Is there not a better way to use our energy?

I was watching the news this morning as commentators continued to bloviate about whether or not it was appropriate for the President of the United States to deliver a speech to school children. Some accused the President of political manipulation and attempting to create a "cult of personality." Others declared that this was a grand gesture of leadership. Personally, I don't have a dog in this hunt. I don't particularly care if he delivers the speech or not.
What got me thinking was this...what would happen if we took all the energy and passion being spent arguing over a rather innocous and uninspired speech and put it toward ensuring that no child in this country goes to bed hungry?
I recognize that on an issue like hunger (or homelessness, poverty, unemployment, etc.) there are many different opionions about policy and how best to resolve the problem. That is a good thing. Debate is a good thing. It helps us to sharpen our vision and devise better public policy. But we waste so much of our debating energy on silly surface things that, in the long run, make little difference.
As Christians it is easy for us to sit on the sidelines in most of these debates because, afterall, Jesus had very little to say about the speaking engagements of the President of the United States! He did, however, have a lot to say about feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, comforting the afflicted and caring for those in any kind of need. Jesus commanded us to speak and act on these things as well. As long as one child goes to bed hungry, the church has an obligation to speak out on their behalf and do everything in our power to make sure that the sun never sets again on a hungry child.
Our concern is not HOW the problem of hunger, homelessness etc. get solved but THAT they get solved. The church is not and should not be about party politics or left vs. right. As the body of Christ in the world we are about proclaiming the Gospel in word an deed. Part of that proclamation is reminding the world that there are issues of great need that deserve far more of our attention and energy than a politician's speeches. What is a better use of our time and energy: using children as pawns in a game of political chess or caring for them as Christ commanded us to do?

There is no such thing as a Christian assasination

Until I saw news reports yesterday, I had no idea who George Tiller was. For all I knew, he could have been a plumber, a teacher or a vet. As we all know now, he was a physician. Not just any physician, mind you, but an OB/GYN who was one of only a handful of doctors nationwide who performed elective abortions late term.
I am opposed to abortion. I am pro-choice but I am opposed to abortion. More on that in another post. For now I want to respond to the disturbing number of people who have condemned the killing of Dr. Tiller while implying that he had it coming. Called everything from a baby-killer to a mass murderer, Tiller was killed (assassinated?) by a "lone wolf" anti-choice radical who took it upon himself to meet out justice. Although no mainstream pro-life leaders have explicitly said that Tiller's killer was performing a Christian act, they have gone out of their way to use rhetoric that points to the "immorality" of Tiller's practice and the fact that he "reaped what he sowed." The implication is clear. This was a man who deserved what he got and his death is somehow divine justice.
Whatever you feel about abortion as a policy or moral issue, there is absolutely no way to justify murder. There is no Christian mandate to kill. I defy anyone to show me where Christ demands blood. Killing is a sin. What happened to Tiller is a sin. There is no such thing as a Christian assassin.
If you kill for Christ, you have quite simply missed the point.