Wed. Morning 11/08/06
P. Leslie Riley, Jr.
www.lesriley.net

** To my conservative, Christian Brethren who vote in American election. Even if you don't agree with my political views expressed in the first third of this piece, please bear with me till the end. I believe the last 2/3 apply to all of us.

Well, it’s the morning after.
Political sages & hacks across the continent and world will be pontificating about what this means & Monday morning quarterbacks will be gathered around the water coolers & coffee pots of America discussing how their “team” did with as much fervor ( and all the meaning) of the football conversations that normally take place.

So, I figure getting my two cents in the mix early was as good a thing to do. ( no fool like the early fool )

What I am speaking of, of course, is the dramatic midterm election gains by the Democrats. By last night, the Democrats had regained control of the united States House of Representatives and had made significant gains in their number of Governors. The Senate is still in question as I write this, but whichever way the last two states go, it was a bad night for Republicans.

First, I have to admit that I am mildly surprised. I know that this is what all the polls predicted, but I still somehow thought that the GOP would hold on. Maybe it’s because I live in a “red state” ( I hate those terms -- it shows how much we have all been trained like shallow lap dogs by the mainstream media. Most days, you could switch sets & reporters on ESPN’s Sportcenter, Entertainment Tonight, and one of the major news networks and very few Americans would notice)

Maybe its because I thought the evil genius ( Karl Rove) and his pied pipers ( the Religious Right & neo-con talk radio hosts) would be able to trot out enough boogie men to scare enough folks into voting the Republicans into power one more time.

Maybe its because I am enough of a conspiracy theorist to have believed all the talk about the Diebold voting machines and Republican ties to that company.

I say this -- not to show some disappointment ( I am certainly no Republican cheerleader ready to hop off the nearest cliff), but to acknowledge that I was wrong about the outcome. Therefore, the reader who is looking for some genius in these ramblings might want to stop now.

That disclaimer being taken care of, I will now tread off into the crowded waters of political analysis and commentary. I’ll begin with a little good news & then offer some lessons I think that Christians, citizens, “the conservative movement” (whatever that is these days) and both Republicans and us third party folks should learn in from this. ( before you let take any of this too much to heart, re-read the opening paragraphs again). I will close with a little hope.

The good news : while I was slightly surprised by this outcome of this election, the King of Heaven was not. He still rules and reigns. He still sits on His throne. He still raises rulers and brings them low. He still works all things out -- without the slightest exception or misstep -- for the glory of Christ, the good of His people, and in accordance with His perfect building of His Kingdom. In this, there is great comfort for the true Christian. Whatever horrid things that we see our fallen race & rebellious nation doing to ourselves & others we have the Great Hope that all this is merely window dressing. The Kingdom of Christ is being built and the warnings of Psalm 2 for the rulers of the earth applies to Democrats & Republicans in our day. Likewise, the promises of Psalm 2 offer great hope to us even today.

The second, infinitely lesser, bit of good news is that we now will have at least some token opposition to big government, tyranny, high taxes, and anti-family/ anti-Christ policies in Washington & the state capitals again.

What can/ should we take from this ? What lessons to I think that should be gleaned and applied from the 2006 Donkey Revolution ? This obviously will not be a comprehensive answer, but I offer the following as a few first response, “from the gut” ideas.

The most apparent and readily seen lesson to be learned will be from the Congressional Democrats to the Congressional Republicans. We are going to see how a ruling party behaves. We are going to see what people with beliefs and an agenda act like. In the dozen years since the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994 -- and after every GOP victory since -- the winning party has acted with trepidation and almost apologetically. They have given their base good speeches from time to time, but generally have treated their victories like defeats. They have rarely used their power to advance a bold, conservative agenda ( much less anything that could pass for Constitutional or Christian). The lie they have rationalized this meekness to themselves and their supporters with is that they had to move slowly so that they could stay in power & get more done later.
DO NOT EXPECT SUCH MILD EFFORTS AT CHANGE AND ENACTING A SOCIALIST/ HUMANIST AGENDA BY THE DEMOCRATS.

The second lesson the GOP & Conservative movement should learn is that you do not maintain power by squandering it and betraying those who elected you. No matter how hard they tried in the waning days of the election ( and despite even my assumption that they would be able to) the leaders of the Religious Right, the conservative movement, and screaming talk radio hosts were not able to “fire up the base”. Most of the grassroots conservatives and Evangelical Christians who enthusiastically helped build the Republican coalition, that aided the 1994 Republican Revolution and who were central in pushing our charlatan President to victory, either yawningly said “ you won’t fool me this time” or at least had a hard time getting excited enough to rally round the latest efforts to ward off the boogie man.

