my thoughts on politics and the Christian revisited

this past sunday (which happened to be my last at grace mission ministries in durham, tear), someone posed a particular question of interest:

what candidate, or what party in the upcoming election should we, as Christians, support?

now, to those who have read my blog over the past month or so (i apologize for the sporadic timing of posts and whatnot) you would remember that a couple weeks ago i posted a particular AIM conversation about this topic that i had with kevin, a brother that i have mentored over the past 10 months... about a week after making the post i deleted it, just because i feared that my words, which at times were very brash, could influence brothers and sisters in the wrong way. a lot of the things i stated i back up wholeheartedly, but i felt it was wiser to delete the post.

however, after this past sunday, i just feel that i must comment once again on this issue (especially after having this conversation with Christian, my mentor in korea).

so, in order answer the question: neither party, no candidate is the best "Christian" party/candidate.

sounds like a cop-out, eh? haha

but really, there has been a notion over the past 30 years (at least since the rise of the Christian Right) that in order to be a "true Christian" or a "real Christian" you must vote republican. while i believe that we as Christians should each individually assert ourselves in the voting booth, i do not go so far as to think that we all should throw our votes behind a specific party or candidate just because we identify ourselves as Christians. as my mentor explained to me, our allegiance is not to a party, our allegiance is to Christ.

true, there are certain issues that are non-negotiable in terms of where we as a demographic stand (abortion being the main one), but other than that, aligning ourselves wholeheartedly (and in some cases, blindly) behind a specific party only will lead us to being manipulated as a voting bloc.

like i said earlier, our allegiance is to Christ, not to a party, and therefore when we seek to assert our political capability by voting, we should seek to do so understanding that when each party's beliefs are held up against the perfect morality and example of Christ, each party has its benefits and its weaknesses, and whether republican or democrat, both parties fall short. Christ is and was the best candidate, given the fact that He coupled strong moralism and perfect leadership qualities with a genuine love for the have-nots, always looking to provide for their welfare. while the republican party from a Christian perspective has the benefit of leaders who are very strong (conservative) morally, they fall short in looking to provide equality and to meet the welfare of those who are less-off. in the book of James, James speaks to how we as Christians cannot afford to just proclaim our faith (and our moralism) while not meeting the needs of others (James 2:15-17). republican economic and social policies which reward the richest citizens of this country while cutting funding from the social programs that the poor desperately need is not cutting it, and is definitely not a line of thinking that a Christian should support. democrats, on the other hand, generally are very much for providing for the general social welfare (through large government programs, advocating universal health care, etc), but from a Christian perspective, they suffer from a moral relativism that falls short. we as Christians cannot tolerate everything being "relative." our yes is yes, our no must be no, and we cannot tolerate politically leaders who suffer from moral relativism, refusing to take any true ground as to what is right and what is wrong in the world.

when we take the bait, when we fall prey to political pandering and declare ourselves affiliated to one party over the other, we are making ourselves vulnerable to the manipulation and political aspirations of politicians and other leaders. like i said twice before, our affiliation is to Christ, and Christ alone. barack obama may be a charismatic figure, john mccain may exude the leadership qualities or the moderation that make him an attractive candidate, but both fall short in comparison to Christ. we cannot lose sight of this truth, because when it comes down it, these leaders are politicians... willing to say and do what they must in order to attain their political goals, and in order to receive as many votes as possible.

.:why Christians vote republican, a short historical interruption::.
historically, before the 1970s, pastors all over america, instead of encouraging their congregations to vote republican, used to in fact encourage their congregations to not vote at all (speaking generally about the evangelical Christian community, the black Christian community has been deeply involved politically since its inception), understanding that neither party is going to come close to the example set forth by our Lord.

it was not until the conservative faction of the republican party (specifically southern democrats who after the campaign of barry goldwater began to align themselves with the republican party) started to forge connections with many of the popular evangelical leaders of that time (pat robertson, jerry falwell, robert grant, james dobson), in part a response to desegregation and roe v. wade, from which these leaders initiated campaigns to mobilize the Christian community behind the republican party. this change is supported by pat robertson's failed attempt to run for the republican nomination in 1988, and the Christian coalition's stated goal of having control of the republican party and the white house by 1996, and the election and reelection of george w bush can be attributed to such a union between the Christian demographic at large and the republican party. however it has not always been this way. many republicans (who historically have been largely state's rights, and championed individual rights) until after the reagan administration asserted that issues of abortion and gay marriage were state issues, if not individual issues. that all ended once they realized that "moral majority" as we as a Christian demographic have been called, is and was central to any chance of republican political success.

i point this out only to show that the Christian community has not always been republican (actually, in the 1976 election, Christians by the numbers supported democratic candidate jimmy carter, who went on to win the election.. this also caused the republican party to seek gaining the Christian vote, which they were successful in doing, by making the reagan campaign and administration one largely centered around reagan's moral superiority/ conservative values).

for many of us (especially us in this new generation, 80s babies and so forth) we have always defined the Christian community as being politically aligned with the republican party, since it was something that began in the years before we were born. it therefore has made it difficult for us to understand that being Christian does not necessarily mean republican. it doesn't mean democrat, either.

it means that we attach our identity, our affiliation, onto the one who freely gave it to us in the first place, Jesus Christ. it means that we place our hopes and our dreams for the world and for america with Him, and with the Father, knowing that He is sovereign over all, regardless of what vote we cast. all in all, when it comes down to it, it is God who decides what leader runs this country, and it is God who uses that leader to do His will. i think that many of us lose sight of this fact when election time rolls around, because we grow so attached to the issues, that we lose that eternal perspective. there are those, even in the Christian community, who think that voting one way or the other means bringing in a leader that will ultimately bring greater and greater prosperity to this country. but saying so forgets the big picture. it forgets the prophetic words of Revelation, of Jesus, and of the OT prophets who told us that as the time of His reappearance rapidly approaches the world will not grow in prosperity (america will not live forever as the greatest nation on earth, that right is reserved for Christ and His New Jerusalem kingdom), but rather in greater sin, war, and destruction. we must trust that God is going to bring about His will regardless of the political leaders that are put in place, and we must instead fix our gaze onto Him, readying ourselves for His coming, seeking to make more disciples, and to preach the gospel to the ends of the Earth.

with that said, we still must seek to submit to whatever leader is in place, praying for them, supporting them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, understanding that they one day will have to give an account for their deeds, just as we will. just as we are called to submit to our pastors, parents, and small group leaders, we are called to submit to those leaders of nations as well, trusting that God is doing His will through them, regardless of whether we personally agree with the political decisions he or she makes.

for us, as Christians, it is about having that eternal perspective. the things of this Earth are fleeting pleasures, so we should not worry ourselves to death over what candidate is elected, what their effects will be on us economically, or otherwise. we know that our treasure, our home, our citizenship is in Heaven, not here on earth.

so go vote for obama, or go vote for mccain with a clear conscience.
(idk about Hillary tho, haha)

i'm voting for obama. but it doesn't matter.


because when it comes down to it, God is sovereign over it all.
i'd trust His will over 300 million americans any day.