For months now we have been hearing that the Republican Party is in complete disarray - no viable leader, no agenda, and little or no voice in matters of public policy. Now it seems the Democrats have also taken out membership in that elite club.

The victory in Massachusetts of Senator-elect Scott Brown has the Democrats scurrying along two fronts. First, how do they alter their political agenda so as to avoid further antagonizing the electorate while still pursuing their progressivist aims? Second, how do they keep from losing the House and the Senate next fall?

To say the least, this is going to be an interesting year politically, with squirming and positioning on both sides of the aisle in order to make the most of the Obama Administration's precarious political perch. It's too early to tell what the outcome might be, but we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that all the members of the House of Representatives and a third of the Senate are strategizing and plotting how to secure political power after the second Tuesday in November.

And we can also pretty much bet on the following as well: Most Americans, sensing an opportunity, will become even more politically informed and active than they have been to date. Which means that their hope for economic, social, and personal improvement will be more anchored in political aspirations than ever before.

The Church cannot allow itself to fall into disarray - any more disarry, that is, than is presently in evidence. Pastors must take the lead in reminding the people of God what the specific mission of the Church must be, now as always: making disciples. The time for sponsoring feel-good faith from the pulpits and in the ministries of local churches must come to an end, and we must resolve once again to devote ourselves to the task of building the Church by calling nonbelievers to repent and believe the Gospel and taking up the pursuit of holiness in the fear of God with greater urgency. We will miss an extraordinary opportunity to re-assert the primacy of faith in Christ and seeking His Kingdom if we continue along the same self-serving, narcissistic lines of activity that have seen the Church drift to the margins of society