The lesson that GOP loyalists ( those who want to work within the Republican party to advance a Conservative or “Pro-Family” agenda) is this. Reagan’s blasphemous “11^th Commandment” has finally borne its bitter fruit and should at long last be discarded . ( for those who are not political junkies, Ronald Reagan used to say that the “11^th Commandment” was “Thou shalt not speak ill of thy fellow Republicans”.)

The reality is that this 11^th Commandment has always only applied to Conservatives speaking ill of liberal betrayers. It has never really meant that Republican leaders wouldn’t gang up on a Conservative, stab him with a thousand knives and throw him out to the media dogs to be devoured as long as they could keep power and not have a bad day in the press ( see Trent Lott; others).

IF you want to work in the political realm to affect change. And IF honoring God, defending the family, & restoring liberty are truly your agenda. And IF you believe that working in the Republican Party is the best means to do this ( I don’t buy any of these premises but there are still some good, deluded folks, that sincerely do - this is directed at them) then PLEASE open your eyes and put principle before politics.

This might mean exposing or even opposing a Republican candidate. It might mean that your team -- err, I mean party -- loses an election here or there, but duty demands it. Had the Sodomite pedophile Mark Foley been “outed” by Republican activists/ leaders rather than some homo with a blog; had the open borders crowd been fought more diligently; had the beast of runaway spending been stabbed by Republicans & their supporters; had the Iraq War been more thoroughly reviewed -- rather than rubber stamped -- by Congress; had pro-child-killing Republicans been vilified and condemned by their own party who knows who yesterdays election would have gone.

Wink-wink party loyalty has proven to be a failure.

And for those of you who have finally had enough, perhaps it is time for you to abandon the double-mindedness & failed strategy of working in the Republican Party. I cannot count how many times I have had people tell me that they agreed with the Constitution Party platform or the principles of the American Heritage Party, or even the limited government idealism of the Libertarians but could not support them because they “couldn’t win” or they needed to get bigger so they could have an impact. Can we not see that this is a self-fulfilling prophecy at worst and a vicious “catch-22” at best ?

As Howard Phillips used to say : “ If you do not vote for what you believe, do not be surprised when you don’t get what you want.”

The losing as slowly as possible strategy has been a failure for the pro-life movement and the millions of dead babies who's broken and disgarded bodies have been used as nothing more than political building blocks. The lesser of two evils strategy has given the pro-family movement much more evil than they have ever bargained for. And the “lets go over a cliff at 50MPH with the Republicans rather than 90MPH with the Democrats” strategy of reducing the size of government has given conservatives the farce of “reducing the growth in spending” being called “spending cuts”.

If you are a conservative Christian in Mississippi and are going to be politically active ( and before you do, please see the main lesson for Christians at the end) we would love to have your help. Others, before you : a) completely abandon voting/ being involved; or b) continue with the battered wife delusion ( the Republicans really love us; we can change them) please consider looking at the platform, principles, and agenda of the Constitution Party, American Heritage Party, the Christian Liberty Party, and Christian policy groups that are not merely front groups for the GOP ( like “Christian” Coalition; National Right to Life; etc) -- examples : The American View; National Reform Association.

The lesson that we third party fringe folks, those who are on the fence, and people who are sick of the betrayals of the GOP should learn is that it is time to redouble our efforts to build a realistic alternative at the state & local level. The jaws of destruction are yawning at us. If not now, when ? Our opportunity is great to offer a refuge to disgusted & disaffected Republican refugees who have seen one too many disappointments.

The lesson for Conservative & Christian leaders should grasp ( particularly the big, organized pro-life/ pro-family groups) is that despite all their fundraising, organization building, and electoral success in the last decade, the story of the Religious Right has been one of colossal failure. It has not been a failure if winning elections; raising millions of dollars; building organizations that pay allot of fat salaries; creating a cleaner, slightly less vile, low-quality imitation of modern American culture were the goals.

BUT if the agenda is honoring Christ; defending & rebuilding the family; restoring decency; shrinking the size of government; opposing the slide into degeneracy; reestablishing some semblance of Constitutional government & the rule of law; restoring justice & reining in the activist, liberal judiciary; and most of all halting the advance of the hedonistic death culture of Hollywood & the abortion industry was the goal, then the Religious Right has failed.
It is time to unhitch from the Republican machine that has used Evangelical Christians like a cheap whore and speak again from a position of true independence & principle. Our Husband & King is so great & lovely that we only need to be loyal to Him.

However, all these lessons pale in comparison to the one that every Christian needs to soberly consider.

