This morning, as I logged out of my email account, a news story on Yahoo caught my eye (oxymoron, I know: News = Yahoo? Yeah, right). Anyway, it was about the "outrage" of critics of President Obama's Thanksgiving Day speech. Their criticism? He didn't mention God.This article just made my blood pressure mount higher and higher, as I read about how so many people felt slighted by the President's omission. Wailing and gnashing of teeth...one reporter apparently even tweeted that the speech was "screwed up."
Am I missing something here? Since when did the measure of a man's (or woman's) faith in Christ become how many times he says "God" in a short Internet speech? This reminds me of the National Day of Prayer fiasco of a few years ago, when (gasp!) the President declined to have a personal prayer service at the White House. Oh, the persecution! The abuse! How in the world will the Church in the USA ever survive??? Woe is me!
C'mon people...just because someone claims the name of Christ - or God the Father - does not mean they share your faith. Would President Obama's critics been satisfied if he had mentioned God 2.3 times on Thanksgiving Day? Of course not. Critics are called critics for a reason: because they CRITICIZE. Their job was awfully hard for them this year, as it's tough to find something to criticize in a speech full of gratitude and appreciation for US troops. But, wait a minute, yes, wait a minute.....he didn't say the magic word! He didn't close his eyes and wave his hands and say "God!" Yes, that's it! Now we have the worst omission of 2011. Never mind that he mentioned God in an earlier Thanksgiving letter...he didn't do it in person! That MUST mean he's not a Christian, and OBVIOUSLY it means that we are being persecuted! Down with the man!
When we reduce the very name of God to a ritual, or magic word, then we have seriously missed our calling. We are commanded to make disciples, not people pleasers who have to say the right words to gain favor from the Church.
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