number of years ago, before I was a Christian, I was looking to join a fraternal organization. I felt that I’d been very fortunate and wanted to find a way to give back. Most of these organizations work with charities and/or their local community.

After some investigation, I found that one of them had some amount of controversy associated with them; another was basically a businessman’s networking club; another could perhaps be considered a Catholic mission - which is fine, but I’m not Catholic. I finally found one that seemed a good fit (and it was), so I joined.

Anyway, the point is, my reason for joining was my desire to serve - and it was a wonderful experience. With that in mind, I still have a desire to serve. I still feel very fortunate (although, these days, I think of it as blessed), and I still want to give back.

It’s not a huge leap to say that part of the blessing in my life is the fact that I was born American. The system I moan about has given me many opportunities, and whether I like it or not, if I feel obligated to give back, it’s the American system to which I should be giving.

I do, in fact, believe that this is one of the more critical eras for the American voter to make himself heard. As this is the most obvious way for the average citizen to be of service, I really need to rethink my position on that.