We have placed far too much Trust in politics & government and far to little in Christ.
We have focused far too much effort and energy on winning elections and not nearly enough on things that will truly have an impact: -- Loving the Lord our God & loving our neighbors as ourselves;
-- Ordering our families and churches after the Word of God and the wisdom of the ages and not the words & “wisdom” of purpose-driven, seeker sensitive drivel, “christian” psychology, and other Christ-plus schemes.
-- Breaking down strong holds & rescuing the captives with the power and mercy of Christ through His Gospel; by applying the Truths of His Word authoritatively to every area of life; with acts of love and mercy; with really laying down our lives & getting involved in the lives of our fellow church members, our neighbors, extended family, co-workers, and even “liberals” and pagans to the farthest reaches of the earth.
--Jerking the rug out from the false front men that we have counted on to do the hard work before we come in with the weak and vapid “christianity” of the American Church that cannot change our lives, much less whole cultures & nations
** please note, when I say the Gospel, I am speaking of the full-orbed, life-changing Gospel of the Bible that declares Jesus King over all of His creation as well as empowers His former enemies new hearts of flesh, with faith, repentance, love for Christ, and a disposition towards obedience -- not the easy believeism & of the repeat-after-me, escapist “gospel” of the modern church.

If we need help in our families -- we do not look to Christ alone, but rather Christian psychology & the latest book/ conference on how to “build our mate’s self-esteem” or deal with a “strong-willed child”. If we are losing our children, we fight to get “In God we Trust” plastered all over the government schools or make sure we can have prayer at football games & graduation ceremonies.

If we are rightfully broken hearted over the heinousness of abortion or some other societal wickedness, we have trusted Christ plus the statism through the power of conservative politics. We listen to the spin of Bill O’Rielly rather than the unchanging truths of the Scriptures on how to win the culture war.
If “radical Islam” is our concern, then we believe it must be overcome with B-1 Bombers, Capitalistic Materialism, and the idol of “Democracy” -- not the Light that overcomes the darkness of Mohamedism because the darkness cannot comprehend it.

The power of the state cannot help the poor-- it can only enslave them. The power of the state cannot restore our culture or fix our families -- it can only reflect their status. The power of the state (through the military) alone cannot overcome a wicked religion of death that produces terrorist slaughter of innocent civilians abroad any more than the power of the state (through laws) alone cannot overcome the wicked culture of death that produces the medical slaughter of unborn children here.

May we repent of our trust in the state through politics & poll watching.

As I say this --and before you knee-jerk -- remember, I am a state chairman of a political party; I have run for office; plan to do it again someday; and am encouraging people to stay involved. I am not advocating abandonment or separatism by any stretch. What I am calling for is repentance, faith, and a re-ordering of our priorities & worldview.

We normally get exactly the government that we deserve & that best represents us. Our culture is rotten. Our families and churches are a mess. Everything we do is built on worldly marketing ideas & built on worldly wisdom in our own strength, We worship God with our mouths but our hearts and actions are far from Him. We have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof. We have replaced “and He is before all things and by Him all things consist” with wicked ideals that begin with "we need Jesus plus . . . " or "I know the Bible says, but . . ." ( whatever follows is from Hell)

The founding of the American republic was the result of a massive revival (the great awakening) in the midst of a multi-century Reformation of church and culture. Men were free in Christ, The good seed of the Gospel of Grace hit good ground & grew godly families, churches, and communities. This fertile culture produced a “nation” within the colonies of wise and noble men who were free in their hearts & minds. Then they voted; then they fought; then they wrote a Constitution that was literally remarkable.

Have we not gotten the cart before the horse ? We want to fight & vote in the Middle East & at home to overcome the forces of secularism, socialism, feminism, hedonism, globalism,. “gay rights”, abortion & Islam.
Islam understands force; Muslims understand & can fight multigenerational wars -- brutally. Osama Bin Laden is well-versed in the Neo-Con language of “Battles of Good Versus Evil”. It cannot comprehend or overcome : “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Muslims cannot deal with a God who is both holy and merciful. They cannot combat new hearts. Osama Bin Laden is no match for the Gospel of Christ.

This is not pacifism; it is understanding that carnal, secular means alone will never succeed against such a foe.

Likewise, manipulative power politics are understood and used much more effectively -- long term -- by the enemies of Christ, of the family, and of liberty here.

I was talking with my Pastor Sunday night & mentioned to him that I was more concerned with the state of our nation & culture now than I have ever been, which was why I am focusing most of my efforts & energy where it will have the most effect -- in my family & my local church. Taken a step further, I could say my local community as well.

