Barack Obama, Jesus and the Matthew 25 Network (Revised)

Talking to the Campaign

I recently had an email exchange with a campaign worker of the Obama campaign about the Matthew 25 network effort promoted so prominently by so many progressive-leaning Christians. Brian McLaren’s (he of the emerging church-leading fame) face is featured front and center on the home page.

In my email conversation with the campaigner (among other things) I expressed hope that the network would actually push the issues Jesus addressed in Mathew 25. I have to say. I am very disappointed in the rhetoric (I have seen no action) coming out of the network. Instead, in its last two bits of “latest news” pushed out by the network on their website we read about:

“Statement of Senator Barack Obama on the Anniversary of the 9/11 Attacks

….Let us remember that the terrorists responsible for 9/11 are still at large, and must be brought to justice. Let us resolve to defeat terrorist networks, defend the American homeland, stand up for the enduring American values that we cherish, and seek a new birth of freedom at home and around the world.”

And

“Sign the Petition – Matthew 25 Network Responds to Palin Speech

Governor Palin, Put Away Falsehood

As Americans and people of faith from around the country, we were extremely disappointed in Sarah Palin’s divisive, sarcastic, and often deceptive address at the Republican National Convention. We call on her not only as a political figure, but also as a prominent Christian, to recommit herself to campaigning in good faith, with a strong commitment to truth-telling.

As Christians, we are called to be respectful and loving toward our neighbors, honoring their intentions even if we disagree with their plans. We are also called to “put away falsehood” (Eph 4:25) and to refrain from slandering, belittling, or speaking out of contempt for anyone.

If these are the standards God has set for us in our personal lives, our church communities, and our neighborhoods, how much more so should they be the standards of those Christians who choose to be in the public eye? Shouldn’t we also expect our brothers and sisters in politics to speak the truth in love and to extend respect and goodwill even to those with whom they disagree?

Sarah Palin has shaped much of her life around her Christian faith. Indeed, it has been continually suggested that one of the major reasons John McCain chose Palin as his running-mate was her Christian faith and her ability to energize evangelical Christian voters. Thus, it is no stretch to say that Palin has suddenly become one of the most visible faces of Christianity in today’s political scene.

As such, we believe she has a calling even higher than her responsibility to her party’s victory in November – a calling to represent Jesus to the rest of the world. This is why her speech at the Republican National Convention was so disappointing to us at the Matthew 25 Network.

In questioning not only Senator Obama’s policies but also his motivations, and mocking his career, Palin went far beyond what could be considered acceptable disagreement and into what seemed like open contempt for a political opponent.

To be blunt, we saw very little of Jesus’ love in Sarah Palin’s speech, as she heaped contempt on those who disagree with her politically, while offering no vision for how to resolve the critical issues facing Americans today like job loss, health care, growing child poverty rates and the war in Iraq.

Moreover, as has been documented by major media sources including the Associated Press, Palin spoke falsehoods not only about her own record, but about Barack Obama’s record as a State Senator and as a U.S. Senator. As Christians, we are called throughout Scripture to speak the whole truth, to put away falsehood, to bear true witness even when it hurts our own interests. The name of Jesus should never be associated with falsehoods or deception, but in Sarah Palin’s speech, we believe it was.

Therefore, we in the Matthew 25 Network call on Gov. Palin to repudiate her attitude of contempt towards her political opponents and to tell the whole truth, not only for the sake of a more honorable politics, but also for the sake of our Christian witness in the world.

Senator McCain is no less responsible because he selected Gov. Palin and praised her speech, and he claims to be a Christian as well. It is ill-fitting to use Christian identity and language for one’s political advantage without seeking to live up to that high calling. Ultimately, as the Presidential candidate, Governor Palin’s tone and infidelity to truth reflect negatively on Senator McCain as well.

Brian McLaren
Author and Pastor

Douglas W. Kmiec
Caruso Family Chair & Professor of Constitutional Law
Pepperdine University School of Law

Rev. Dr. Susan B. Thistlethwaite
Professor of Theology, Chicago Theological Seminary

Vince Miller
Georgetown University

Peter Vander Meulen
Coordinator, Office of Social Justice, Christian Reformed Church

Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins
Nineteenth Street Baptist Church

Bart Campolo
Urban minister, Founder of Mission Year

Sharon Daly
Former Vice-President of Catholic Charities

Rev. Wilfredo De Jesus
Vice-President for Social Justice, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

Delores Leckey
Senior Fellow, Woodstock Theological Center
Former Director of the Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women and Youth
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Add your name here…

*Institutions listed for identification purposes only. This does not imply an endorsement by any church body or institution.”

My Reaction

Are you kidding me??!??!? Despite my deep respect for some on your list of signatories, I am utterly floored by the content of this Palin protest.

An Aside

[Before I launch into a tirade and get distracted, let me state here that I am no fan of McCain or Palin. I wish them a very humiliating defeat in the upcoming vote. This is not an uncharitable attitude toward them personally. It is just that their political agenda sucks for the earth.

I support Obama’s candidacy because I think it sucks less for the earth. And, to the extent that his agenda more comports with what I think Christ would do in his place, I will support his actions, or McCain’s should he win. It does not mean I am happy with either of them overall.]

