Is Barack Obama the Anti-Christ?

Is Barack Obama the Anti-Christ? That subject line got your attention, didn't it, which is my intent! The short answer is simple: I don't know. What is curious to me is why nobody's asking, "Is Senator McCain the anti-Christ?" Why are some Believers so ready to demonize Senator Obama? Why are some so quick to discount his 20 years membership in a Chicago area United Church of Christ and insist that because his African daddy gave him the middle name, "Hussein," his profession to be a mainstream Christian is a lie? Is it that we are not content to debate his policies feeling the need discredit him as much as possible? Politics is a dirty business and it gets even dirtier when clever backroom operatives start email whispering campaigns that play off of our fears and biases.

So why am I writing about this in a TFTD?

It isn't about supporting either the Democratic or Republican candidate for the office of President of the United States. I am much more concerned about how you and I represent our Eternal King. Somewhere deep in my spirit I am convinced that taking the tiniest shreds of 'facts' and turning them into assertions about the truth or falsehood of a man's religious affiliation or using them as basis for his being a figure of the Apocalypse is wrong, very wrong. As a citizen and a Christian, I want to be part of America's electoral process in a thoughtful way that carefully examines all the facts; that prayerfully evaluates how the candidates' positions will safeguard the weak, the poor; how they will promote true liberty and justice for all; how he or she recognizes the imperative of obedience to an Almighty God.

Instead of whispering about shadowy allegations, we should pray that God will reveal the content of the heart and mind of every candidate. If anyone of them are hiding secrets, He can reveal them to the world! If they have no real fear of the Lord, which is the "beginning of knowledge," (Proverbs 1.5) let's ask Him to cause that to be known before the election. Each of us must remember that we are first disciples of Christ, bound to the highest standards of His Lordship, and then we are American citizens. How we exercise our rights should be determined by His demand of His disciples to live in truth, committed to honesty.

I do not want Christians to be dismissed from the public debate as cranks, fools, or easily manipulated sheep - as has been suggested in the past. If we are fools for Christ because we live authentically, openly, and above reproach; so be it. If we are thought to be fools because we have not made the effort to learn the facts and just repeat nonsensical allegations made in anonymous emails, shame on us. More to the point, shame falls on Christ Jesus, our Lord, which is more than tragic. Ignorance among us, who are privileged to have the mind of Christ, is a disgrace to the Lord of Glory.

Here's a word from the Word. Meditate on it today.
"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law." (Romans 13:8, NIV)

"And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." (Romans 13:11-14, NIV)