God is Not a Republican

Okay, God is not a Republican, anymore than He is a baseball player. And Both the Republican Party and the Democratric Party are far from perfect. However, there are certain issues that are far more important than others, and certain directions that would be far more devastating than others for our country to take. Between the two parties (and I sincerely wish that we weren’t locked into this de facto two-party system so that there would be more meaningful choices come election time), there is one that is obviously a better choice Morally for a true Christian, when one evaluates the moral importance of the issues and where they lead our country.

Referring to the web page with the petition: Yes, the Bible is clear that peace is better than war, but it is also clear that war is often (on the grand scale of things) necessary. Yes, the Bible is clear that the poor need to be taken care of, but it is also clear that taking care of the poor should be the choice of individuals, not forced on them by others (by forcibly taking from them). Oh, and let’s not forget that the Bible is clear that people should work and be responsible for themselves and their actions as much as is possible. And yes, the Bible says that we need to respect others, but the Bible is also clear that we (not as individuals, but as nations) need to defend ourselves, need to condemn sin and promote morality, and need to honor and trust God.

However, I don’t see any way the Bible could be used to support killing one’s own unborn babies! Nowhere in the Bible is there any give on homosexuality. And to use think that God would be against capital punishment?!

And to lock it down, if all things morally are equal, sure, pick the ones that you think will do the best economically for you (although I think that people should vote for what will do the best for the Nation, not just for themselves). But given the choice between voting for what you think will benefit you the most, or moral issues, the God’s Word is clear: “Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a disgrace to any people.” (Prov 14:34). God will take care of the people who seek after Him and try to act morally, not the people who act always by “what’s in it for me?” (Btw, this is what Pat Robertson was talking about when talking about George W. Bush; he was not saying anything about, “divine appointment for the President,” or giving “uncritical affirmation of his policies.”)

Yes, I agree that God is not a Republican, and I agree that “all candidates should be examined by measuring their policies against the complete range of Christian ethics and values.” But based on an evaluation of all policies (or most, anyway…I’m don’t think I can claim to have not missed anything) of both parties, at this point in time the balance falls quite strongly towards the Republican Party as being the party that a Christian should support.

Thanks for the comments, Paul! One question I have, though: how do you decide which issues are “far more important than others?” I agree that abortion and the definition of marriage are vitally important issues. But what makes them “far more important” than issues relating to poverty and war? My reading of the Old Testament in particular suggests to me that God takes economic injustice very seriously — so much so that mistreatment of the poor is one of His principal indictments of Israel in the prophetic literature. I don’t want to diminish the social issues conservative Evangelicals tend to be involved in, but I do wish we’d take a more holistic view of our political involvement.