God and Politics
Barack, Hillary, Bush, Zimbabwe and God’s Will?

Do not think that I came to send peace on earth: I did not come to send peace, but a sword. I came to set a man at variance against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies shall be the members of his own household. He that loves father or mother more than he loves me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake shall find it (Matthew 10:34-29). The Disciples of Christ were asked to pray a prayer where at the beginning of the prayer this scripture was cited. Sandra Gourdet advised me that “ the scripture was not intentionally meant to be connected with the prayer used by Varsha Vijayakumar based on prayers by the World YWCA. The Scripture itself was the lectionary scripture for the week.” Giving Ms. Gourdet the benefit of the doubt, that this scripture had nothing to do with the prayer, I still ask the question if the scripture had nothing to do with the prayer then why cite the scripture at the beginning of the prayer? To do so gives the appearance that the scripture and the prayer are connected. However, the request by the Disciples of Christ’s Global Ministries to pray this prayer raises a larger question. When do we know that God is guiding the position of our politics? I will attempt to answer this question with the following words.

The criteria to determine God’s will are the following:

§ God does not send you on a mission without the provisions to accomplish the mission (Deuteronomy 32:7-43)

§ God is a truthful God (Isaiah 65:16)

§ God directs us to treat others as we want to be treated (Matthew 22:37-40)

Using the above criteria to look at the race between Barack and Hillary I find that to accomplish the mission Barack had no issue with resources as did Hillary. God provided the provisions to accomplish the mission of Barack becoming the Presidential nominee for the Democratic Party. Obviously, if Barack’s decision to run had been strictly a carnal decision he would not have been victorious. Understanding America and her history there is no way a human could have made the successful decision that a Black man would be this close to being successful in his bid for the President of the United States of America without God being at the helm. If God had wanted Hillary to win the nomination then she would have won. God does not send you on a mission without the provisions to accomplish the mission.

When the Bush administration made the decision to militarily invade Iraq the American people, along with the rest of the world was told that the reason for doing so was Iraq had “weapons of mass destruction,” We were also told that Sadaam Hussein had tried to buy radioactive material from an African country , plus Sadaam was supporting Osama bin Laden and Al Quaeda. As we know now, when George W. Bush finished his speech he, as always, called on God to bless America. I won’t go into the words of Pastor Jerimiah Wright, but for some reason his words about God should damn America keeps ringing in my ears. Truly God would have blessed America if George had been telling the truth. We all know now that there was no truth in any of the above cited justifications used to wage war in Iraq. The Biblical God I serve is a truthful God. The Bush administration does not want to admit that the war being waged in Iraq is a lost cause. To support John McCain is to get more of the same. God is not going to bless America when decisions are based on lies. The God of mercy dictates Bush be given the benefit of the doubt. And therefore when Bush justifies his bad decision was made because of failures of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) the American people should accept that his decision was based on poor intelligence. OK, now that Mr. Bush understands that his decision is based on bad information the right thing to do would be to apologize to the Iraqi people, tell them that America had no business invading their country, and we want to pay them restitution for the death and destruction caused by this bad decision. However, instead of doing the right thing George and his administration, and a good portion of the Congress take the position that since the Iraq has been invaded then the United States should go on and conquer it. John McCain wants to continue this policy by increasing the troops to help sustain and maintain an ungodly decision. My LORD!! What is godly about that policy? The answer to that question is very simple. Not a think is godly of that policy. The God of Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac was and is the God of truth. Bush ought to be ashamed to ask God to bless America when his policy is based on less than the truth. Yes, we all make mistakes. We all fall short. However, it is imperative that we repent when we understand that we have fallen short. We don’t reluctantly acknowledge that we have fallen short and say oh well, since I have fallen short I will keep on doing the thing that makes me fall short. Bush takes the position that Iraq is a better place based on his decision to invade the country, kill its President; cause over 4,100 Americans to lose their lives, along with tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens who have lost their lives, and lives are still being lost and he wants the American people and the world to believe that now Iraq is a better place. John McCain wants to continue this policy. John says people are not worried about troop strength the concern is casualties. How many people with love ones over there in harm’s way would profess to that analysis? There is nothing about that position that is of God. The Biblical God does not promote lying and deceit. McCain is probably taking this position because he voted for the war base on what was known then. If he changed his position based on what it known now, in my opinion, he would show himself to be a man of God. Men of God are not afraid to admit that they have made mistakes. The only person that I can remember in my lifetime that admits his mistakes is Barack. Repentance is of God.

