Obama, Romney and the Kingdom of God

Last updated on: July 17, 2012 at 12:35 pm by Andre E. Johnson

Obama, Romney and the Kingdom of God 2012-07-17T12:35:00-05:00 Andre E. Johnson

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Twenty years ago, author and psychiatrist M. Scott Peck gave a lecture in which he asserted that the biblical phrase “The Kingdom of God is within you” has been mistranslated and misunderstood throughout history. Dr. Peck said that if you go back to the original Aramaic, in which that piece of Scripture is written, what it actually says is: “The Kingdom of God is AMONG you.” That is, the Kingdom of God is in community. Wherever two or more are gathered, God is there.

As I listen to the campaign speeches of President Obama and Gov. Romney — each outlining his view for the future of America — it seems to me that it boils down to this central question: Which do we want … “every person for him/herself” OR “we’re all in this together”?

Do we vote for the ethos of individualism: the independent citizen, the rugged individual, the lone ranger who goes it alone? Or do we vote for the ethos of community: the interdependent gathering of folks who know that “it takes a village” to raise a barn, raise kids and raise a nation to greatness?

After listening to Dr. Peck’s lecture, I did some research on the Kingdom of God and discovered that scholars don’t agree on how to interpret the biblical phrase. Some insist that the Kingdom of God is “within you,” while others assert that the Kingdom of God is “among you.”

It looks to me like America’s political leaders have the same disagreement. Mitt Romney and his GOP cohorts have complete faith in the ability of individuals to take care of themselves: citizens can save for their own retirement, pay for their own health care, get a good education, and fail or succeed at business all on their own. They believe in personal accountability and that poor people should pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. Their motto is: “I am not my brother’s keeper.”
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