"Don't believe in excess
Success is to give
Don't believe in riches
But you should see where I live"

-- U2. God part II from Rattle and Hum

I can talk politics with you and I can talk theology with you. But I'd rather talk politics with you. It's messier.

Theological conversations almost always, unless the participants are stubborn, resolve themselves in due time. Either one side ends up convincing the other side that a particular way of seeing things is more on the money, or both sides end up realizing that their presupositions and worldviews are so different that they just agree to disagree. There's a wealth of starting points in theology that is very easy to recognize and accomodate to.

Not so with politics, and particularly not with politics as it exists in free democratic countries. In the past couple of years being involved in coffee and culture, a community group consisting of several people from vastly differing viewpoints that discuss primarily political and social issues, I've come to this conclusion-- We all want, and pretty much believe, the same things in this world. Having experienced the depth of joy and sense of being taken care of by a God who went to great lengths for us, we feel others should experience the same. We all believe, and often stress, that something should be done about the injustices that take place in the world. We all believe in the kingdom of God and hope to, in our own way, spread the values and King of that kingdom to the rest of the world.

And that, when it comes to politics, is pretty much where the unity ends. From those presuppositions we run off into a million different directions. Those are our values. But when we disagree with someone's opinion on how those values are to be implemented we tend to question whether or not their means are consistent with their desired end.

People who are pro life can't understand how someone can support a woman's right to choose abortion, and yet not support the death penalty for those convicted of murder.

Those against the death penalty can't understand how someone who supports it can be against abortion.

Those who are "pro labor" can't see how others can care about the American worker and support big business.

Those who are "pro business" can't see how others can care about the American worker and not support big business.

All of the above are valid, and vital, arguments. We are so inconsistent and so unable to see it. What is able to lead us to a point where our beliefs form a straight line. Or, is that even necessary?

I'm not sure. But one thing I'm sure of is that politics is much more important than we think, because it deals with real people and real situations and real ideas.

Does God care about politics?

(These thoughts are kind of disjointed. They're inteded to get me to thinking what I should write about. I need your opinions.)