Mixed Emotions

Yesterday and today during the morning news shows we watched Hilary Clinton get a bit choked up when she was asked, "How do you keep so upbeat and positive?" with refernce to the defeat in Iowa and all the nasty campaign adds being run against her in NH. She responded by saying how passionately she believes in how effective she could be to bring about change and how that with her it was personal.

Now compare that to her appearance on the ABC debate Saturday night. During a response by John Edwards which followed an emotionally charged response by Barack Obama wherein both claimed to be personally motivated to see real change happen in Washington Hilary proceeded to throw up her hand at the two men and proclaim, "Let's get real." Personal passion wasn't enough on Saturday night according to the Senator from NY...experience mattered. Her experience. She was seen as strong and forceful by the media on Sunday but I suspect that the NH voters, as well as many other Americans, weren't so impressed with her show of strength and thus the "change" of heart on Monday.

Yes, I am making a political point but I would like to press the point of "heart" even further. I am beginning to consider the fact that because of such a huge media glut, from the mainstream media, to cable outlets, to the blogosphere, to mobile news and yes even print media the average American interested in such things is less likely to be duped by the run of the mill flip-flop. Further, the lack of integrity and authenticity is seen immediately for what it is and it is no longer tolerated. Yes people can change and yes people can "grow" but when it smacks of expediency...well, "That dog won't hunt."

This is something that we have been experiencing within the body of Christ for a long time. From the Fall to the Flood to the Prophets to the Gospels and beyond the individuals that claim the label lovers of God (i.e. Christ follower) those who are not authentic and that lack integrity are seen for what they truely are...white washed tombs full of dead men's bones. We who love God can't fake it, nor should we try. That doesn't mean we are perfect. It means we shouldn't pretend to be. Loving God with our whole hearts isn't political expediency...well it isn't about expediency at all.