Select a Candidate 2008

Since we are on a recent series of political posts, I thought I would post a good resource that will help match your views with particular candidates. A Illinois news channel has created a Select a Candidate Quiz that asks you questions regarding a series of issues and you respond by selecting your view on the issue as well as its' importance to you. It is only 11 questions long and after completion it gives you a rank order of the candidates based on how similar your views are to theirs. Enjoy!

Take the Quiz Here

If you take the quiz: Did you find the results to be what you expected? Any surprises?

Can a Church or Pastor Endorse a Political Candidate?

Can a pastor endorse a candidate from the pulpit? Can a church hang up Huckabee or Clinton signs all over the building (well maybe Hillary signs in a church is a little far stretched...but...it could happen) and urge you to vote for a certain candidate? Is it even legal?

You will never see us as a ministry endorse a particular candidate on this blog or at any of our worship services. However, if you were to personally ask me who I am going to vote for I would be glad to tell you who my favorite candidate is. But it is never OK for a church, ministry, or non-profit agency to endorse a candidate. In fact, it is against the law. That's right, it is unlawful for a non-profit organization to directly endorse or oppose a political candidate. That was new news to me as well but Out of Ur published a wonderful blog on this issue entitled: Politics from the Pulpit. I hope you will check it our and read the article.

Comments? Have you ever heard a pastor endorse a candidate from the pulpit? Or more likely, have you ever heard a pastor, church, or ministry oppose a political candidate?

Obama's Call to Renewal

“(Obama's speech on faith) may be the most important pronouncement by a Democrat on faith and politics since John F. Kennedy's Houston speech in 1960 declaring his independence from the Vatican...Obama offers the first faith testimony I have heard from any politician that speaks honestly about the uncertainties of belief.”

— E.J. Dionne, Op-Ed., Washington Post, June 30, 2006

While we are on the topic of Christian politics I thought I would share some quick thoughts from a speech that Senator Barack Obama made back in June of 2006. I was ignorant of this speech until a couple weeks ago when I stumbled across it on Obama's campaign website. I was drawn into reading the speech because of the above mentioned quote that caught my attention. I think many times "Evangelicals" in America believe that all Democrats are liberal atheists with no faith at all, or at best, practice an unauthentic faith that is only put on to reel in Evangelical votes. I think overlooking an entire party when deciding who to vote for based upon religious stereotypes (whether it be the "liberal heathens" or the "hell-fire, fundamentalist conservatives") is the biggest mistake a voter can make.

This blog entry isn't intended to be an endorsement of Obama, but rather a discussion starter continuing on the topic of faith and politics. With that being said, I would like to share some quotes from Obama's speech on faith and politics. I hope you'll join the conversation and comment with your thoughts and whether or not you agree or disagree with anything mentioned. And if you are a Christian, does everything Obama say in this speech line up with sound Biblical Theology?

_______

"Indeed, the single biggest "gap" in party affiliation among white Americans today is not between men and women, or those who reside in so-called Red States and those who reside in Blue, but between those who attend church regularly and those who don't."


"This religious tendency is not simply the result of successful marketing by skilled preachers or the draw of popular mega-churches. In fact, it speaks to a hunger that's deeper than that - a hunger that goes beyond any particular issue or cause."

"And in time, I came to realize that something was missing as well -- that without a vessel for my beliefs, without a commitment to a particular community of faith, at some level I would always remain apart, and alone."

"Because of its past, the black church understands in an intimate way the Biblical call to feed the hungry and cloth the naked and challenge powers and principalities. And in its historical struggles for freedom and the rights of man, I was able to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death, but rather as an active, palpable agent in the world. As a source of hope."

"You need to come to church in the first place precisely because you are first of this world, not apart from it. You need to embrace Christ precisely because you have sins to wash away - because you are human and need an ally in this difficult journey."


"After all, the problems of poverty and racism, the uninsured and the unemployed, are not simply technical problems in search of the perfect ten point plan. They are rooted in both societal indifference and individual callousness - in the imperfections of man. Solving these problems will require changes in government policy, but it will also require changes in hearts and a change in minds."

