In case you thought I didn’t know how to straddle the fence, I agree and I disagree with Chris on the direction the discussion about Mrs. Palin has gone. He says:

Let’s not talk about unjust, unconstitutional acts of war. Let’s not talk about the raping of U.S. economy. Let’s not talk about the growing tyranny of illegal wiretapping, increased surveillance, or the draconian Patriot Act. Let’s not talk about Habeas Corpus. Let’s not talk about the criminality of the Federal Reserve System. Let’s not talk about the overwhelming amounts of corruption, lies, homosexuality, and pedophilia amongst the Conservatives. No, let’s talk about the fact that Gov. Palin is a woman and her place is in the home.

So, if Palin was a male, what exactly would we be discussing? Not much. He/She would fit the bill to draw sufficient support from the Religious Right and help McCain shore up his liabilities with mainstream Christianity. But because Palin is a woman, our most astute theological commentators are positioning her candidacy along gender lines. The end result? Their audiences continue along the path to “Conservative” statism and tyranny because their readers cannot see the forest for the trees. They think the entire political issue is resolved once they settle on the candidate. In the meantime, statism goes without critique, because to the Religious Right, it’s not statism if it’s run by Republicans.

I don’t think Chris was talking about me, but for the record, our family started Backwater Report four years ago to point out those very things. Reading a lot of comments (code word for “arguments”) the past week about this nomination, I think that many who are not for jumping on the McCain bandwagon just because Mrs. Palin is the baton twirler are noting the very concerns that Chris outlines. However, the rush by many conservative leaders to embrace Mrs. Palin’s nomination while holding their noses over McCain, and justifying it by using the “exceptional ruler,” Deborah, means that another just as compelling issue has come into play, that of ignoring or minimizing for convenience some explicit areas of Scripture in order to support the candidate of their dreams who happens to be a woman. It is this autonomous thinking which is the problem.

The feminist issue as well as the statist issue both must be addressed, because both go back to what God says is important, how He places limits on governments as well as our roles as men and women. It all matters. As long as we make it up as we go, even for good causes such as stopping abortion or stopping terrorists, we cannot be blessed by God. He makes the ground rules for how governments function, whether that government is the state, the church, or the family. God has given us plenty of lawful things we can do for His glory within all those realms, both men and women. We must be patient for Him to accomplish His goals, in His time, remaining faithful in the places He gives us to serve Him. If we grow impatient as we see disarray and turmoil and around us, we must remember Saul’s impatience and learn not to repeat his folly:

He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he commanded you. For then the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.” (I Samuel 13:8-14)

Yes, we need to keep all the issues in mind, but some of us may be called to fight in different parts of the battle. Keep your eyes on the links in my sidebar, though, where I occasionally address some of the related reasons our family would not support McCain for president, even if the choice he made for VP was a man with the same positions as Mrs. Palin.