Chapter 1

Election 2008

Thinking Biblical About Politics

Part 1[1]

[Romans 13:1-7]

13 Let every person pbe subject to the governing authorities. For qthere is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you rwill receive his approval, 4 for she is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, tan avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also ufor the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 vPay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

[Slide 34] On Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008, roughly speaking 439 million people[2] will select the 56th President of the United States of American. 

• The media would have us believe that there are only two contenders . . . actually there are 9 contenders vying for the presidency of the United States.
• The media would have us believe that there are only two political parties.  Actually there are nine political parties from which to choose.

I.     [Slide 35] Party Summaries

A.     Primary Candidates

As we all know, the two primary political parties are the Republicans and Democrats.

·        The Republican Party has chosen John McCain, the senior United States Senator from Arizona as its nominee;

·        the Democratic Party has chosen Barack Obama, the junior United States Senator from Illinois, as its nominee.

B.    The 2008 election is particularly notable[3]

. . . because:

·        it is the first time in U.S. history that two sitting senators will run against each other for president

·        it is the first time an African American is a presidential nominee for a major party,

·        it is the first time both major candidates were born outside the continental United States—Hawaii for Obama and the Panama Canal Zone for McCain.

With Senator Barack Obama, who is of mixed African and Caucasian parentage, and John McCain's selection of Governor Sarah Palin for Vice-President, the eventual winning ticket will bring a new context to American history.[4]

C.    Other Presidential candidates[5]

·        Libertarian Party--nominated former Congressman Bob Barr,

·        Constitution Party--nominated pastor and radio talk show host Chuck Baldwin,

·        Green Party--nominated former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney.

·        Ralph Nader declined to seek the Green Party nomination and is running as an independent candidate.

·        America’s Independent Party—Former Ambassador Alan Keyes of Maryland

·        Party for Socialism and Liberation—Gloria La Riva of California

·        Socialist Party USA—Antiwar activist Brian Moore of Florida, and Steward Alexander of California

II.   [Slide 36] Thinking Biblically

In light of the number of candidates and platforms, and in light of the length the Presidential election campaigns this year, many are giving up on politics and the voting process. A common phrase we hear is: "I don't like either candidate, so I'm staying home." It is easy to become cynical over the empty promises and bantering.   

But as a Christian, whether we like it or not, to not vote is not an option—it's not only a civic duty, it is also a very sacred responsibility. Voting is required of us, not only because it is a mark of good citizenship, but because we are God’s agents for appointing leaders for today.[6]

As we approach Election time, I want to challenge us to think about selection process.  After all, this could be an 8 year commitment.  Were not going to talk about red states and blue states, nor will we talk about political parties, voting blocs, platforms or even candidates.[7] 

A.     [Click] How should we go about choosing the best candidates?

Let me suggest up front, that it is not by pulling a partisan lever—that's knee-jerk ideology that many of us have bought into the voting booth out of frustration.  Christians are to live instead by revealed truth, never captive to any political party.

Thus, the best place to go for wisdom is not the candidates' websites, but the Bible.

B.    [Click] So what might a faith-informed vote look like?

I’ll admit that the Bible does not talk about everything under the 21st century sun. But believe it, God has a lot to say about the political arena.  For example:

• Daniel 2:20-21, He sovereignly removes and sets up rulers
• Proverbs 21:1, He sovereignly turns ruler’s hearts
• Exodus 21-22, He addresses such issues as manslaughter, premeditated murder, assault, kidnapping, slavery, abortion, infanticide, property crimes, criminal negligence, assaulting parents, robbery and bestiality.
• Leviticus 13, 20 He address such issues as public health laws and homosexuality
• Deuteronomy 17-22 He sets forth his position regarding violation of court orders, perjury, malicious accusations, building codes, juvenile delinquency and rape.
• Exodus 18:21(ESV), he sets the standard for civil government leaders-- look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. [8]
• Romans 13, We are told that God ordains civil powers  . . . meaning government is not a secular institution, but a God ordained institution.  God has given government the role to wield the sword to preserve order and restrain evil. Thus, the guiding principle here is that we should seek leaders best able to do just that, leaders that are capable in pursue justice.[9]

If we take God's perspective on politics seriously, we see that he is deeply concerned about fairnesshe h.