"In fact, because I do not believe that religious people have a monopoly on morality, I would rather have someone who is grounded in morality and ethics, and who is also secular, affirm their morality and ethics and values without pretending that they're something they're not."

"Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values. It requires that their proposals be subject to argument, and amenable to reason. I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church or evoke God's will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all."

"Even those who claim the Bible's inerrancy make distinctions between Scriptural edicts, sensing that some passages - the Ten Commandments, say, or a belief in Christ's divinity - are central to Christian faith, while others are more culturally specific and may be modified to accommodate modern life. The American people intuitively understand this, which is why the majority of Catholics practice birth control and some of those opposed to gay marriage nevertheless are opposed to a Constitutional amendment to ban it. Religious leadership need not accept such wisdom in counseling their flocks, but they should recognize this wisdom in their politics."

________



Any thoughts?


Read Obama's 'Call to Renewal'

Beliefnet Article with Video Clips

Christian Politics: An Ethical Standard of Human Life (pro-life)

“Christian politics” as I stare at that phrase up on my computer screen while trying to catch glimpses of the debates on TV I get the feeling that the idea is an oxymoron. Nevertheless I have decided to do a blog on the subject.

Before I get started, I do want to preface this by saying these are opinions. I will do my best not to lean toward either party or any particular candidate. I do have candidates that I like more than others, but my goal is not to persuade anyone toward anyone. My goal is to discuss values that I believe biblically all Christians should hold. Please read my views carefully and test them for your selves; and by the way, argue against them or for them if you feel the need.

Well, if I’m doing this thing and we all know how good I am at making people mad, I might as well just take on the entire moral majority at once. Christians should believe in an ethical standard of human life. This idea is neither new nor controversial. The right to “life” is even outlined in our Declaration of Independence. Even so, some how, some where, the idea of morality in politics got narrowed down to abortion and gay marriage. I suppose I’ll begin with the easy stuff.

Christians should be Pro-life. This holds true absolutely on the abortion issue. I do not believe that Christians should attack anyone who’s ever had an abortion. That is not the role that Christ called us to, but I do believe we should try and dissuade women from having them. There are too many righteous options and too many couples trying to adopt because they cannot have children. These views lead me to the belief that politicians and leaders should do more to make these options more attractive. This blog is a Pro-life blog though, not an anti-abortion.

Christians should be Pro-life. That means that Christians should be anti-Capitol punishment. There are many very solid very compelling arguments for Capitol punishment. This is an area of disagreement among Christians, even those who oppose abortion. However I do not believe that capitol punishment lines up with ideas like “Vengeance is mine says the Lord” (Romans 12:19-21) or “You without sin throw the first stone” (Luke 8:7). Capitol punishment is also a way of doubting the power of Jesus to restore and redeem, after all, is there any without sin? If I remember right it was a persecutor of Christ who ended up writing the majority of the new testament.

Christians should be Pro-life. That means that Christians should hold all human life to be sacred and treated as such. Psalms tells us that God creates individual life (139:13-14). Everything made by God should be valued as such. Christians also should hold that all life is eternal. (That’s not to say everyone will spend it together) Here’s where it gets messy. If all human life is sacred then so are the lives of murders, unborn children, people living in poverty, people dying of disease, people fighting wars, people whom wars are being fought around, dirt bags, mugs, thugs, riff raff, ruffians, hooligans, and even….Methodists! (Sorry for the Blazing Saddles reference) What I should have included on that list is people who are terrorists. Christians should not be ok with torture in any form, any way, or from any source. Churches are built on the blood of martyrs and Christianity spreads because of perseverance in the face of persecution, not by the sword. It is better for Christians to die for their belief in the love, mercy and abundant grace of Christ as well as our faith in eternal life, than it is to betray that for the sake of mortal life. (Matt 16:24-27)

I will get more into the idea of holding human life sacred on issues of poverty and disease and war later. For now, read what I’ve written, test it and let me know what you think.