Thoughts on the 2020 Election

I know no one cares, but writing these thoughts down keeps me from fixating on the election, so here you go. Here are my random thoughts on the 2020 election.

1) No matter how you slice it, about half of the voting constituency in the United States voted for Biden. That is depressing. Really, it's mind-blowing. Biden is corrupt and senile. He is a consummate career politician. His campaign was, frankly, a joke, and yet, half our nation threw their support behind him.

2) Hate won. Regardless of who ends up as the next PotUS, hate won the election of 2020. Many people voted for Trump because they hated Biden. Even more people voted for Biden because they loathe Donald Trump, mainly because they media has told them they are bad people if they don't. This election was fueled by hate and fear, and that doesn't bode well for the future of our nation.

3) The fact that the presidency matters this much means we've already lost the battle. There was a time in the nation, many moons ago, when the person elected to be President of Executive Branch of the Federal Government didn't really affect the average citizen. That the Presidential elections bears so much weight today demonstrates that our current form of government is a far cry from that which our forefathers designed.

4) Does anyone trust the electoral process anymore? Anyone? Democrat or Republican? As a cynical independent, I know I don't trust a single thing I'm seeing on TV or social media right now, nor do I trust the local groups in charge of tallying the votes. I think voter fraud is a permanent reality of our electoral process.

5) The propaganda machine worked. The mainstream media outlets, all the major sports organizations, social media sites, and Hollywood celebrities did everything they could to get uniformed voters to the polls. Regardless of who ends up winning this thing, their efforts were not in vain.

6) Elections reveal more than they determine. That fact is both comforting and depressing. The ballot box reflects the minds and hearts of the populace. Yes, elections have tangible effects on our public policies and everyday lives, but the people we choose to be our leaders reflect a reality already present in our land. In other words, getting the right candidate in the Oval Office won't change the character and attitude of the United States. That our choices were Donald Trump and Joe Biden should demonstrate how lost our nation is.

7) The memes have been fire. If the 2020 election has been good for anyone, it's the vital group of people out there creating memes for the good of the rest of us.

8) The rift appears to be insuperable. It's not uncommon for American presidential elections to be close. Every fourth year reminds us that we are a divided people, and that the division is roughly 50/50. This election, however, seems to have made this point more poignantly. Many people are beginning to speak of secession as the only viable option, and I can't say that I disagree. The decentralization of our nation seems to be our most sensible option for maintaining peace.

9) Remember, reality is always somewhere in the middle of the rhetoric the two candidates used on the debate stage. If your candidate won, they aren't really going to do everything they promised they would. If your candidate lost, the opposing candidate is not going to be as world-alteringly or life-shatteringly evil as you thought.

10) I do not fear a Biden presidency. I say that not because I doubt that his policies would have a negative impact on my life and on the lifestyle our nation enjoys, but because I know that, regardless of who occupies the White House, my duties as a Christian remain unchanged. Christians have lived and practiced their faith under great servant leaders and under tyrants. The Church has existed in democracies and oligarchies and fascist states. My life, and the lives of my children, may become less comfortable, but our responsibilities to God, the Church, and our fellow men remain the same. Our duty as Christians, regardless of our situation, is to be faithful to God and to bear witness to the truth. We can do that with Joe Biden as our president as well as we can with Donald Trump in that office.

4 Reasons I Affirm Paedocommunion

If you have interacted with me on social media, you know that I have always been outspoken on the issue of Paedocommunion . It is a theological position and a liturgical practice about which I am passionate. Having been raised, and having raised my children, at the Table, I cannot imagine attending a church that didn't allow PC. I hope that when I am old and gray, I will still be an advocate for bringing little children to the Sacrament. Throughout the 12 years that I have had this blog, I have written scattered thoughts on the topic, but it appears that I have never written a concise summary of my reasons for affirming PC. I was thoroughly convinced that I had, but I can't seem to locate it, so I guess I never did. So, to rectify the omission, here are four reasons I hold to PC. 1) Paedocommunion is Biblical. Any discussion of the topic should start here, and I would hope that both sides of the debate would make this assertion. However, l...

1 Corinthians, the Covenant Hermeneutic, & Paedocommunion

As an adherent to Paedocommunion (hereafter PC), I have always found it painfully ironic that Credocommunionists use 1 Corinthians 11 to withhold children (among others) from the Table. One can imagine St. Paul shaking his head as he watches theologians using his discussion of unity at the Table to divide the body at the Table. You're missing the point! he would say in exasperation. Not only does 1 Corinthians 11 not forbid PC; I would go so far as to say that there is no better defense of PC in the New Testament than the epistle of 1 Corinthians. Credocommunionist logic is pretty straightforward. 1 Corinthians 11:28 says, "Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup." If, they argue, one is unable to fulfill the exhortation to examine himself, then he may not eat of the bread and drink of the cup. This is a pretty logical deduction, right? Credobaptists would adamantly agree. Acts 2:38 says, "Repe...

The Real Presence & Paedocommunion: A Deeper Rift Between Reformed Churches

You're going back to Rome! Theological disagreements within the Reformed world, especially those of the last half century, often devolve into these sorts of accusations. As controversialists like Doug Wilson and Peter Leithart began to break away from the larger conservative Presbyterian and Reformed denominations, it became clear that the rift was deeper than semantics and systematic minutiae. Much like the Reformation four centuries before, the Table was a primary point of conflict. What does it mean? Who may partake? What do we call it? These questions, along with a few more, divided Reformed brethren as the physical elements of our religion reflected deeper conflicts. Good men began to understand that the problem wasn't just in our logos, but in our pathos and ethos, as well. Paedocommunion (hereafter PC) has been one of the hottest points of contention. PC has always been normal to me as I grew up with it. I underst...

Always Reforming

Search This Blog