Decision Points
Jan/115
I thought I would use the first post of the year to review the first book I read this year. During my vacation, I read Decision Points by George W. Bush.
My initial reaction: this book is fascinating.
I don't care if you are a registered Republican, Democrat, Independent, etc. Regardless of your political stripe, you should read this book. And that goes double for you if you are a leader. It is one of the best books on leadership that I've ever read.
The book surprised me in various ways. I didn't think I would get emotional reading a presidential autobiography, but in a chapter entitled Day of Fire, this book messed me up. Reliving the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 brought back the same emotions that I felt that day. The sadness, despair, and anger all came flooding back to me. President Bush also revealed several things that I didn't know from that day and the days immediately following. It was a reminder of how critical and dangerous this period of our history really is.
This book also gave me insight into some of the decisions from President Bush that I disagreed with. I make it a point to avoid public political discussions as a pastor (unless the political issue is also a spiritual issue). Let me just state it this way. President Bush made some decisions that I strongly supported. And he made some decisions that I seriously disagreed with. How's that for vague?
President Bush's discussion of his decisions caused me to think deeper than I had before. Instead of a 15 second clip on the news, I actually was given an in-depth analysis of the closed-door discussions and debates that produced the decisions. Instead of listening to a pundit pontificate, I actually got to listen to the president who made the decisions. I go back to the word I used at the beginning of this post: fascinating.
One last note…this book will really challenge the public perception of George W. Bush. If you think that he is stupid, aloof, stubborn, clueless, or war-mongering…you need to read this book. If you read it with an open mind and no preconceived political agenda, I think your paradigm of thinking will shift, at least somewhat.
Here's what President Bush wrote in the epilogue. "I know some of the decisions I made were not popular with many of my fellow citizens. But I felt satisfied that I had been willing to make the hard decisions, and I had always done what I believed was right." (bold mine)
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5:58 pm on January 4th, 2011
Mike: I also received Decision Points for Christmas and will begin reading it after all the dust settles from the Holidays. I am looking forward to the book. I had the distinct priviledge to meet President Bush and had my photo taken with him. I also received a thank you letter from him upon my retirement from ATF. I did not always agree with his decisions but I certainly respect him and would consider my encounter with him a singular honor.
7:59 pm on January 4th, 2011
I got this book as well. Looking forward to reading it.
Focus on the Family warned about some language in the book… your thoughts?
9:43 am on January 5th, 2011
There are some "bowling words" in the book. For people who are extremely sensitive to that kind of thing, it could be offensive.
10:15 am on January 5th, 2011
Mike – I have not read the book but, have seen many interviews and commentary by President Bush on the subject that has given me a new found respect for our 43rd President.
However, I wanted to comment on your statement: “I make it a point to avoid public political discussions as a pastor (unless the political issue is also a spiritual issue).”
I use to be of the mindset that I did not want the government telling me what Church to attend nor did I want my Church to talk about politics.***do you see the big “but” coming?***But, over the last several months I have learned things about the Bible and our Constitution that has changed my way of thinking. I think our society is trying to eliminate God totally from our lives. This is our fault as Americans, we have elected the people who are now representing us in the government. I think that it is time we as Christians (not as a Church but as individuals) get involved in the election process in order to send people to Washington that have the same convictions and values as ourselves. Then maybe we can restore this country back to the Great Christian Nation that was intended by our Founders. Without doing a whole dissertation on the subject, I will leave it as that. One more thing……in case you were wondering what inspired me to change my mind. In part it was “The American Heritage Series” by David Barton, who is not only a Historian but a Christian.
11:28 am on January 5th, 2011
Debby,
You raise some great points. As a pastor, I have to walk a narrow tightrope. A lot of pastors don't seem to recognize the tightrope and they just go to one extreme or the other.
One extreme says, "I will endorse political candidates, preach about how you should vote, and turn the church into a PAC."
The other extreme says, "We will be completely apolitical. We won't even hint at a political discussion, even if the issue is clearly spelled out in Scripture."
Neither extreme is right. The answer is found in a very delicate balance. I do strongly encourage people to vote. I have said publicly that we should support candidates who will live and govern by godly principles. And I have unashamedly preached about hot button political issues. (Go to our website and check out the Hot Buttons series I preached in early 2010.)
But I always have to remember that my job is to preach Christ. I don't preach Republican or Democratic Christianity. I preach Biblical Christianity.
Like you, there are issues in our nation that cause me grave concern. I am personally very passionate about politics. I'm a news/political junkie. I really have to discipline myself not to let my personal political thoughts and persuasions influence my preaching.
Here's a post I wrote during the 2008 presidential campaign. It might help to further clarify my thoughts.
http://www.mikeedmisten.com/2008/01/06/political-endorsements/