C.

I appreciate your sentiments, but I think that they are optimist, if not a bit unrealistic.

One of the holiest men that I know struggles to this day with being attracted to other men. He never gave in, so he did not sin in that way.

What happens when someone tries to follow God, and fails. What is your response to them?

Is it with love and mercy, or with the oft used hurtful comment, “You must not have really believed?”

Oh, but the Baptists ARE standing for something!

I’ve been reading Onward, Forward, Toward (formerly Totem to Temple) as long as I’ve been reading Internet Monk. One of the longstanding themes there is when the GOP is in the White House, Evangelicals go for Triumphalism and Dominionism (“Now we can finally MAKE America a REAL Christian Nation!”), and when the Dems are in the White House, they retreat into Uber-Holiness and Grinning Apocalyptism (“End Time Prophecy! The End Is Nigh! Don’t Be Left Behind! I have my survival bunker stocked with Seven Years’ worth of freeze-dried food and mattresses full of gold ingots and barter goods — do you?”).

P.S. Only two more days and all the knock-down-drag-outs about Halloween will be over for another year. Two more days and all the Hell Houses, Judgment Houses, Tribulation Trails, and Church Harvest Festivals will shut down until next October.

Without spoiling the plot too much, you’ll see someone change his life kicking and screaming. He doesn’t want to change; he see no reason to change, because everyone thinks he’s a hero – except his wife. Then, when he realizes the necessity of reform and decides to do something to save his marriage, he finds his wife has suffered far too much to accept the new “him.” Like reality, there’s no guarantee that she’ll give him another chance. We’ve all seen this before; chances are, in some way or other, it’s our story at some point in life.

As for the election writing, I’ll agree with Noonan about the need for “patriotic grace.” One of my church members has decided to vote Libertarian simply because she’s disgusted with both parties. Personally, I think the animosity on a national level accelerated with the concentration of power in D.C. during the last decades of the 20th century. Of course, as someone pointed out somewhere else, American voters have consistently voted for a larger national government, whether I like it or not.

The Gospel lectionary reading 2 weeks ago came from Matthew 22, “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” One of my church members complained after the sermon, “I kept waiting for you to tell me who you were voting for, but you never did.” Instead, she heard me tell the congregation to pray for the victor, regardless of the party.

That video is truly frightening. It’s bad enough they were holding this GOP convention in a church but the rhetoric spoken and questions asked was alarming. A Muslim country? Hypnotism? Alan Not +Alan

I’m not surprised. Not after the live-action South Park that’s been going on and growing for the past year. Don’t you know We’re Living In The End Times (TM) and Obama IS The Antichrist (TM)? (Snopes.com even put up a special page on that new Urban Legend.)

Morning drive-time radio starts each morning with “X Days Left Until IT’S FINALLY OVER!” followed with reading off the political hate mail they’ve gotten in the past 24. And some of that hate mail sounds like its forwarded from Art Bell’s phone lines at 3 Ayem. (Which I’ve stopped listening to for my local weirdness fix; it’s gotten too weird.)

My writing partner (a burned-out country pastor) is running his “Don’t Go Stupid On Me” sermons every Sunday. His area’s Christian response to this election insanity is “put on the white robes and go up to the hilltops so you don’t have as far to go when (not if) you’re Raptured.” Thank you, John Nelson Darby. And Hal Lindsay. And Edgar Whisenhaunt. And Rayford Steele LaHaye & Cameron “Buck” Jenkins…

(No wonder so many fanboys flock to Obama as Messiah; he’s the only one preaching Hope (TM).)

And thank you Ayn Rand, for all your cultists jamming the blogs with “Who Is John Galt?”, and/or signing themselves “I Am John Galt”, and/or lecturing us sheeple how the latest headline fulfills Atlas Shrugged, Chapter XXX, Pages YYY-ZZZ. (Yes, literally quoting chapter-and-verse; A stopped equalling A somewhere along the line.)

My old college roomie lost it after the 2006 elections, emailing me “THE COMING ONE-WORLD GOVERNMENT IS HERE!” in 24-point boldface caps, with an accompanying rant about the UN and how he was now spending all his time “Studying Scripture and Waiting”. I am glad I’m no longer in contact with him, given how the 2008 election is shaping up; I don’t think my brain could handle the resulting End Times Insanity.

Between the Left Behind fanboys, John Galt Celebrity Impersonators, and Survivalist Retreads coming out of the woodwork to lecture me on Politics Politics Politics Politics Politics, I understand why so many Soviet-era Russians were alcoholics.

P.S. When your financial planner starts out a consultation with “You know we ARE living in The End Times…” and/or his financial advice starts consisting of offering to pray with you, things have gone seriously wrong.

And a favorite quote of my writing partner, from one of the Desert Fathers:

“There will come a day when men will go mad. And they will lay hands on the sane among them, saying ‘You are not like us! You must be mad!’”