Mugwumps

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth (Revelation 3:15-16).

Mugwumps. According to the encyclopedia, the term is originally from an American Indian language. It became famous—or at least common—during the presidential campaign of 1884. A newspaper editor picked it up, and soon everybody was using it. But Teddy Roosevelt gave it a definition that is perhaps most easily remembered: “a mugwump”, he said, “is a bird that sits on a fence with its mug on one side and it’s wump on the other.” It is a person who can’t make up his mind.

God is angered when Christians act like mugwumps. And it is so easy to do. We are afraid that once we make a decision, all other options will be closed to us; if it turns out later that we made the wrong choice, what will we do then? So people procrastinate; they run through the pros and cons of each option over and over, but when the best choice is not obvious they avoid making a commitment and dither some more. When we do this, when we are afraid to be either hot or cold, to jump off the fence and make a commitment, our caution ends up wasting precious time and energy.

When a pastor was struggling with a tough decision, Martin Luther gave him this advice: “sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly, for he is victorious over sin, death, and the world. As long as we are here [in this world] we have to sin…It is enough that by the riches of God’s glory we have come to know the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world. No sin will separate us from the Lamb…”

The point that Luther makes is that we are all sinners through and through, and no matter what decision we make, sin will inevitably taint the outcome. If we are constantly afraid of acting we will never get anything done! It is best to evaluate our options, pray for guidance, and get off the fence. We must remember that whatever mistakes we make can be forgiven by God through Jesus; therefore we ought to make a decision and put to use the time and energy that our Lord has given us, rather than waste it in constantly second-guessing ourselves.