And the winner is ...

I have never been a political activist and the longer this current campaign continues, the less likely it is that I ever will be.

I've heard a number of arguments from brothers and sisters as to why believers should be involved in the political process, and taken at face value, they are valid arguments. Those arguments are quickly losing their allure.

Political activism is for me, at best, an exercise in futility. At worst, it has the potential to consume far too many finite resources available to the Christian community.

On Tuesday, Feb. 5, the preliminary exit polls from Super Tuesday moved on the Associated Press wire in time for same-day publication and I grabbed the "round-up" story for page 3. The closing paragraph quoted Mary Jordan, a teacher's aide, who spoke volumes about the growing sense of futility and frustration with the American election process with her few well-chosen words. Jordan, who didn't make up her mind until entering the polling booth, ultimately chose Mitt Romney, because "I think he's the least unlikable."

The least unlikable. How much trouble is this country in if that attitude prevails? I shudder to think of it. Faced with the same decision, on the same day, I would have probably voted for a write-in candidate. He goes by the name "None of the Above."

Imagine the reaction from coast to coast be if that candidate took the highest office in the land by a landslide in November?

The problem isn't just the government, though their combined culpability is extensive. The problem really isn't the election process, though with Super Delegates, the electoral college, and the various primary and caucus rules, it has all become rather cumbersome. The problem is with the people. I've said it before and, given the slightest opportunity, I'll probably say it again. The only way this great American experiment called democracy can work is if the people in the democracy are self-disciplined. And we no longer are. Absolutes have been thrown out the window to our own peril. In this age of relativity, anything goes.

As believers, we have access to the most powerful force in all of creation. But our other resources have limits. The most finite resource today is time and I fear it is quickly running out.

And bumper stickers, rallies and Supreme Court arguments on the constitutionality of school prayer, abortion and the words "Under God" repeated in the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance aren't going to save one single person from an eternity in hell. Neither is the presence of a "conservative" president in the White House.

Believers have the only message that brings with it the power to save. Instead, we are running around trying to reverse the impact of the now dominant "anything goes" culture we live in. What would our lives look like if we focused on the message rather than the culture? What would the lives of our closest neighbors look like if we loved them enough to live out the gospel message every day in their view? What would the impact be on this culture if people discovered that living as a Christian means living without fear, with total confidence in God, in close fellowship and with clear comprehension of who it is we say we follow?

Our sometimes militant attitude in the public square is doing more to push people away than to draw them near, and how do we suppose we'll justify that when we stand, empty-handed, before the One who sent us forth with a message of repentance, restoration and redemption? Will he appreciate our long hours of protesting in the street, our colorfully decorated bumpers, or our willingness to go door-to-door for a presidential candidate? Or will he appreciate our long hours of prayer, our work to support the fatherless among us and our willingness to speak his name, to explain his gospel, thereby making disciples of all men?

"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage -- with great patience and careful instruction. 2 Timothy 4:1, 2 (NIV)

Things you won't see in heaven:

Ballot boxes