Democrat Rep Compares Obama to Jesus and Palin to Pilate

In case you missed it, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) compared presidential nominee Barack Obama to Jesus Christ and made a thinly veiled comparison of vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin to Pontius Pilate, whom authorized Christ’s crucifixion.  Here’s what Rep. Cohen said from the House floor today:

“If you want change, you want the Democratic Party, Barack Obama was a community organizer like Jesus, who our minister just prayed about. Pontius Pilate was a governor.”
- Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn) Story on foxnews.com

 This was a fairly uneventful election cycle prior to the introduction of Palin as McCain’s running mate.  Who would have thought that the Governor of Alaska would have energized the Republican Party and caused democrats to resort to offensive religious rhetoric such as Cohen’s.  Unbelieveable and inexcusable.  This follows right on the heels of South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler’s description of Sarah Palin’s qualifications:

“whose primary qualification seems to be that she hasn’t had an abortion.” 
- South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler  Story on politico.com

A Democratic Party Chair attacked a candidate on the basis of her moral decision NOT to kill her child!  With Obama already on the defensive for his “lipstick on a pig” comment, it will be interesting to see what reprecussions the Democrats are bringing on themselves.  I can’t remember any elections in which a presidential campaign has focused so intently on a vice presidential nominee.  It seems that the Obama camp has been rattled to the core by Sarah Palin.

Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, Steve Cohen, Jesus, Pontius Pilate, Carol Fowler, lipstick on a pig

Subscribe to this blog's RSS feed

I wish that I had spent more time studying missiology when I was in seminary. Even though there was an emphasis on missions throughout many of my classes, I only had one class focused solely on missions. Now, four years removed from seminary, I’m beginning to see that understanding and engaging in mission is one of the most important callings of the local church. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen a great deal of excitement over participation in mission coming from the those filling the pews on Sunday. Folks seem to get more excited over the latest bestselling book than they do about missions. Rather than being on mission with God, many treat church as a social club. This mindset will result in the demise of many of our churches. This has been on my mind for a while as I’ve sought an answer for how to get a congregation engaged in mission. Yesterday, it stopped being one of the many topics floating around in my head and became somewhat of a personal mission as I became the chair of our church’s outreach committee. Our committee met for the first time and most of our initial conversation centered around what events we could plan for the year. It seemed like we automatically went into “program” mode. I think that well-planned programming can contribute a great deal to church life, but I feel like what we really need as a congregation is to go back to square one and teach a practical theology of missions, conveying the missional calling of every believer.

(Ed Stetzer: SBC Annual Convention 2007)

I believe that Christian Mission needs to be understood in three different elements:

1. Missio Dei
2. Mission
3. Missionary Mindset.

Missio Dei: God is Missional

Missio Dei is latin for “sending of God”. God is a sender. It is His nature It’s not just something He does, it’s who He is expressed most visibly in the Trinity. The Father sends the Son. The Father and the Son send the Holy Spirit. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit send the church. True mission begins with God, is guided by God and culminates in the glory of God. God is Missional. Mission is about God. The mission is His, not ours. It is Him revealing and reconciling the world to Himself.

Mission: God Reveals and Reconciles

God is a revealing God. He has been and is revealing Himself and His purposes for reconciliation throughout history.

Accentuating the Missio Dei, Scripture teaches that God reveals Himself to all mankind apart from any act of man…

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
(Rom 1:18-21)

God’s ultimate revelation of Himself is found in the Gospel Message:

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
(1Co 15:1-4)

The Gospel of Christ is more than just another revelation of God. It is the Missio Dei expressed in the person of Christ. God sends Himself for His glory. Because of Christ, reconciliation is possible, restoring man’s friendship with God.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
(2Co 5:17-21)

God’s Mission of Revelation and Reconciliation is given to us as Christ’s ambassadors to bear his message to the world.

Missionary Mindset: God Sends

Throughout history, God has revealed himself by sending messengers - Angels, Prophets, Christ, Apostles, etc. When most people think of contemporary missions, they naturally think of vocational missionaries. I think we need to reconsider this perspective. Missionary endeavor was never meant to be delegated to a few specialists. When we are adopted into the family of God, His mission becomes ours. He calls us to be instruments in revealing Himself to the world. Mission isn’t about starting projects it is about revealing God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To be Christian is to be missional. It is a Missionary Mindset…a calling, a lifestyle.

