The term “evangelical” comes from the Greek word “evangelion”,
meaning “the good news” or the “gospel.” Evangelical faith focuses on the “good
news” of salvation brought to sinners by Jesus Christ. To be an evangelical
follower of Jesus Christ means to live one’s life according to the standards
set by Jesus throughout the Gospels. Among other core values, to be an
evangelical means believing the Bible to be the inspired, infallible,
authoritative Word of God.
This is where the confusion arises. Pro-life must mean more
than protection of life for nine months in the womb. It must be centered in the
New Testament Book of Matthew 25, the doctrine which values the life of those who
Jesus called “the least of these”---the child born to a poor family--- the life
of the working poor, who are not looking for a hand out, but a hand up through
skills training, in order for them to live in decency and dignity. It means
strengthening the quality of life of the elderly poor, most of whom invested
during their working years in Social Security and Medicare which is now owed to
them; not being given to them. It also means seeking ways of preventing the
need for abortion…through providing quality health care, child care, and job
training for poor women, as well as broader alternative to adoption.
Following Jesus, I strongly believe, does mean marriage
between a man and a woman for those who have placed the values of God above
political values and the standards of our world. But it also means not
demonizing or judging those who have chosen a different lifestyle. The greatest
commandment, to “love God and every neighbor as you love yourself”, calls
evangelical Christians to a higher standard of manifesting God’s love to
everyone.
For the election tomorrow and for future elections, the
question for the nearly 100 million “born again” Christians should be: what are
the standards by which candidates for office should be judged? Before accepting
Jesus as the center of my life several decades ago, my standards for judging
candidates were that of a progressive Democrat who voted against war, poverty,
racism, sexism, ageism, and for abortion, gay marriage, and environmental
stewardship.
All this changed when I met and married the late Tom
Skinner, a well known evangelist, author, powerful Bible teacher and messenger
of the “Good News”. Tom helped me to dig deep into God’s word, compare
scripture to scripture for a holistic biblical understanding on a range of
vital issues like marriage, life of the unborn, war, peace, poverty, justice
and the environment. It was my love for God above every other love of my life,
including my political and cultural viewpoints, that led me to re-examine my
position on all issues. It has led me to become “completely pro-life” from
conception to the grave; including life of the planet; pro-traditional marriage;
pro-racial healing; pro-justice for the poor and pro-peace.
How then should evangelical Christians who want to vote
their values do so in the choice between President Barack Obama and Governor
Mitt Romney? President Obama is pro-choice and pro-gay marriage. Yet, he has
championed polices that address the needs of middle and working class Americans…like
health care, saving the auto industry, making college affordable for all
Americans through Pell grants, fair pay for women, tax cuts for small business,
and putting a “circle of protection” around the poor in Congressional deficit
reduction and budget cutting efforts. He has ended the War in Iraq and has made
environmental stewardship a high priority. President Obama has consistently
affirmed his faith in the Lordship of Jesus Christ on numerous occasions, where
I have been present. Contrary to those who still say he is a Muslim, it has
never occurred to me that I should not take President Obama at his word that he
is a Christian, or Governor Romney that he is a Mormon. Anything else would be
presumptuous or arrogant on my part.
Governor Romney has been unwavering during his political
career in his commitment to marriage between a man and a woman. His position on
abortion is still as unclear as it is ever changing. As governor of
Massachusetts, he was pro-life, but said he was committed to protect a woman's
right to choose under the laws of the country and the commonwealth. However, as
the Republican candidate in the 2012 election, he defined himself as “severely
conservative”, and changed his position to being solidly pro-life and against
abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother. On
issues of justice for the poor and underserved, Governor Romney’s position
until recently, referred to 47% of the nation as unproductive and allowing the
poor and the elderly to fend for themselves. His more recent public stance
shifting toward compassion for the average or poor American makes it difficult
to determine his real position.
Whoever becomes President will be confronted with many very
serious issues facing our nation which will require impeccable character,
morally excellent leadership, and will need to be humble enough to seek both
bipartisan partners and divine direction.
Let me suggest six
basic guidelines for evangelical Christians to follow, using the model…“How
would Jesus vote”?
FIRST. As evangelist, author Tony Evans suggests, in his
book, “How Should Christians Vote?”, Christians should vote “for the party,
person, or platform that best represents God’s values” This includes the values of righteous living;
fair treatment of others; protecting and valuing all life; looking out for the
vulnerable and exercising good stewardship of the planet.
SECOND. Realize that God is neither Democrat nor Republican.
When your political party’s positions are contrary to your understanding of the
broad biblical witness, embrace God’s word as your standard. Evangelist Tony
Campolo — in his book Is Jesus a Democrat or Republican?", answers by
saying, “We should never try to shoe horn Jesus into our own personal
agendas."
THIRD. Become familiar with the politics of Jesus rooted in
justice for the vulnerable; safeguarding the sacredness and value of all life;
and righteous stewardship of the earth. Weigh
all candidates stances based on the politics of Jesus.
FOUR. Become familiar with voting guidelines of evangelical
organizations like the National Association of Evangelicals (www.nae.org), Sojourner (sojo.net) or develop voter guidelines for future elections for your
church, denomination or ministry. Base them on a full range of vital issues
beyond marriage and the life of the unborn.
FIVE. Pray and ask God’s guidance as you examine the record
and positions of candidates against the biblical standard. Pray for fair
elections with no hindrances to the precious right to vote.
SIX. Develop a biblically based understanding of the role of
government based on God’s word. The role
of government, among other guidelines, is “to restrain evil and promote good”
according to author Dr. Ronald Sider, President of Evangelicals for Social
Action. You should also consider
organizing forums and seminars to help those you know better understand this
important issue.
Tom Skinner once preached that for us to know what heaven is
like, we should be able to see a little bit of heaven through the everyday
lives of God’s people on earth. We should be able to watch how they live, work,
handle their marriages, raise their children, manage everything from their sex
lives to their finances and relationships, and respect people who are different
from them. I pray that in the 2012 election and all future elections,
evangelicals and people of conscience will follow all the teachings of Jesus
and not focus exclusively on marriage and life.
