Taking Out the Trash

Over the past few months I have been flooded with email messages, from friends and acquaintances, stating how they feel about presidential candidate, and now President-Elect, Barak Obama. Actually, in some cases that's phrasing it mildly and kindly. Some messages were possibly libelous, but certainly mean-spirited . . . and, as I see it, un-Christian. I'm referring to such messages as the one with a watermelon under a box, which was propped up on one end with a stick with a string attached to it, captioned "Plot to Trap Obama." And the one featuring a man riding a motorcycle, wearing a tee shirt with "Nigger, please . . . It’s a White House" on the back. And the one I received this morning with the subject line "The Black Widow," referring to Michelle Obama. I have no problem with people expressing their opposition to a political candidate or public official; I have no problem with Christians engaging in such expression. In fact, I believe that Christians, in the prophetic tradition, can contribute to holding such people accountable. [Perhaps that's part of what we're to be about in the world as "salt" and "light."] However, when Christians do speak out, we should do so with integrity, not with what appears to be a the-end-justifies-the-means attitude. Brothers and sisters, let's speak the truth in love, and take out the trash.