Jesus, the Community Organizer?

Radio talk shows have been receiving calls from listeners saying, "Jesus was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a governor." Of course, those listeners have been attempting to equate Senator Barack Obama (a former community organizer) with Jesus Christ, and Governor Sarah Palin with Pontius Pilate (the governor who allowed the execution of Jesus).

Although a clever line with slanderous innuendo, it doesn't quite work. The problem? Jesus was not a community organizer. A community organizer lives in a community and organizes social programs or activism. When Jesus lived in a community, he worked as a carpenter. When he began his ministry, he wandered from place to place preaching. He did not organize a social program or initiate social activism.

However, this does not imply that anything is necessarily wrong with community organizing or with governing a state. Both can be done honorably. Both are needed. We need community organizers to deal with community problems. Where would we be without the community organizers who have initiated neighborhood watch programs to combat burglary, drug dealing, and gang violence? We need men and women who will organize to close down strip clubs and pornographic retail stores within neighborhoods with children. Where would we be without governors who take the lead in attracting decent businesses to a state, increasing teachers' salaries, and balancing budgets? We need leaders who will look out for the best interests of citizens. We do not need to demean honorable occupations or honorable volunteer activities in an effort to get our favorite candidates elected.