One more point: The Christian Church’s Global Mission’s Ministry asked the Christian Church to pray a prayer concerning the election situation in Zimbabwe. Ms. Gordet makes it clear that they do not speak for the entire church. However, Sandra Gourdet goes on to state “We do, however, take seriously our relationship with our global partners and constituents in the USA and articulate what we think is God’s vision’s for justice, love and fairness in the midst of that which stifles, oppresses and causes fear.” My question is how does Global Mission’s determine their thinking about “God’s vision’s (sp) for justice, love and fairness”? Let me explain the question. Ms. Gourdet admits “that both political parties have engaged in violence in Zimbabwe.” However later in her letter she justifies MDC violence and states “there have been cases of retaliation where wronged persons have reacted and attacked ZANU-PF members.” To give credence to this statement she cites friends on the ground in Zimbabwe. The same accusation of retaliation by ZANU-PF against MDC aggression is made in the Zimbabwean Herald daily newspaper. How do you know who started this aggression? Your position appears to be one biased toward the MDC as being morally correct in this situation. Personally, without being on the ground, and yet being in contact with person’s on the ground I get a totally different picture than what Ms. Gourdet is painting.

My position is to not to assume that I can believe any one person’s story. I do know that Britain colonized and stole land from the Zimbabweans. I do know that the Zimbabwean people fought to regain the land and in order for the fighting to stop Britain, in conjunction with the U.S., in 1980 at the Lancaster House Agreement agreed to pay the white settlers to get off the land. History bears witness that eventually Britain reneged on the agreement. History also bears witness that Zimbabweans, by their laws; in about the year 2000 seized the land from the white settlers. I have seen with my own eyes the irrigation systems, tractors, combines and other farm equipment that was sabotaged by white farmers before they left the land. About the same time as the land reform, Britain, in conjunction with the U.S., implemented sanctions that contributed greatly to Zimbabwe’s economy taking a drastic downturn. It is also common knowledge that Britain, the United States, and other western powers organized, financed, and brought into existence the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). These truths beg the question would America and Britain want to be treated like they are treating Zimbabwe? Does U.S. and Britain policy fall in line with the commandments given Moses and reiterated by Jesus?

Morgan Tsvangirai has been chosen by the historical oppressors of Zimbabwe to be at the forefront of change in Zimbabwe, would America or Britain allow Syria to organize and finance a political party in either country and accept the party as a legitimate party to affect change in either country? I would bet emphatically not. In fact in America people have been arrested for raising money in America supposedly to help finance Hamas in its struggle for Palestinian rights. With that being the case,then why would Britain and America be within the will of God if they do not want to be treated like they are treating Zimbabwe? God’s word says you are within God’s will if you treat others like you want to be treated. Why would the Disciple’s Division of Overseas Ministries/Global Ministries support Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC when he and MDC are Zimbabweans but are financed and controlled by foreign interest outside of Zimbabwe? In my humble opinion, God is not in that position of this church’s entity.

Now CNN is reporting that Bush wants to implement more sanctions on the country. The people of Zimbabwe whose country was once the breadbasket of Southern Africa are now scrambling to feed themselves because the United States and Britain block the country from being able to get loans needed from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to undo the white settlers’ sabotage to the country’s agricultural infrastructure and this is supposed to be within the will of God? Ms. Gourdet, stop misleading the church!! Morgan and MDC are not within the will of God. I have extensive contacts within Zimbabwe and with the Zimbabwean government. I have offered to work with the church to peacefully resolve the crisis that is looming in Zimbabwe. My offer still stands. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God (Matthew 5:9). If you are willing, together we can help our denomination become the peacemakers and be seen as the children of God. We must decrease the hate, and increase the love. Let’s talk. I pray that God continues to order our steps.