Voters should look at complete picture
Printer-Friendly
Email this Letter
Post a Comment (1)
So many have told me that they’re planning to vote for John McCain simply because he’s a Republican, and the Republicans have historically held more biblical views on abortion and gay rights.
But this year, the Democrats have a candidate who I believe
is actually more thoughtful and expressive about his faith in Christ--Barack Obama.
I’m writing to encourage my fellow believers to seriously consider what Obama has to say rather than just writing him off because he’s not a Republican.
Remember: Jesus didn’t affiliate Himself with any particular political party.
As a longtime evangelical Christian and political independent, I’ve voted for many Republican candidates in the past, but I’ve also supported Democrats and even a few candidates from smaller third parties. The way I see it is that God wants us to vote according to the person and the issues--after thoroughly thinking and praying about them--rather than simply rubber stamping a candidate because of his or her political party.
Christians who stay narrowly focused on just the personal morality issues (which, by the way, Obama cares about, as he
explained in the recent civil forum hosted by Saddleback
Church) without giving enough attention to broader justice
issues can become just like the Pharisees Jesus chastised in
the Bible. The Pharisees were so fixated on just a few issues that they couldn’t see the big picture of what God was trying to do.
So this is my plea to my fellow Christians: Before this
upcoming election, please consider all the issues about
which God cares--not just a few. What about providing
health care for “the least of these”--the 47 million
Americans who don’t have medical insurance and the many
who go bankrupt every year trying to pay their medical
bills? What about empowering parents who are struggling to
afford the cost of college for their kids? What about
protecting the environment--God’s creation--as He
calls us to do? There are so many issues to consider.
To be truly faithful, we must consider all of them, and
cooperate with God in the full range of the work He wants to
do in our great nation today.
We urgently need a new president who will look beyond just a few narrow issues and work for God’s will to be done on
all the issues. For my part, I’m convinced that Barack Obama is the man we need this time around. May God lead you as you examine all the issues for yourself.
You must be logged in to post a comment.