Today's Scripture Reading (March 30, 2024): 1 Corinthians 6
As an amateur political watcher, I must admit that
the American primary season interests me. My wife, not so much. The other day,
she asked me if I had ever got bored watching this stuff, and my honest
reaction was no. I find it captivating. And in the United States, the fact that
the various primaries in various states all seem to have different rules makes
it even more thought-provoking. Even those who can vote in the primaries change
from state to state. All of this I find fascinating.
As of 2024, California's primary is a "Jungle
Primaries." All that means is that there is one ballot for Democratic,
Republican, and independent candidates. Jump through the hoops, and your name
can be on the ballot for the primary vote. And if you can place first or second
in the vote, you will be on the electoral ballot come November. California is a
blue state, which just means that it consistently votes for Democratic Party
candidates in the nation's elections. So, maybe it isn't surprising that the
Jungle Primary featured several Democratic Candidates and only one Republican,
former Baseball Star Steve Garvey.
As a result, one Democratic candidate, Adam Schiff,
campaigned in such a way that he made Garvey his primary opponent. His
advertising featured Garvey as the perfect Republican. Schiff's campaign
advertisements argued that if you have any Republican leanings, Garvey is your
guy. Of course, Schiff argued that he disagreed with him in certain areas, but Steve
Garvey is a great guy. Schiff's calculated risk was that if anyone were going
to beat him in November, it would be another Democrat, not Steve Garvey. So Schiff
wanted Republicans to turn out and vote for "their guy."
The strategy worked. Schiff finished first in the
primary, but Garvey placed second. And some of Schiff's democratic competitors
cried foul. They felt that Schiff's strategy was a low blow to their campaigns.
There is absolutely nothing illegal about Adam Schiff's strategy, but, at least
according to some, it wasn't the correct way to run a campaign.
Paul had likely stressed to the Corinthians that they
had the liberty or the freedom to do anything. The Corinthian Church was
probably much like the Church today, divided over issues like what is legal to
eat and drink or even the day chosen for worship. I can almost hear Paul
speaking to the Church. "You foolish Corinthians, you fight over food and
whether or not you can eat bacon. (Okay, Paul didn't likely mention bacon, but
I would have.) You argue over whether you can drink alcohol. You are even
arguing whether Saturday or Sunday is the correct day for worship. Then you put
down the other side as less spiritual because they disagree. Don't you know
that Jesus died to give you liberty? You have been freed from these mundane regulations.
But the Corinthian Church had taken this freedom and
expressed it in ways that Paul had not intended, especially in the area of
sexual purity. The Corinthian culture thought nothing about joining with a
prostitute, and now men within the Corinthian Church had picked up the practice,
thinking that their "freedom" allowed it. Paul stresses that there
are some restrictions because some behavior just isn't beneficial.
Whether or not Adam Schiff's campaign behavior is
beneficial probably depends on which side of the issues you are on. The truth
is that a Democratic-Republican election probably won't be much of contest. In
fact, a center-left vs. a candidate that stands a little further to the
political left might be a closer race. But as a direct result of Schiff's
campaign, it is a fight we won't see.
Beneficial? I don't know. But I am just an observer.
Tomorrow's Scripture
Reading: 1 Corinthians 7
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