• Hosea 12:6(ESV) by the help of your God hold fast to love and justice
• Amos 5:15(ESV) Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate  
• Micah 6:8 (ESV) what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

God also has special ‘interest groups’--the poor, the hungry, the unborn, the handicapped, the prisoner—those with the least access to political power.[10]

III.  [Slide 37] A Biblical Voting Grid

In order for us to think biblically when we go to the polls November 4th, we need to develop what I am going to call ‘a Biblical Voting Grid’ that’s consistent with Kingdom purposes, or Kingdom values.

So let’s look at some kingdom values that we should use as we go to the polls.

A.     [Click] The primacy of love[11]

I think the first principle should come from Luke 10:27(ESV)  Remember the Lawyer who asked Jesus, “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (v25).  Jesus then asked him a question: “What is written in the law?”  The Lawyer responded:

V27 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Here’s the principle—the command to love must be at the forefront of our thinking.  That being true, in light of this principle, we would be forced to ask:

What does it look like to demonstrate love to the people involved in this matter?

Let’s play with this for a moment.

If we’re asked to vote on an educational issue, for example, we need to do more than ask what’s right for my family and children. 

We also need to consider what constitutes a loving response toward teachers, students, and taxpayers. There may be a number of aspects, but that question has to be our starting point.

For example, in South Africa there is something that is called ‘apartheid’.  It is a philosophical position that separates races, nationalities, and ethnic groups.  If the theologians in South Africa had approached the issue from our principle #27. they would have seen that God’s love is not exclusive to one people group, but to all people groups.  Because, after all, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

We could look at our 9 presidential nominees—as we vote for party or person . . . and ask: how will the nominees or party facilitate an atmosphere in which love for all people can take place?

B.    [Slide 38] The call to be reconcilers

Let’s take another principle . . .

2 Corinthians 5:14-20 (ESV) 14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Paul’s encounter with the risen Christ on the Damascus road radically changed his thinking (Acts 9:1–15).

• All of his learning and all of his training under the teachers of the law and the respected Gamaliel had not led him to the truth.
• The wisdom of the world had not pointed him to the Savior of the world.[12]

Then on the way to Damascus he met the risen Lord Jesus. Think about this astounding point:

Jesus gave up his life for others—not only for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles. As a Pharisee, Paul had strictly followed Jewish law and its traditions, which limited contact with unbelieving Gentiles In light of Christ’s work,  Paul abandoned those scruples and began calling Gentiles to faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 11:13; 15:16). He regarded everyone—both Jew and Gentile—as completely unworthy sinners before God (Romans 3:9).

Anyone who acknowledged this fact, repented, and believed in Jesus as their Lord and Savior would enter the Christian community, whether Jew or Gentile (Ephesians 3:6). Paul no longer was looking on the outward appearances—whether a person was from a certain ethnic or racial origin. Instead, he evaluated people through Christ’s perspective.[13]

Paul says, look at what God has done at great sacrifice.  Based on Christ’s death, Paul is insistent that Christians have no right to live selfishly (5:14).[14]

Here’s the grid principle: Because I am a Christ follower, I am compelled to work in behalf of minorities and excluded groups.  So the question for us at the voting booth is,

• Will the issues on the table hinder or encourage our working with all people, no matter nationalities and ethnicities? 
• How might we be “ambassadors of reconciliation” in this issue, moving people toward a better understand-ing (both intellectually and experientially) of who God is?

C.    God’s passion for justice

Let’s look at another grid principle.  It’s impossible to read the Old Testament and not see God’s passion for ‘justice’.  Amos puts it this way:

Amos 5:23-24 (ESV) 23 Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. 24 But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Ezekiel wrote:

Ezekiel 22:28-29 (ESV) 28 And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord has not spoken. 29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice.

