A No Party System?

     I had a conversation in my college dorm tonight about George Washington's fear of a party system and how parties are the bane of the American political system. I will address this fully in the next few days, but I'm curious as to what you all think. Do you think our two party system would bother Washington? Do you think there are other viable options? Let me know what you think.

Remembering a Legend

     This week, our country remembered the murder of a president. The media mostly focused on the man and his contributions to our nation, but an interesting article by the WSJ takes a look at four lives that were changed forever by the events of that fateful day. In a compelling combination of of audio and copy, the author portrays that day from the eyes of the people closest to the assassination. Here's the article.

WSJ article

     I read this fascinating article in the Wall Street Journal this morning though it would be of interest to you too... Maybe America isn't so unique after all.... Here's the article

Killing, Made Easy

     Guns don't kill people, people kill people. Right? We don't have a gun problem, we have a problem with bad people. Guns can't be the problem.... Of course not.
     Over the last few months, we have seen mass hostage situations, children shot both accidentally and intentionally, and active shooter scenarios in schools across the country. But still, we cling to our "constitutional" right to bear arms of all kinds. The government had better not take away our assault rifles, because the constitution says we can have them. Or does it?

Reflections from This Week

     As I look at the political arena this week, there is a lot to worry about. The economy is showing signs that the growth is slowing, world leaders once again failed to reach an arms agreement with Iran, there have been more shootings, more death. There was not a lot of positive news coming out of Washington this week. But we as Christians have nothing to fear, nothing to worry over. Our God is sovereign and on the throne. Whether or not Iran continues to build nuclear weapons, or whether our unemployment rate goes up or down, our God stands in control of everything. We can rest and trust in His all-powerful, loving and good plan for His people.

Pullback from politics?

     I read an article in the Wall Street Journal today about the new voice of the Southern Baptist Convention, Russel Moore. The headline of the article reads, "Evangelical Leader Preaches Pullback From Politics, Culture Wars." While Mr Moore has since tried to explain his statements, the question still remains... Should Christians pull back from politics? Of course not... In fact, Christians should be doing the exact opposite. While I agree that Christians should avoid the grandstanding and the posturing that has overtaken modern politics, Christians need to be active in politics if we hope to see change of any kind. If no one speaks out for the truth, how will anything be changed for the better? If Christians pull back from politics, we remove salt and light from a place where it is desperately needed.

Check out the article for yourself.

A Quick Thought

     While brainstorming for a recent column for a class, I found myself contemplating the purpose of government. The purpose of our government is not to debate opinion, as has recently been so prominent, but rather to enact laws to better the lives of the American citizens. Yes, our opinions can differ. That's what our two-party system is for. But the primary goal of our government should be to use debate as a tool to reach compromise, to find what is best for America as a whole. Debate should not be the destination, but the route to compromise. Compromise was the way our nation was founded, maybe it's not so bad after all.