A Redemptive Gifts Perspective on the Recent Election

(Note: Before reading this post, please read "The Mercy Season" post under the Redemptive Gifts topic.)

The astounding outcome of the national election is not so astounding when viewed in the context of Redemptive Gifts. After having a few hours to digest the election results, I've come up with a few preliminary observations:

1. Change won. This was the first presidential election of the Mercy Season. Because of that, radical change was inevitable. Obama's campaign sensed this far sooner than the Republicans did. The Republicans chose as their candidate someone who was old school and represented the past. Obama said McCain represented the failed policies of the past, but it's my belief that voters in this election cared very little about policies. They just felt the need to put the past behind them, for good or for ill. The need for change was the driving force, and, in true "Mercy" form, the electorate acted on feelings and intuition rather than facts and logic. (No offense to those precious Mercy gift people among us!)

2. The Prophet Party received an unequivocal message. Arthur Burk has said that the Redemptive Gift of the Republican party is Prophet. That makes sense, because Republicans stand for principles to the exclusion of relationship if necessary. In this way, the Prophet gift is the antithesis of the Mercy gift. Prophets are known to need direct, hard chastening in order to "get the message." Thus the electoral blowout. Thanks, God! If the election had been close, Republicans could have consoled themselves that they just needed to work a little harder and get their message out a little better. Because of the lopsided results of the election, Republicans must face the fact that they need to totally revamp their message and/or approach.

3. Mercy triumphed over judgment. Notice how the "judgmental" claims against Obama's ties to unsavory characters seemed to hold no sway over the voters. Even the label of "socialist" did not have an impact. People were willing to suspend judgment and show mercy to this man, forgiving him "without preconditions" for his lack of experience, misstatments, checkered past, etc. Michele Bachman, Republican of Minnesota, has held onto her seat in the House of Representatives. Most of her radio ads had been attack ads against her opponent, who certainly gave plenty of fodder for them. Her tone was strident and even combative. However, after appearing on Hardball and being grilled by Chris Matthews, Michele saw her chances for victory narrowing. In the last week of her campaign, she came out with a new radio ad in her own voice in which she used a pleasant, even soothing tone. She talked about the values of life, family, and security in a positive, hearts-and-flowers way. She even injected humility into her campaign by saying, "I may not always get my words right, but my heart is in the right place." I have no data to support this thought, but this change in approach may have saved Michele the election. At any rate, it was a good example of how Republicans now need to lead with their hearts, not with their heads or with their fists. Republicans can remain true to their principles but wrap it in a compassionate approach.

4. Mega-structures are out; grassroots are in. The Ruler Season was all about building institutions. In the 20th century God's people built mega-churches, colleges, radio stations, mission boards, huge ecumenical evangelistic campaigns, and other "institutions" to help advance Christ's kingdom. But in the Mercy season, intimacy is the by-word. So it's not surprising that the new President of the United States is not a representative of America's so-called military-industrial complex, but rather a "community organizer." Hmmm. It's a hint that our progress in the Church is not going to be accomplished in the Mercy season by huge programs, but by thoughtful, personal, one-on-one contacts with the people who live in our own community. And, from a political perspective, Republicans can no longer depend on institutions (media, direct mail, even talk radio) to get their message out. They are going to need to invest in thousands of small, intimate outreach efforts to change hearts and minds to their side. It's going to be tough for the Republicans, but they are going to need to start investing in the urban settings that they have believed they could get along without. People are not going to care how much Republicans know about what's right for the country until they know how much Republicans care about them personally. And that involves a real investment in the "grassroots" that is lifegiving, not merely pragmatic.

Arthur Burk says repeatedly that one of the hardest types of change is changing from God's old order to God's new order. Those of us who have known about the advent of the Mercy Season are better prepared to understand what has happened in this election and to accept it as a sign of God's revealing a new era to us. God doesn't need presidents, senators, and representatives to accomplish his purposes. He doesn't even need righteous or Bible-honoring governments. The church was born and grew in a corrupt system. America has been blessed that our road has been easy up until now. That may change. But He has many options, and they will succeed. It's our job to figure out where He is going and catch the wave!