Tag Archives: Caucus

An Open Invitation

February 11, 2026 Tom Vander Well 3 Comments

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.

Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.
1 Peter 2:13-14, 17 (NIV)

I have for many years had a recurring brainstorm that returns every four years or so like the spring rains on the fields of Iowa. Every four years potential Presidential candidates from all political persuasions pass through Iowa for months in anticipation of the Iowa caucuses.

What if we invited them for dinner? We’d extend an invite to every one of them who passes through town. Just the candidate (and perhaps spouse) breaking bread and sharing a meal with just me and Wendy here in our dining room. Nothing fancy. No press. Just a meal and a private chat.

I think we’d learn a lot, not just about the candidate’s views, but the candidates themselves. Wendy and I have long held the position that we may not agree with a candidate’s politics, but we’d be willing to host any candidate – no matter their party or lack thereof – for a nice meal and respectful conversation. (For the record, I am not affiliated with any political party)

Today’s chapter is a head-on collision of Kingdom of God posture in human empire territory where the kingdoms of this world rule. Jesus’ counter-cultural kingdom ethic is on full display through the very man He once called ‘the rock..

First we have to understand the context of Peter’s letter which was written sometime around 60-64 A.D. Peter also references being in “Babylon” in his personal greetings (5:13). ‘Babylon’ was code for Rome.

Why does Peter use code? It is a time of rising hostility toward Christians. The storm clouds are gathering, and within a few short years Nero will unleash brutal persecution. It’s one of the reasons that the letter is being written in the first place. Referencing Rome as “Babylon” served multiple metaphorical purposes:

It protects believers if the letter is intercepted.
It frames Rome theologically: not merely a city, but an empire embodying exile and oppression.
It reminds Jewish believers of the first exile under literal Babylon.

And who is on the throne? Nero. That Nero. Corrupt. The one who will famously fiddle while Rome burns, then blame who? Christians.

Nero was volatile, self-indulgent, increasingly paranoid—and within a few years would unleash brutal violence against Christians.

Peter is not naïve. He knows who sits on the throne.

Which makes his instruction feel less like polite civic advice and more like defiant kingdom theology. Peter doesn’t tell believers to “burn it down.” He says, “honor (literally choose in your hearts to attach worth to him) the Emperor.”

Peter’s logic runs like this:

You are aliens and strangers (2:11).
Your loyalty is to Christ.
Therefore you are free.
Therefore you do not need to grasp for power.
Therefore you can show honor—even to flawed rulers.

This isn’t endorsement.
It’s witness.

The early Christians were not passive. They were faithful. And faithfulness sometimes meant suffering rather than seizing power.

Peter is not baptizing Nero.
He’s refusing to let Nero define conduct for followers of Jesus.

For me as a disciple of Jesus, this lands like a dagger in the heart of modern outrage culture: God through Peter commands honor in a world where the emperor will kill him. And Nero will have Peter crucified just a few years after this letter is written, the words of the risen Jesus echoing in his soul…

“Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”
John 21:18 (NIV)

As I meditate on these things in the quiet this morning, I find that God’s demand that I honor governing authorities is not a demand that I agree with them, approve of them, sanctify them, or remain silent about injustice. The demand is that I refuse to dehumanize them. In a culture that delights in contempt, Peter commands dignity.

That was radical under Nero.

It may be more radical now.

Which brings me back to my recurrent brewing brainstorm. If any candidates thinking about a run in 2028 find themselves coming through Pella on their Iowa Caucus tour, let Wendy and me know. You have an open invitation for dinner and a chat.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

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Chapter-a-Day

If Only…

November 12, 2024 Tom Vander Well 1 Comment

“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You have gone far enough, princes of Israel! Give up your violence and oppression and do what is just and right. Stop dispossessing my people, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
Ezekiel 45:9 (NIV)

When you live in Iowa your entire life and feel a civic responsibility, there’s a certain mindshare that politics and national issues take up. Certainly the Iowa Caucuses are a major part of that. A year ago you could meet and hear any number of the Presidential candidates right here in our little town. Usually the venue is packed.

Hearing the issues the candidates talk about and how they plan to address large scale, complex problems stirs thoughts about how one might re-order the world. Approach an issue one way and you create one negative consequence. Approach the same issue a different way and you create a different negative consequence. Pretty soon I begin to have “If only” thoughts and conversations in my head.

“If only we could eliminate the Tax Code and start from scratch.”
“If only the Founding Fathers had included term limits.”
“If only we could rid the entire system of corruption.”