My Two Points

Let me get to my two points. In regards to the first quote above: (1) How could anyone think that it is appropriate to foster a militaristic ideology over a religious network named Matthew 25? The 9/11 quote above would just as easily fit on the lips of a “bomb bomb Iran” Republican. Loving your enemy does not start with killing them in the name of “freedom” or whatever. ‘Against the Way of Christ’ is the only way to label this manipulative rhetoric. It certainly would not ‘roll right off of’ Jesus’s tongue!

(2) What is with these insipid complaints? No wonder you are getting your lunch eaten right now…

“her speech at the Republican National Convention was so disappointing to us at the Matthew 25 Network;”

and

“Therefore, we in the Matthew 25 Network call on Gov. Palin to repudiate her attitude of contempt towards her political opponents and to tell the whole truth, not only for the sake of a more honorable politics, but also for the sake of our Christian witness in the world;”

and

“It is ill-fitting to use Christian identity and language for one’s political advantage without seeking to live up to that high calling.”

Oh, whhhaaaa! This is the best use of the Matthew 25 network you guys can come up with–that Palin (not to mention me, I guess) does not play nice in the sandbox with the other kids? You want us to take you seriously as a network for real political action on issues that matter to Christ? (My suspicion is beginning to grow that you are only really a spiritually manipulative network interested in us voting for Obama, something much different altogether.)

What Your Mission Statement Ought to Look Like

I thought your mission statement (below) was a little weak when I read it, but then I figured it probably went through some committee and got all nicified by all those who don’t want to upset anyone.

“The Matthew 25 Network is a community of Christians – Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal, and Evangelical – inspired by the Gospel mandate to put our faith into action to care for our neighbor, especially the most vulnerable.

The election of our public officials, and the politics they stand for, are a reflection of our core values. We believe that those elected to public office carry an important trust, as their decisions have a profound impact on our nation and our world.

We believe that people of faith should actively participate in the political process as an important avenue for social change. We are called by our faith to engage in the world as it is, while we seek after and hope for God’s Kingdom.

Therefore, while no elected official will be without flaw, we come together as individuals to support candidates for public office who share the values of the Matthew 25 Network: promoting life with dignity, caring for the least of these, strengthening and supporting families, stewardship of God’s Creation, working for peace and justice at home and abroad, and promoting the common good.”

What is Jesus’s Agenda?

What was wrong with the text of Matthew 25 (at least the last part, which I think you meant to act on)?

The Sheep and the Goats

31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Was it really so difficult a passage that you had to re-interpret it to us? How much do you think your agenda so far has to do with what is written above? I see very little evidence of it so far. (I’m happy to be proven wrong. Perhaps you are at work on this agenda and you just have not shown us?) Truly, and I mean this with total seriousness, as far as the agenda in Matthew 25 goes, so far you appear to be a do nothing network, even in the political realm alone.

For the record, there is nothing about bombs, guns, or other weapons, much less anything else about “defend[ing] the American homeland” in Matthew 25.

What will you do with your talent(s)?

Obama has been given a chance to do better with a historic political opportunity to effect change. In this sense, he (and his campaign) are the person in the first part of Matthew 25 who have been entrusted with ‘talents’.

Don’t be the guy/gal who hides your one God-given talent in the ground behind these little weasley statements about Palin and her too-tough-for-you talk about issues that people will actually vote on. None of us will show up at the poles to vote for Obama in order to win a victory for cordiality.

A New Name Suggestion

And, stop hiding your God-given talent behind war-mongering rhetoric. If you want a revenge bent, hateful, war-mongering network, you’ll need to start a network with a different name, perhaps the Psalm 137:8-9 Network (a group I will never join) will work for you. Give it a shot, see if Jesus will go along with it. Let me know what he says and how that works out for you.

8 O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is he who repays you
for what you have done to us-

9 he who seizes your infants
and dashes them against the rocks.

-Psalm 137

What you ought to be doing instead of whining…

As for the content of the label of Matthew 25: It is taken, and not with your agenda, but with Christ’s. Get back to telling us how Obama is going to help:

(a) feed the hungry;
(b) give drink to the thirsty;
(c) show hospitality and generosity to the stranger;
(d) clothe the naked;
(e) heal the sick; and
(f) relieve the suffering of those in prison.

That is what the Matthew 25 Network would be about if Jesus were in charge. You should get back to it before the opportunity closes and the owner of your talent comes looking for an accounting of what you’ve done with it.

Here’s a suggestion. Tell us exactly what policies Obama supports that will do anything towards furthering the goals of A-F above. Spell it out, on a global scale, bit by bit. Contrast it with McCain’s agenda. Tell us why this earth is going to be in better shape with Obama at the helm. And be sure to tell us why Obama is AT LEAST LESS LIKELY to take military action against these same at risk populations. I have given up on any hope of Obama leading the charge to beating our bombs into ploughshares in his presidency [sigh...].

If you can’t make that argument. We aren’t showing up at the poles (at least not in the numbers you need). This is what we care about. We could care less if Palin should win a congeniality award (perhaps her second if my memory serves me?). Get with Jesus’s program and give us a reason to join up with yours. Otherwise, be done with it all and call yourself something else.

______

PS. If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy this post: On the Hoarding of Wealth

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