The Goldilocks Method

You remember Goldilocks & The Three Bears, right? Let me refresh your memory:

At the table in the kitchen, there were three bowls of porridge. Goldilocks was hungry.  She tasted the porridge from the first bowl. 
"This porridge is too hot!" she exclaimed.
So, she tasted the porridge from the second bowl.
"This porridge is too cold," she said
So, she tasted the last bowl of porridge.
"Ahhh, this porridge is just right," she said happily and she ate it all up.

Too hot... too cold...just right! Too hard...too soft...just right! I've noticed what I call the "Goldilocks Method" being employed by preacher-pastor-minister types. This is actually a very effective way of making a point. You simply paint two extremes and then position your view as in the middle. For example: Some people think baptism saves you even before you have faith! Others think baptism is merely a symbol. The Bible teaches that baptism is when God saves me by grace through my faith in the gospel. I once heard Mark Driscoll teaching on gender roles in the church and he used this very approach. I thought to myself: "Hey, he just did a Goldilocks." You probably have too. Just make sure you have truth in the middle. 

That's what I'm talkin bout!

Politics?

Some days I'm convinced that the apolitical orientation of the earliest Christians was a wise position. Jesus did say his kingdom was not of this world, right? While being tempted to tune out completely I do still try to remain politically informed and I still vote regularly. Nowadays, however, I vote my conscience instead of the "lesser of two evils" strategy I use to employ. I was one of the guys who went with the GOP no matter what, but it's been a long time since I thought being a Republican was the only option for a Christian. I do understand why many Bible believers tend to orient themselves with the elephant guys, but it is a massive oversimplification to think that GOP is equivalent to a Christian political party. With that being said I'll offer my first political comment in a long time: I'm surprised by how many evangelicals are on the Newt bandwagon. I remember when this same crowd was decrying the immorality of President Clinton. They proclaimed that our leader should be of high moral character. If Hillary couldn't trust Bill, then neither could we! Then shortly thereafter came the fall of the "Contract with America" creator & leader, Newt Gingrich. I won't recount the details of his fall here as they are readily available elsewhere and well know by many. Now please don't misunderstand, I do believe in forgiveness and the ability of people to change. I just find the way we apply forgiveness, etc. to be rather arbitrary when it comes to the political realm. It seems to me that if we agree with your politics you get mercy, but if we disagree you get wrath! Newt is to the GOP what Hillary is to the Dems. Both have energetic & enthusiastic supporters and BOTH HAVE HIGH NEGATIVES. I think Newt (if he gets the nomination) will lose to President Obama. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's what I'm talkin bout!