Wednesday, April 28, 2004

God, politicians don’t agree on priorities

By JOHN HATCHER
Pastor

The political pros say the two most important issues in this year’s race for president are the economy and the war in Iraq. The president’s goal is to keep the economy coming back and the war in Iraq looking better and better. His opponent will try to convince the American electorate that they are not better off economically than they were four years ago and that the war in Iraq is a quagmire.

I don’t claim to represent exclusively God’s views in this presidential race, but if the Word of God, the Bible, is any indication, I believe the most important issue facing America and its elected government is the issue of how well the powerless are treated. Consequently, what’s on the mind of the electorate and those who seek votes may not necessarily be what’s on God’s mind. In fact, it’s most disquieting that the issues that matter to God seldom reach the front page of our newspapers.

First, who are the powerless? They are the people who have little if any influence in today’s culture. Their counterpart in Biblical culture would be the widow and orphan. Speaking the mind of God, the prophet Isaiah reproved the people of God by saying, “Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow”(Isaiah 1:17). Even before the work of the prophets, God instructed his forming nation that “the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do”(Deuteronomy 14:29).

God’s blessings are contingent upon how God’s people treat widows, orphans, and other people in society who have no one as their financial source and no one as their advocate. Who cares for our single parent mothers (modern day widows)? Who cares for thousands of children who are orphaned on the streets of this blessed land? Who cares for the hundreds of thousands of powerless, unborn children whose potential and future are cut short by the knife? Who cares for the countless senior citizens who can’t even afford prescribed medicine?

But the “who cares” has broader implications. Does America really care for the powerless people around the globe? We who are so blessed, do we care for the epidemic numbers infected with the AIDS virus in Africa? Do we care that millions of children go to bed hungry every night of their lives?

The truth is that God blessed America does not care. We worry about our four and no more. We take great pride that the American government is providing $1 billion in world wide AIDS relief. Compared to our spending in Iraq, that $1 billion is a drop in the bucket. Why can’t America declare world wide war on hunger and spend about $10 billion a month to eradicate hunger around the world? Why is it that we can only spend elaborate sums on war and never on construction?

My hat (if I had one) is off to certain Catholic cardinals who are standing up Sen. John Kerry. Cardinal Francis Arinze, who ranks fourth in Vatican hierarchy, was asked whether Kerry who supports abortion should receive the sacrament of communion. He indicated that if a Catholic should not receive communion, then he should not be given communion (AJC, April 24, 2004, article by Scott Shepard), supporting priests who may refuse serving Kerry the sacrament.

Hallelujah! Praise God! It’s about time that somebody starting standing up to the big shots on behalf of people who can’t speak for themselves. Aborted children can’t defend themselves. They are powerless. Thank God for a Cardinal who is unafraid of Senators Kerry and Kennedy and others who make a mockery of their faith with their votes in Congress.

You might can tell I am mad. I am. I’m mad for only a few care for those who have few to care for them. It’s an overwhelming task. Maybe one day a national leader will call for a war on hunger and a war on AIDS and put the money where they say their heart is.

John Hatcher is pastor of Outreach International Center, 1091 South Jeff Davis Drive, Fayetteville, Georgia 30215. 770-719-0303

John Hatcher is pastor of Outreach International Center, 1091 South Jeff Davis Drive, Fayetteville, Georgia 30215. 770-719-0303