Evangelical Christians: It's Time To Move Past Two Issue Politics

It is time for evangelical Christians, who profess to fully reflect Christ-focused values at the polls to move past two issues…the politics of marriage and life, while embracing the true principles of Jesus…helping the poor spiritually and materially; peacemaking; stewardship of the environment; befriending those systematically facing racial, sexual and class discrimination; and welcoming the stranger or the immigrant seeking a better life in a very rich nation.

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.

Viewing the 2010 Election Through Eyes of Faith: Obstacles or Opportunities?

For many years, following each major election, I connected with the late Dr. Dorothy I. Height, Civil Rights Icon and Chair Emerita of the National Council of Negro Women, to get her perspective on the results.  She had an amazing way of seeing the whole forest when most people could only see the trees. After the candidates I supported lost, I would complain to Dr. Height about how the candidates with compassion for the under-served were defeated and how little we would be able to accomplish for those at the bottom economically. She would look at me and say, in a quiet but absolutely confident voice, “Dr. Skinner, you can always work with whatever is available to do what God has called you to do.” She would then remind me of struggles past where God-fearing trailblazers like Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., and others used whatever was available to help create a better world without the benefit of technology, social networking, and other resources we now enjoy.

Dr. Height, died just six months ago at the age of 98, so following the November election, I called another highly respected Civil Rights Icon and Elder Statesperson, Dr. Otis Moss. Dr. Moss is the former Pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, the same church that Dr. King pastored before he was assassinated.  In a similar vein as Dr. Height, but in a booming voice that sounded like God speaking, Dr. Moss said, “Dr. Skinner, we have come through many stormy elections and battles in the past. We will come through this election and many more by God’s grace.” 

Remembering the wise words of two amazing sounding boards, I reflected on the election where President Barack Obama and his party were badly beaten; and where those now leading the U.S. Senate vowed to ensure the defeat in 2012 of our nation’s first African American President. I pondered how a pro-life, social justice Christian and Democrat like me could turn the obstacles of the 2010 election into opportunities for the under-served.

The first opportunity I have is to view the election through the eyes of faith in an all powerful God.  I firmly believe that absolutely nothing happens on earth without the knowledge and permission, though not necessarily the endorsement, of Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth. God is neither Democrat, Republican, nor Tea Party, and is more concerned about the character, attitude, and behavior modeled by those in the faith community than the election’s outcome.  Over the past two years, since the election of President Obama, many in the faith community became more loyal to party labels and slogans than operating in a spirit of love, mutual respect and civility. The negative, shrill, name-calling and demonizing of opponents in this election was often so offensive and poisonous that it was hard to separate those from the faith community from others who never claimed to be. 

The second opportunity I have is to embrace the love ethic of Jesus to care about every person I encounter, including in the political arena, in the same way that I care about myself. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. defined this ethic as agape love or the love that sees enemies as potential friends or colleagues. It is the kind of love that makes it totally unacceptable to demonize those from opposing political parties whose philosophies of government and core values differ from mine. Such a powerful, God kind of love leads me to pray for those who were elected on November 2^nd –  that any stony hearts against the needs of the under-served can be turned into hearts of compassion. At a minimum, it means that my dialogues and engagement with those from other political parties and points of view will be conducted with the utmost civility. 

The third opportunity I have from this election is to become better organized and a more effective messenger, as I join forces with like-minded persons in future elections to advocate for the moral and social justice issues I care about. Some of these issues include justice and economic support for the poor and vulnerable; care for the elderly; protection of all life, both human and the environment; replacement of war with peace; and protection of marriage between a man and woman as I understand God’s word, without violating the fundamental civil and human rights of those with other viewpoints.


Viewed through the eyes of faith, the 2010 election has become for me, not an occasion for fear and anxiety about the future, but an open door to turn what appeared to be insurmountable obstacles into enormous opportunities.