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Two Presidential candidates have come out to say that God has called them to run for the White House in 2012—Gov. Rick Perry and Rep. Michele Bachmann. Doesn’t this present a problem?
Now, let’s get the literal explanation out of the way immediately—it’s possible to be called to do something (run for office) while not being called to the office. So there is a technical difference there. We can’t question why God would ask you to run and not win, so what possible advantage could there be in stating this call?
If a candidate wanted to get the Christian Conservative vote, there’s no better way than by saying that you’re God’s candidate. However, what’s the statement that you’re making about anyone who doesn’t say they are?
But what if you say that you’re called, and you lose? What does that mean?
Technically, you can say the literal “I was called to run, not to win,” but what does that say about God—that He’s calling people intentionally to lose?
I mean, I don’t go so far as to say it’s unethical like the author of Dear God, Stop Calling, but I do think that stating you’re called to run is practically meaningless because of the caveat. It doesn’t say you’re called to be President—whereby, if you did not become President you could be exposed.
So, what’s the point?!
I don’t understand why a person couldn’t be called to enter a campaign, and not be called to win it. Maybe someone has something that we need to hear, and could use the exposure, but isn’t meant to be the POTUS. I don’t know that I always believe that God really has called some folks to do whatever it is that they are looking for his blessing FOR. It’s not really my place to judge though. In the end, if he HAS called them, it has got to be for some purpose- just may not the one that is right there and as obvious as the nose on my face.
God does or allows lots of things that don’t make a whole lot of sense to us at any given time. We are, after all, fallen mankind. 🙂
I guess part of this post was my thinking through the whole idea of saying “God called me to do X”. It’s also part of my processing a talk on Gideon last Sunday night. Are there many times in the Bible where God called someone to just run and not win? I mean, most of the time God gives a command and has a way to verify that it is Him either through His blessing or through seeing the thing come to pass. In this case, telling someone to run, it’s like the ultimate in non-committal things because there’d be no way to prove God made the call– does that make sense?