for 29 MAR 08: POWER AND LIGHT?

(BLOGGER'S NOTE: You may find this item humorous, serious, or a little of both - but we offer these thoughts from time to time, as we keep a seventh-day Sabbath.)

Maybe I've missed something in the campaign news over the last few weeks. But do Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain have pastors? Is anyone analyzing the sermons THEY have made over the years? Or is Barack Obama the only candidate who even bothers to be a member of a church?

You've surely heard by now of the fuss involving Barack Obama's longtime church in Chicago, and some of the things that church's pastor has said during sermons. If anything productive has come from this, one issue appears settled once and for all - Senator Obama is NOT a Muslim.

Barack Obama declared on "The View" Friday he would have left his Chicago church, had his longtime pastor not acknowledged making some controversial comments during sermons. But Jeremiah Wright seemed to admit that already - during the sermons, when Obama apparently missed. And this did NOT seem like one of those churches where it's easy to fall asleep.

I'm in the camp which has trouble believing Barack Obama never knew about what Jeremiah Wright was preaching. But I'm also in the camp which suspects Obama is like a lot of churchgoing people - they don't double-check their Bible to see if it matches what the preacher says. For instance, if the preacher tried to claim last weekend that the apostles had Easter egg hunts....

Some claim Jeremiah Wright's messages are divisive. But I could name plenty of other ministers who say Bible-based sermons are supposed to divide. As in dividing righteous people from sinners - and even the fundamentalists from the dangerously liberal who say "love" too much and "law" too little.

I've admittedly been reluctant to bring up the Jeremiah Wright sermons - because for years I've attended church groups where pastors have said things every bit as outrageous, only at the other end of the spectrum. One has preached against big-money "greed" game shows such as "Deal or No Deal." Yet when the congregation had a "Deal or No Deal" game night, he didn't, well, call it a No-Deal.

Then there's the Columbus Pastor who declared during a service in October 2000: "Let's all pray that George W. Bush wins the election." No, I do NOT have that on tape. This pastor has enough smarts to make sure the tape doesn't roll during announcement time, before the sermon officially starts.

In those two cases, I actually did what some people say Barack Obama should have done. I quietly left the game night before it began, considering it a case of hypocrisy. And in October 2000, I stayed home from church the next week - even though the denomination doesn't consider itself protest-ant.

Careful blog readers may notice I've attended several different congregations in recent months. I'm admittedly taking a leave of absence from my longtime denomination - a group which officially says it's "non-denominational." Yet it has a home office, affiliated churches and a core set of doctrines. As I heard one evangelist say, being "non-denominational" can become a denomination after awhile.

I've been "trying out" other church groups in large part because my longtime pastor has preached things I don't consider Biblical. But to be honest, the alternatives so far haven't thrilled me very much. They're striking out on my score sheet even more than my old group. But I don't feel tempted yet to apply online for one of those quickie ordinations.

Wane Hailes asked a great question last week in "The Courier" - should he leave his church because of his pastor's sermon? My answer would be yes, IF the pastor didn't follow the Bible in his sermon. God's Word should be the standard. And it takes regular reading and study, to make sure of what it says -- because misquoting it could be worse in the long run than misquoting a politician.

For years I wondered why political candidates bothered to mention on their biographies where they attend church. It seemed like a throwaway line, with little value. But this year has proven that detail matters for some people. So if strangers attend your congregation this weekend, be nice to them - and tastefully ask which candidate they're spying on.

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BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 633 (- 69, 9.8%)

TRUDGE REPORT, DAY 27: Racquetball workout, 58 minutes. 0.3 miles walked. Total: 97.35 miles run, 12.7 walked

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