What really matters

I'm sensing our country is in election fatigue. Not just our candidates, but the whole of the American people. It seems like election cycles are longer and longer and by the time election day arrives, we all just want to get it over with.

It won't be much of a surprise for readers of this blog, but as "private citizen Scarborough," I'm backing Barack Obama. I joined Clergy for Obama and they published my latest post (check it out here). It is a bit strange being clergy. I now have to be very careful to be clear that who I back is not an endorsement of any church or congregation. I also am clear that I must be a pastor and priest to everyone regardless of political affiliation.

Too many times, including in this election, the rhetoric ramps up to be very negative and personally destructive. This troubles me greatly. I believe in passionately debating ideas, but I do not support the politics of personal destruction that attempts to demonize the opposition. I think part of our witness as Christians is to disagree without being disagreeable. Hate speach, ad hominem attacks, and self-righteous judgmentalism is not of God and we have to speak out against these tactics.

This election is very important, but there are things more important. I learned this morning as I was walking my daughter to the corner to meet her friends to walk to school that a neighbor of ours was killed last night. Mark Bremer lived down the street from me. He was a Frederick City police officer and was killed in a single car crash as he tried to pull over a vehicle who was evading him. He died as a result of his injuries. He leaves behind a wife and three small children. He was 39 years old ... and from the sign in his front yard, he was supporting John McCain.

Even though I barely knew him (we literally just met 2 weeks ago), I am heartbroken for his wife and family. Mark and I may have been on opposite sides of the political spectrum, but Mark was my brother in Christ and his death is a tragedy. Pray for the Bremer family.