It begins with love for Christ . Then love for our neighbors -- beginning with our own family & church. Love for our homes, neighbors & communities should lead to a natural godly patriotism -- which when tempered with Christ-like humility will not mutate into Imperialistic, bloody Nationalism ( an idolatrous “my-country-right-or-wrong” mentality which causes war mongering abroad, and fascist bullying at home that attacks anyone and everyone who dares question their favorite government official -- Democrat or Republican).

On the international front, we have no less authority than the Great Commission to tell us how to deal with foreign threats effectively. If you are overly concerned about the threat of radical Islam or some Marxist nation, consider that they are first and foremost a job for missionaries, not the military. There is no firepower on earth that can turn the world upside down in quite the way that the “power of God unto salvation” can.

Yes, I might run for state or local office next year. ( Mississippi has these elections in 2007). Yes, I intend to work to build the Mississippi Constitution Party into a viable political vehicle. Yes, I might even help a few truly pro-life, limited government Republicans ( if I can find any J ). Yes, I intend to keep doing everything I can to fight against Messianic statism and for liberty under God in the political realm.

However, by God’s grace, I hope to temper this activism with the sober realization that, ultimately politics comes last. That doesn't mean we are not involved, but that we know that without thorough Reformation in church, home, & culture any political victories we achieve will be short lived and lead to further tyranny as a backlash ( sort of like what we saw this past Tuesday).

However, if we bow our knees to Christ and order our homes & churches after a Biblical pattern, culture & politics will follow like noon follows a beautiful sunrise.

With the guidance & help of my all kind, wise, and powerful Savior, I will continue to focus the majority of my efforts on: living for Christ -- in imperfect worship & imperfect obedience; loving my wife; training my children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord -- and pointing them to Christ as their only hope; trusting the Lord with my large family and eschewing as much as I can the mechanistic, efficient materialism that plagues us; supporting the Christ-centered local Body of believers that God has blessed us to be apart of; and using our family's unique giftings, time, and material blessings to advance the Cause of Christ in the sphere He has placed us. As I can advance the principles & cause of liberty, oppose tyranny, and involve myself in politics in this context I will continue to do so -- and encourage others to. However, when my involvement as an earthly citizen impedes my ability to do my duty in these works of the Kingdom that have been placed before me, I pray I will reject & flee from this involvement -- and likewise encourage others to do so.

ONE final story that may flesh out what I am trying to say here. In the early 1990’s there were seven different locations in Mississippi where you could have an unborn child hacked, burned, dismembered or otherwise tortured to death for a small fee and with relatively little opposition/ pressure. Now there is one -- and it is on its last legs. Mississippi may well become the first abortion free state in America. In the ensuing 15 or so years, not only have six “medical facilities” either closed or quit doing abortions, but a number of the “doctors” who were killing children have lost their licenses and in some instances their freedom; thousands of babies who were scheduled to be killed are survived; many of their mothers received help; many more childless couples have been able to adopt; most importantly, many of the mothers, clinic workers, abortions supporters, and just plain old passersby heard the Gospel and believed and are now pro-life citizens of the Kingdom of Christ -- not the kingdom of darkness.

It was not Republican politics that scored these stunning victories. Nor were pro-abortion, liberal Democratic politics able to prevent the drop in the number of abortion mills nationally from over 2000 to a few hundred over the same period. It was Christians living out their faith.

Yes, there were some efforts -- occasionally successful to elect pro-life politicians & enact some regulations on the legalized murder of children. Yes, these were somewhat effective in saving some babies. We praise the Lord for this and should keep working for the day when unborn citizens are granted full legal protection from their would be assassins. BUT just as Christ did not use politics to gain these victories, but His Gospel and His people living out their faith & laying down their lives, so will He continue to use the foolish and weak of the world to confound the wise.

Let the would be rulers of the world -- mere puppets in his hands -- win all the elections; all the money of the international bankers & multinational corporations; all the media & all the entertainment industry; let all the world be arrayed against the Lord and His anointed. He will conquer them all through nobodies with no resources, no power, no money. He will use little churches, little families, and the imperfect love, service, and obedience of simple Christians to conquer ! MAY THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN RECEIVE THE REWARD FOR HIS SUFFERING! HASTEN THE DAY, LORD WHEN THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD & THE GLORY AND MAJESTY OF JESUS CHRIST COVERS THE EARTH LIKE THE WATERS COVER THE SEA !

No King, but King Jesus,
P. Leslie Riley, Jr.
Mississippi Constitution Party Chairman

e-mail - lesriley@bellsouth.net
web site - www.lesriley.net