As Ohio Goes, So Goes This Nation

At a "Justice Revival" in April 2008, hosted at the 7000 member mega church Vineyard Columbus, Rich Nathan the senior pastor said not once but twice that the "revival" was not about politics. If that was not strange enough, Rich Nathan insisted that the "revival" would be "pushed into the tired political boxes of right and left". Unable to imagine Billy Graham making such a pronouncement at his revivals, the mere fact that Mr Nathan felt he had to quash criticism with a preemptive strike is a splinter in rational minds. How could a "revival" possibly be confused with politics? It soon became clear that Rich Nathan's comments were meant to quell murmurings about some of the highly controversial speakers, such as Jim Wallis who fiercely advocates political solutions to national and global social problems.

Mr. Wallis is very controversial and is a liberal left political figure as deeply involved in partisan politics as Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton. Mr Wallis hosted "Pentecost 2007", a political rally for liberal democrat presidential candidates; Edwards, Hillary and Obama.  Mr Wallis's blog "God's Politics" came out swinging to defend Barack Obama (who advocates abortion and gay marriage). Wallis even defended Obama's pastor Jeremiah Wright's hate speech as "prophetic truth telling".
Minutes after assuring the audience that the revival was not about politics, as though he had not heard himself, Rich Nathan added:

"part of the reason we are doing this Justice revival in Columbus is because you know, as Columbus goes so goes Ohio, and as Ohio goes so goes this nation"

--> This statement (repeated several times during the Justice Revival) makes little sense outside the purely political fact that Ohio is a vital election swing state. Historically which ever candidate wins Ohio wins the presidency. Wikipedia said this regarding "swing states" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_state

"Ohio has often been considered a swing state, particularly during the 2004 election, having voted with the winner in every election since 1948 except for 1960. It has often been said that "as Ohio goes, so goes the nation."

1. As Ohio Goes, So Goes the Nation...Again, Kate Snow, ABC World News, November 6, 2007
2. As Ohio Goes, So Goes The Nation. Sometimes., "The Washington Post" March 6, 2008

There was much more about the Justice Revival that smacked of liberal partisan politics than can be mentioned here but the idea that the Justice Revival was not about politics is just plain wrong.  Mr Wallis's "God's Politics" blog site gushes praise for even the far left liberal politicians like Ted Kennedy and Barack Obama while aiming un-christ like blistering criticism of conservative politicians (like President Bush).

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but let's not wrap our politics in swaddling clothes and claim that it's a revival.