In the past few chapters, Ezekiel envisioned an ideal new Temple that has , to this point in history, never been built. I discussed the various interpretations regarding why it has never been built in the post/podcast on Ezekiel 43 entitled The Mystery. In today’s chapter, Ezekiel’s vision now shifts to an idealized vision of the restoration of Israel. I have to remember that as Ezekiel is having this vision the nation had been conquered, Jerusalem and Solomon’s Temple had been destroyed. It’s as if there’s now an opportunity to envision how things could be “if only” they can return and start from scratch.

This idealized vision of their nation’s restoration begins with “when you allot the land” because security and prosperity begin with having land to build homes and grow crops and raise livestock necessary to survive and thrive. And the first allotment of the land described is God’s. It’s a giant, square sacred space at the center of everything and the center of that square is God’s sanctuary. Adjacent to it is a new square holy city within the giant square and Zeke says, “it will belong to all Israel.”

So we have a nation with this giant sacred space and God at the center. There’s also holy city. All of this land doesn’t belong to the king, land barons, property developers, oligarchs, or powerful blue blood families. It belongs to everyone.

Throughout the Great Story, beginning in Exodus, God has been trying to provide humanity with a vision for how things can and should be. But there’s a pesky issue that has to be addressed. Zeke addresses it right up front in verses 9-12. The princes of the past have been power hungry, greedy, and corrupt. And, this is always the problem when you begin to play “If only…” games in your head and dream up ideal situations.

People are not always ideal. We have pride and out of control appetites that make us hurt one-another with our selfishness, anger, jealousy, envy, and hard-hearted resentments. This the thing that I always find missing when candidates talk about systemic changes to fix complex problems. Solutions start with a change in the hearts and lives of people.

That’s what Jesus would come to tell us. Large, systemic changes begin with God changing me.

If only I will surrender and allow Him to do so.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Pillaging and Politics

January 15, 2024 Tom Vander Well 1 Comment

Lately my people have risen up like an enemy. You strip off the rich robe from those who pass by without a care, like men returning from battle.
Micah 2:8 (NIV)

There is a great scene towards the end of the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers in which the men of Easy Company become the first Allies to occupy Hitler’s private Austrian retreat known as “The Eagle’s Nest.” The soldiers promptly helped themselves to some souvenirs. Major Dick Winters confesses that he and his family had been eating with Hitler’s silverware since he returned from the war.

Pillaging has been a part of warfare throughout history. “To the victor go the spoils” is a popular proverbial phrase. The fascinating thing about it is that its origin was not about war, but politics. The first documented use of the phrase was by a New York Senator in 1828 in reference to the spoils of political power.

And, to wax cynical, there is truth to the phrase. It always amazes me how political power gets wielded to protect, empower, and pad the pockets of a few at the expense of the many. I don’t have to read history to know this. I only have to read today’s headlines.

In today’s chapter, the ancient prophet Micah is calling out this same reality in his own time. The political elites of his day used their power to take whatever they wanted from their own people in an ancient version of Eminent Domain. In some cases, leaving everyday families without inheritance and without recourse. These elites would gather around themselves false prophets, who were the social media of their day, to cover up and justify their actions. Micah offers a contrasting opinion. “What goes around comes around,” is a different proverbial phrase, and Micah warns the elites that a day is coming when God will bring disaster upon them in the form of the pillaging Assyrian army. Then these same political elites will experience what it’s like to lose everything and be left without recourse.

I sit in the quiet this morning on MLK Day here in America, which happens to also be Caucus Day here in Iowa in this election year. I find myself thinking about all that Martin Luther King Jr. said and stood for, a modern-day prophet crying out like ancient Micah against our political system that was stacked in favor of one set of citizens while oppressing another set of citizens within the same country. Tonight, in that same political system, the citizens of Iowa will choose who we trust to take up what is arguably the most powerful and elite political position in the world and kick off a months-long process to put a person in that position.

I’m no prophet, but I know my history. Even the best human political systems ever devised are riddled with corruption as political elites empower themselves, pad their pockets, and protect their own. As the Sage of Ecclesiastes observed, “There is nothing new under the sun.” It seems to me that Micah’s predicament and prophesy are as relevant today as ever.

For the record, as I do not belong to any political party, I will not be Caucusing tonight. I will, however, be praying. Come to think of it, prayer is a form of caucus. You’re welcome to join me.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Middle of Nowhere

January 6, 2020 Tom Vander Well 2 Comments

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
Luke 10:21 (NIV)

While we were away for the holidays, things really began to heat up back home in Iowa. We’re weeks away from the Iowa caucuses which are the first test on the road to political conventions for the Presidential candidates. Most Iowans can randomly spit in the air right now and risk hitting a Presidential candidate. The number of ads for Presidential candidates that we’re seeing on television right now is crazy. We go through this every four years.

