Q: With President Obama reelected to a second term, what are your hopes — or fears — for the next four years?
The election results brought me no hopes, only concerns about the blatantly self-centered, God-denying course our president, his party and our nation have chosen. I know, nobody likes to hear from a critic choking on sour grapes, and that’s not what I wish to be. I wish only to point out that those elected publicly defy God’s revealed will for marriage as between one man and one woman, and they publicly promote abortion, which every time is the taking of a human life in the mother’s womb. Yes, there were other issues to consider, but none of such a basic moral nature. Our nation will reap what we have sown unless we repent. Some will laugh at that thought, but those with a heart for God don’t.
Still, the election results have in no way altered my primary hope, which is summarized by 1 Peter 1:13: “fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Only Jesus Christ can and will be the leader who sets all things right. Peter’s admonitions in the same verse are appropriate for Christians in light of this election: “gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit.” Our culture has just demonstrated an increased hardness of heart against God and an equal need for his truth and grace. During the next four years let us, God’s people, be instruments of extending these for the preservation and the blessing of our nation.
Pastor Jon Barta
Valley Baptist Church
Burbank
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As the beauty pageant ladies say, I'd like to see world peace. But if that's a tall order, how about starting with the two major parties being civil with each other as they try to keep the country from going over the so-called fiscal cliff? I think they'll succeed, because no one in either party wants to be blamed for sending our economy as well as the world's financial well-being into a tailspin.
Next, I'd like to see some more meat put on the bones of Obamacare, as it is called by some. Mitt Romney said he would repeal Obamacare his first day in office, so I'm thankful that that's not going to happen. But now that we have that universal healthcare, I'd like to see some improvements to it.
Another hope I have is that if any Supreme Court justice retires, he or she will be replaced by a moderate-to-liberal jurist. The 1973 Roe vs. Wade ruling that allows a woman the right to choose should not be taken away, and had Romney been elected I believe he would have tried to overturn that decision by appointing another old, white, right-wing male judge. Now that Obama has been reelected, the Roe vs. Wade decision that is almost 40 years old will probably remain intact.
I also hope the economy will continue to improve, and I'm almost sure that it will. Do I have any worries? Not really. As Thanksgiving approaches, I have much for which to be thankful. As Psalm 150 says, “Praise the Lord!”
The Rev. Skip Lindeman
La Cañada Congregational Church
La Cañada Flintridge
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The coming four years will see challenges and change. I hope to see more elements of the healthcare reform act put into effect. Already children benefit by being allowed to continue sharing their parents’ plans and all consumers are no longer subject to lifetime coverage caps.
I look forward to the end of our country's longest military intervention. In 2014 the occupation of Afghanistan will end. It is way overdue for an end to U.S. engagement in continuous full-scale hot wars. I am hopeful that U.S. military commitments around the world can be downsized. We operate about 900 military bases in foreign countries and need to cut back to help get a handle on our federal budget.
I hope that we will take some more steps to reduce global warming. Taking steps to increase carbon sequestration can create jobs in the short term and provided essential climate benefits in the long term. I am fearful that we are moving too slowly on global warming, but by acting boldly and in a united way we can succeed in leaving a livable planet for our children.
I am going to be stubbornly optimistic that our political struggles will calm down and we won't be as fiercely divided by political contention. It is perfectly natural for a democracy to experience constant conflict and tension. This is an aspect of democratic governance and politics. Americans made the choice to give up kings and queens and struggle to reach political decisions through compromise and conflict, but today our level of conflict seems a bit excessive. I am hopeful that we can continue with necessary dynamic conflict and striving for political compromise and consensus while maintaining a higher level of respect for our fellow Americans when we disagree.
The election results brought me no hopes, only concerns about the blatantly self-centered, God-denying course our president, his party and our nation have chosen. I know, nobody likes to hear from a critic choking on sour grapes, and that’s not what I wish to be. I wish only to point out that those elected publicly defy God’s revealed will for marriage as between one man and one woman, and they publicly promote abortion, which every time is the taking of a human life in the mother’s womb. Yes, there were other issues to consider, but none of such a basic moral nature. Our nation will reap what we have sown unless we repent. Some will laugh at that thought, but those with a heart for God don’t.
Still, the election results have in no way altered my primary hope, which is summarized by 1 Peter 1:13: “fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Only Jesus Christ can and will be the leader who sets all things right. Peter’s admonitions in the same verse are appropriate for Christians in light of this election: “gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit.” Our culture has just demonstrated an increased hardness of heart against God and an equal need for his truth and grace. During the next four years let us, God’s people, be instruments of extending these for the preservation and the blessing of our nation.
Pastor Jon Barta
Valley Baptist Church
Burbank
---
As the beauty pageant ladies say, I'd like to see world peace. But if that's a tall order, how about starting with the two major parties being civil with each other as they try to keep the country from going over the so-called fiscal cliff? I think they'll succeed, because no one in either party wants to be blamed for sending our economy as well as the world's financial well-being into a tailspin.
Next, I'd like to see some more meat put on the bones of Obamacare, as it is called by some. Mitt Romney said he would repeal Obamacare his first day in office, so I'm thankful that that's not going to happen. But now that we have that universal healthcare, I'd like to see some improvements to it.
Another hope I have is that if any Supreme Court justice retires, he or she will be replaced by a moderate-to-liberal jurist. The 1973 Roe vs. Wade ruling that allows a woman the right to choose should not be taken away, and had Romney been elected I believe he would have tried to overturn that decision by appointing another old, white, right-wing male judge. Now that Obama has been reelected, the Roe vs. Wade decision that is almost 40 years old will probably remain intact.
I also hope the economy will continue to improve, and I'm almost sure that it will. Do I have any worries? Not really. As Thanksgiving approaches, I have much for which to be thankful. As Psalm 150 says, “Praise the Lord!”
The Rev. Skip Lindeman
La Cañada Congregational Church
La Cañada Flintridge
---
The coming four years will see challenges and change. I hope to see more elements of the healthcare reform act put into effect. Already children benefit by being allowed to continue sharing their parents’ plans and all consumers are no longer subject to lifetime coverage caps.
I look forward to the end of our country's longest military intervention. In 2014 the occupation of Afghanistan will end. It is way overdue for an end to U.S. engagement in continuous full-scale hot wars. I am hopeful that U.S. military commitments around the world can be downsized. We operate about 900 military bases in foreign countries and need to cut back to help get a handle on our federal budget.
I hope that we will take some more steps to reduce global warming. Taking steps to increase carbon sequestration can create jobs in the short term and provided essential climate benefits in the long term. I am fearful that we are moving too slowly on global warming, but by acting boldly and in a united way we can succeed in leaving a livable planet for our children.
I am going to be stubbornly optimistic that our political struggles will calm down and we won't be as fiercely divided by political contention. It is perfectly natural for a democracy to experience constant conflict and tension. This is an aspect of democratic governance and politics. Americans made the choice to give up kings and queens and struggle to reach political decisions through compromise and conflict, but today our level of conflict seems a bit excessive. I am hopeful that we can continue with necessary dynamic conflict and striving for political compromise and consensus while maintaining a higher level of respect for our fellow Americans when we disagree.
