{"id":948,"date":"2012-08-13T23:27:39","date_gmt":"2012-08-13T23:27:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hushbeck.com\/blog\/?p=948"},"modified":"2012-08-14T03:47:13","modified_gmt":"2012-08-14T03:47:13","slug":"faith-politics-and-the-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hushbeck.com\/blog\/2012\/08\/faith-politics-and-the-election\/","title":{"rendered":"Faith, Politics and the Election"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the first post in a debate\u00a0sponsored\u00a0by my publisher, Energion<\/a> on the upcoming election. \u00a0The starting question \u00a0is:<\/p>\n

How does your faith inform your decisions during this election season, including both thinking and actions leading up to the election (involvement, etc) and your vote?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let me start by stating up front that I do not see my view, in any way, as being \u201cthe Christian view.\u201d \u00a0It is very easy when laying out one\u2019s views, particularly in such a short space, to take the positive affirmations I make as somehow implying criticism of others who have reached somewhat different conclusions.\u00a0 That is neither my belief nor my intent. I fully believe that there are devoted and believing Christians who reach very different conclusions, just as Christians do in so many other areas. \u00a0That one, or both sides may be wrong is not a reason for criticism, but for dialogue and prayer.<\/p>\n

My starting point, at least for this question, is that I believe we should be involved.\u00a0 In short, I take the verses that talk about our relationship to the state to basically mean that we should be good citizens. In a democratic form of government this means that we should take an interest in government and that we should vote.<\/p>\n

We are to be the salt of the world, and while I do not believe this is primarily a political command–far from it–neither do I think that this excludes politics.\u00a0\u00a0 While it is easy to be discouraged and fatalistic, after all, God is in control; what can we do; the same could be said of witnessing.\u00a0\u00a0 While it is true that there are a lot of unsavory people involved in politics, I would argue that this calls for wisdom and caution, not avoidance.<\/p>\n

So if we take involvement as a given, and if not, the rest of this is pretty much meaningless, how then should we be involved?\u00a0 As with everything else in the Christian world, this will vary significantly from person to person.\u00a0 A few will be called to be active, and fewer still to run for office.\u00a0 For most it will simply be a matter of becoming well enough informed so that one can cast a considered vote.<\/p>\n

But this raises the question, how will you decide for whom to vote?\u00a0 After all Jesus is not running and no one else will live up to his standards.\u00a0\u00a0 Everyone will be deficient in one way or another.\u00a0 While true, this is no more relevant to picking someone for City Council or President than it is for picking someone to be your pastor.\u00a0\u00a0 The bottom line becomes who is the best person, among the candidates, for the job.<\/p>\n

Now here I am going to step on some toes, and I apologize in advance, but voting for someone who cannot win is, in my mind, an act of selfishness.\u00a0 To me this is removing oneself from the final decision so that one can feel good about themselves, whether it is a vote for Ross Perot in 1992, or Ralph Nader in 2000.\u00a0\u00a0 In this election, either President Obama will be elected to a second term, or Mitt Romney will be elected to a first.\u00a0 Voting for any other candidate is the same as not voting. It removes one from the decision making process and leaves it to others to make the decision.<\/p>\n

As for what shapes my decision, that is probably best summed up by 1 John 3:16-18.<\/p>\n

This is how we have come to know Love: The Messiah gave his life for us. We, too, ought to give our lives for our brothers.\u00a0 17 Whoever has early possessions and notices a brother in need and yet withholds compassion from him, how can the love of God be present in him?\u00a0 18 Little Children, we must not express love merely by our words and manner of speech; we must love also in action and in truth. (ISV<\/a>)<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A full exposition of these verses would take more space than I have, so let me just highlight a couple of points.\u00a0 First, we as Christians do have a duty to those in need, as Christ sacrificed for us, we too should sacrifice for others.\u00a0 This is not just a command to give of our excess, of what we can spare or afford. After all could Christ \u201cafford\u201d his life?<\/p>\n

Secondly, notice that verse 17 talks about withholding compassion, not about withholding possessions. \u00a0Our primary duty is not to give, but to love. All that we do must stem from a true love for those in need.<\/p>\n

Finally, our love cannot just be an expression of concern, but it must work itself out in our actions and in truth.\u00a0 In fact the concepts of Truth and Love are central to much of John\u2019s message and finding the correct balance between them is extremely difficult, as these two often seem, at least to us, to be in conflict.<\/p>\n

Of course, trying to take the concepts of truth and love, which are difficult enough on their own, and apply them to public policy is not an easy\u00a0 process, which is why Christians can and do reach such different conclusions.\u00a0 Applying them to a choice of flawed men running for office is even harder, which will probably become apparent in the following weeks.<\/p>\n

This is one of the reasons why, while I may politically differ with other Christians, I am not going to question their commitment to God or their faith merely because they reach different political conclusions than I have.\u00a0\u00a0 Again such disagreement should call, not for condemnation, but for more dialogue and prayer, as we all seek to live our faith in love and in truth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the first post in a debate\u00a0sponsored\u00a0by my publisher, Energion on the upcoming election. \u00a0The starting question \u00a0is: How does your faith inform your decisions during this election season, including both thinking and actions leading up to the election (involvement, etc) and your vote? 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