Along with the candidates, we also get the press. Reporters from New York and Washington D.C. make their trek to the cornfields of Iowa. It’s usually the only time you’ll see a major reporter’s by-line read Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, or Sioux City.

During our U.K. sojourn, I read in multiple outlets a story of the host of NBC’s Meet the Press who went out of his way to disparage those who believe God’s Message as individuals who reject logic and believe in fairy tales; people who like to be lied to and are unwilling to accept “hard truths.”

Wow. I was glad to read that his fellow journalists distanced themselves from painting a large percentage of Americans with such a disparaging broad brush of generalization. Nevertheless, it’s a reminder that there are individuals who

In today’s chapter, Jesus is continuing his miraculous mystery tour of towns along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. His ministry is expanding. He sends out 72 followers in pairs as advance teams to the towns He’s planning on visiting. There are still small towns, like the little hamlet of Chorizin, who want nothing to do with Him. But the crowds are growing and word is spreading.

But here is the thing. Jesus has launched His ministry in the backwaters of the region. Everyone knows that Jerusalem is where it’s at. Everyone who is anyone knows that if you want to make a name for yourself you have to do it in Jerusalem. If you want to be big in the theatre you have to be in New York. If you want to be big in movies you have to be in Hollywood. If you want to be big in politics you have to be in the Beltway. If you want to be Messiah, you have to go to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is where the greatest religious minds reside, where the power brokers make and break religious careers, and where young men like Saul of Tarsus can make their mark in the world of Judaism.

But Jesus rejects that model. He chooses a strategic plan that runs opposite of what the PR firms of the day would have told Him to do. When His 72 followers return from their practicums in the little towns and podunk villages of the Galilee backwaters, Jesus joyfully relishes the successful results of His rural, spiritual caucus:

“I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.“

Jesus will make His way to Jerusalem. He knows, however, that those religious power brokers will be threatened by Him and His teaching. He will stir the pot, and they will kill Him out of political expediency.

In the quiet this morning I’m reminded that the things of God run contrary to the things of this world. Jesus even told His followers, “In this world, you will have trouble.” Just as He did. I shouldn’t be surprised when power brokers in the institutions of the world paint me with broad brushstrokes of generalization.

In a few weeks, the political circus will pack up and move on to New Hampshire and elsewhere. Iowa will once again be largely relegated to the back-burner of national thought. I’m sure that politicians and reporters will swap war-stories of their weeks having to be here, in the middle of nowhere. That’s cool. We do this dance every four years.

I like it here. It’s the kind of place Jesus would start a ministry.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Phil Roeder via Flickr.

Chapter-a-Day

I Have a Dream: The Love Party

January 25, 2016 Tom Vander Well 2 Comments

Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Romans 13:10 (NIV)

For those of you reading this who live outside of the state of Iowa, please understand that our entire state population is near the point of going postal. Every local ad on television and radio is a political ad for President or a PAC ad taking shots at this or that candidate. Our phones ring countless times a day. We are surveyed to death or treated to recorded messages from the candidates. The Iowa caucuses are this week and we are ready for them to be over.

It’s impossible to escape the political conversation in Iowa every four years in January. My friends and acquaintances are representative of the entire spectrum of political ideology from staunch conservatives to progressive liberals. The one thing that I hear everyone along the ideological continuum agreeing on is that 1) not one of the candidates is particularly great and 2) our election process and political system is in need of reform.

I have been day dreaming of late. It’s a pipe dream, really. I’ve been dreaming of a political party called the Love Party. The Love Party would operate under the umbrella of the law of love. Political ads of the Love Party would never be negative or attack others. Love Party candidates would seek to unite and not divide. Our platform would seek good for subsequent generations and not quick profit for ourselves with no thought of the long term consequences. We would seek our citizens genuine welfare; Not giving free handouts and subsidies in exchange for votes (into perpetuity) but requiring that those who receive assistance, in turn, must assist themselves and their community. Love Party candidates would model self imposed term limits, refusing to lord over others and line their personal fortunes and rigging rules for their own benefit.

Today, I’m dreaming. But, it’s a good dream on which to start a Monday. There may never be a national Love Party, but maybe I can be a Party of one. This is America. I am free to be the Love Party.