Theological Thoughts on Politics, Part 1 - Honesty

Our current political culture is quickly weening me off of my learned optimism. As a student of government at the University of Virginia, I studied under Professor Larry Sabato. Sabato coined the phrase, "politics is a good thing." It's a phrase he gleefully espouses to his students. As a young pup, I playfully lapped it up. Now a tad older, this dog has learned a few new tricks.

Washington, it seems is full of tricks. And I'm sensing a growing public distaste for all the chicanery. I get the feeling after the President's big speech last night (the Address to Congress, 02/24/09) that we feel less confident. Actually, I'm not sure it's a feeling. As I write, the market is down nearly 100 points, another nose dive. The Drudge Report is running a headline, "WAS IT SOMETHING HE SAID?" Now, this is probably neither entirely fair nor entirely substantive. But, I left last night's pomp and ceremony thinking it all seemed a bit silly. It didn't instill confidence. I kept asking myself, "These are our leaders?" Tweeting about Nancy Pelosi's jumpiness, I wrote, "I think she suffers from ADHD." I friend replied, "I think she has restless leg syndrome or something. She can't stop fidgeting." This is the most powerful legislator in the country. And I feel like I need to scold her like a school girl. "Nancy, sit down young lady. Nancy, that's enough. Nancy, no more pre-POTUS sugar for you!" Making matters worse - "Don't Mess With" Joe Biden couldn't remember the government accountability website for the recently passed "stimulus" bill. When asked for the web address in an interview this morning, the Veep claimed embarrassment and asked someone off camera (it was a live TV interview) for the website NUMBER. Number? Are you kidding me? That's a hoot. It's probably a silly mistake. But it doesn't instill confidence. The official in charge of recovery transparency and oversight doesn't know the number of the website?

So much for transparency. Transparency is the new rage. It's the word du jour! Where is my maverick who will reform the system putting transparency in a lock box? All I hear about today is transparency. Wired magazine, in a recent article on financial recovery, calls for "radical transparency now!" President Obama claims his will be the most "transparent" administration in history. And yet Congress just shoved a $800 billion stimulus bill down America's throat without reading it themselves or providing sufficient time for the public to know the facts. As President Obama spoke to the nation last night, claiming to remove earmarks "line by line" from the federal budget, an Omnibus spending bill was in the works with some $7.7 billion in pork. That'll be 8,500 special projects, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a Washington-based group that tracks earmarks. Oops. Doesn't sound too transparent.

We had another word that used to work well. Honesty. How about honesty? Proverbs 17:20 says, "A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity." So, I return to my new found realism. Dishonesty is not good. And dishonesty in politics is not a good thing. Forgive me Professor Sabato. The lack of honesty in government, accounting, and political rhetoric is not good.

And yet "good" is not a prescription for others. There is no clearer example of art imitating life than a representative republic. We the people are the problem. Our leaders serve at our discretion. If they lack honesty, it is because we lack honesty. They are not unaccountable. But neither are we. The church needs a good sound teaching on honesty and integrity. We need to repent. Our leaders scheme, lie, exaggerate, omit key facts, and a host of other discretions - because we do. And what we don't do, we wink at in others. Proverbs 16:30 says, "Whoever winks his eyes plans dishonest things." Don't wink at sin, dear brothers and sisters. Approach it with eyes wide open. Repent, enjoy the fellowship with God that comes from trusting Him, and then urge others to join you. If we the people are really the government, we won't be concerned as much about its size (big or small) or its direction (left or right) but its character (good or evil). Let's turn to God to make us transparent. Let's turn to God to make us honest. Let's turn to God to make us good.