Though
I prefer to share Canadian events or currents with you, a farewell address from
the world’s most powerful man—at least, so it is claimed time and again—should not
be ignored, even if he is American. I think it can be argued that US Presidents
have more effect on Canada than our own PMs.
Our PM’s largely react to what a US President says or does. This is not
a criticism of anyone; that’s just the way things are in this globalized world.
Once
again, it’s Jim Denison’s wise words of today about Obama’s farewell that I
wish to share with you. Here goes:
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President Obama gave his farewell address to the nation last
night. He spoke from McCormick Place convention center in Chicago, less
than four miles from Grant Park, where he gave his 2008 victory speech.
Watching his address, I was struck by two contrasting
themes.
One: Mr. Obama clearly wanted to claim success for his last
eight years in office. Every president leaving office wants to do the same.
It's a natural way to consolidate gains and celebrate progress. At the end
of his speech, he repeated the familiar "Yes we can!" from his
2008 presidential campaign, followed by "Yes we did!"
Two: The president wanted to cast his vision forward,
clearly setting the stage for confrontations with the Trump administration
and its competing agenda. He cited a laundry list of contentious issues,
from climate change to discrimination to health care, and made it clear
that he is not going to fade from view. His party has no clear leader and
could face even more congressional losses in 2018. It seemed to me that Mr.
Obama was not only framing his administration now ending, but also making a
campaign speech for his future now beginning.
In coming days, I plan to share my thoughts regarding Mr.
Obama's worldview and its consequences for our culture. For today, let's
think about his farewell speech and more specifically, the right spirit in
which to respond.
Consider a lesson from the recent election. In the current
edition ofNewsweek,
Michael Wolff notes that the establishment media was
so surprised by Trump's success because they were so out of touch with
Trump's America. Their alignment with liberal values and cultural elites
made it difficult for them to see other worldviews coherently or
objectively.
Those of us who embrace biblical values must be careful not
to do the same.
For instance, I know pro-choice supporters who are
personally opposed to abortion but believe the choice should be with the
mother rather than the government. They see themselves as defending both
the mother and the child. I disagree strongly (for my white paper on this
issue, see Abortion and the Mercy of God),
but I need to understand their position before I can persuade them to
change it. Denigrating them as "baby killers" is as offensive to
them as calling the pro-life position a "war on women" is to me.
We can be "culture warriors" or we can be cultural
missionaries, but we cannot be both. There are times when we must defend
biblical truth, as did the prophets and apostles (1 Peter 3:15). But there
are also times when we should build relational bridges over which to lead
people to biblical truth. Jesus condemned the Pharisees' hypocrisy (Matthew
23), but he engaged the Samaritan woman in gracious conversation that led
to the conversion of her village (John 4).
As we respond today to President Obama's farewell address,
let's do so in a way that respects both his office (Romans 13:1) and his
person (2 Timothy 2:24). Let's stand for truth, but let's do so in love
(Ephesians 4:15). Let's value the people we influence more than the debates
we win.There are no red states or blue states in heaven, only eternal
souls.
It's this last sentence I have a little trouble with--"eternal souls" or "eternal resurrected people?"
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