We have grown too comfortable in our pews and traditions. It’s time we stopped promoting a “come and see” mentality of presenting the Gospel.

Technorati Tags: Missio Dei, Missionary, Missional, Mission, Gospel, Revelation, Reconciliation, Practical Theology, Ed Stetzer, North American Mission Board, International Mission Board

While searching for sources to use in my doctoral studies on pastoral crisis intervention, I found the Traumatic Stress Library, located on the website of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, to be very helpful. An article titled “Applying Spiritual Values and Resources in the Management of Traumatic Stress” by Rev. John E. Jamieson, Ph.D. caught my attention as it addresses one of the major emphases of my research. Jamieson identifies four general areas in which religious services have demonstrated value in times of crisis: funerals, memorial services, spiritual fellowship and pastoral counseling. For the purposes of my research, I was most interested in what Jamieson had to say about the value of pastoral counseling. Here’s what he says…

The fourth service, pastoral counseling, requires special training for the clergy in order for the process to be most effective. Unfortunately, few clergy are adequately trained to provide interventions for critical incident and posttraumatic stress. In some cases, pastoral counselors (like some ill-prepared mental health professionals) lack a proper understanding of the mechanisms of traumatic stress and as a result offer religious platitudes that can exacerbate the trauma by creating guilt, shame, or confusion. However, a properly trained pastoral counselor can help a traumatized individual recover from the physical, mental and emotional symptoms of traumatic stress by skillfully integrating sound psychological support with appropriate reinforcement of applicable religious doctrine and teaching. This approach can enhance the recovery of mind, body and spirit to achieve an integrated wholeness as the recovery process is completed.

In my research, I am most concerned about whether or not secular crisis intervention methodologies have any place in the context of biblical counseling. Does Jamieson have a valid point when he says that few clergy are adequately trained to provide interventions for critical incident and posttraumatic stress? I believe that his point is valid and deserves attention.

My seminary education at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary included a concentration in biblical counseling and included training in crisis intervention. I am very grateful that Southeastern provided a wonderful theological education steeped in an emphasis on the sufficiency of Scripture. I believe that a belief in the sufficiency of Scripture is vital for providing biblical counseling during crisis.

I can’t think of a much better point for the interjection of God’s truth than a crisis situation. However, I also believe that Jamieson rightly identifies the need to
have a proper understanding about the mechanisms of trauma when
providing pastoral counseling and applying God’s Word with victims of
trauma. There is always the potential for an inappropriate application
of biblical counsel. I have seen well-intentioned, biblically sound counsel rejected, not necessarily out of contempt for God’s Word, but rather from proclamation that was devoid of sensitivity to the effects of trauma. Case in point: With a good foundation in the study of Scripture and systematic theology, we may have a good grasp on how someone can commit a horrific crime against another person. However, while in the emergency room with a victim of physical or sexual abuse is not the time to discuss the finer points of the doctrine of sin or the immanence or transcendence of God. This is where adequate training can be most beneficial. Training in the mechanics of crisis intervention can help the pastoral counselor recognize the most appropriate methods and timing for applying these and other biblical truths to guide others through crisis.

There is much that the biblical counselor can learn from crisis intervention methods. I recommend that all pastors seek some form of formal training in crisis intervention methods to complement their preparedness for when those unexpected and desperate calls come from those in the middle of a crisis. I have personally found value in the methods of Critical Incident Stress Mangement as taught by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. I have also heard good things about the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) Crisis Response training. There are other programs that are also of value, but these are the most widely recognized and researched. Each would be a good choice for an introduction to crisis intervention. It’s important to note that no crisis training holds lasting spiritual value if disconnected from biblical truth. Unfortunately, pastoral counseling cannot necessarily be equated with biblical counseling. There is much pastoral counseling undertaken that is not biblical. The major difference for those engaged in biblical counseling with those in crisis as opposed to other forms of counseling is that the biblical counselor does not want the counselee to “recover.” The goal of biblical counseling is not to return to the same state one was in, but to come to a deeper understanding of and obedience to God as He reveals Himself through His Word. This is what makes biblical counseling unique and superior to other forms of counseling.

Technorati Tags: Pastoral, Clergy, Biblical Counseling, Crisis Intervention, Critical Incident Stress Mangement, Traumatic Stress, American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, National Organization for Victim Assistance