Such passages call us to vote against injustices in our communities and political systems.  For any given issue we must ask: What is being established here: justice or oppression?

For example: say Congress considers a law that would prohibit import of products created by child labor.  Such a law would most likely impact our spending when cheap labor no longer provides me with expensive goods that I expect or want.  But . . . do I love these children enough to support the law, to stand for justice and against child oppression—even if it costs me something?

D.    Grace and truth

Let’s consider one more grid pillar.  In John 1:14(ESV) we’re told of two Jesus character traits:

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

There are two frameworks that we all live in, some of us more in one framework than the other, and viceversa.  Some of us tend to teach only ‘truth’—that is, a legalistic righteousness that is harshly enforced, others teach a kind of ‘easy’ grace that avoids the seriousness of sin. 

John tells us that in Jesus, grace and truth exist simultaneously—a life giving paradox.  The penalty of our sin is dealt with in His death, satisfying God’s unwavering commitment to truth . . . while at the same time opening a door to grace.

Because this is a central aspect of our faith, we must ask ourselves, How does God’s grace and His truth intersect with the issues we are being called upon to vote on?

IV. Grappling with the Issues

So . . . what about Election 2008?  Voting by the Book gives us a process for applying biblical truth to political issues that the Bible doesn’t talk about directly.[15]

A.     Romans 14:4-5 guide

Taking our fourfold grid to the polls doesn’t necessarily means that we are all going to vote the same way.  Paul understood that believers often times have conflicting convictions:

Romans 14:4-5 (ESV) 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

The goal in trying to think biblically about complex political issues is not to come up with the one right way to cast a vote.  Rather, it is to submit our thinking to God’s Word and let those truths, combined with prayer, shape our convictions.  Our consciences, when led by the Holy Spirit and enmeshed with Scripture, become an important aid in make decisions about political subjects. 

Instead of allowing our emotions to dictate choices at the polls, we do our best to identify the conviction that fits the choice before us.

B.    Questions to spur our thinking

To help us think biblically, I came across an article by Gordon MacDonald entitled “Gordon MacDonald’s 2008 Questions.”[16] To help us go to the polls responsibly, let me define some of the issues:

1.    Which presidential candidate will give us a government that will recoup our reputation in the world as a generous and compassionate nation? And could he/she take more seriously the fact that a large part of this world now finds our country distasteful?

2. Is there a candidate brave enough to influence the formulation of bold new initiatives regarding energy-consumption, health-care, and Social Security?

3. Does he/she think they could stop putting our grandchildren in hock with hideous deficits?

5. Would he/she pledge to be so truthful with the American people that no reasonable person would question their integrity?

6. Is he/she concerned about the growing social crisis of the separation between the rich and the poor?

7. Might he/she intend to offer any form of moral influence that would raise the tastes of our nation in its choices of entertainment, the spending of its money, and its growing addiction to sports?

These are all questions with an admitted political ring to them. But each arises from thinking as a biblical person.

C.    A Call To Prayer

In an email to my Dad this week, a friend writes: “This is the scariest election we as Christians have ever faced . . . and from the looks of the polls, Christians are not voting Christian values.”[17]

During WWII there was an advisor to Churchhill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every night at 9PM to collectively pray for one minute for the safety of England.

As then, so now, there is a group of American Citizens who have covenanted the same.  I invite you to join them each evening at 8PM Central Time . . . stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute [60 sec] in praying for our Country, our troops, and for the upcoming election.

Paul instructs us: I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for . . . for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. [1 Timothy 2:1-2 (ESV)]

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[1] Gerrit Wolfaardt, “Voting by the Book,” Discipleship Journal   May/June 2008, pp. 52-61; Robert Don Hughes, “What’s History Got To Do With It?”   Discipleship Journal   May/June 2008, pp. 44-50; Ron Sider, “Big Picture Politics,”  Discipleship Journal   May/June   2008, pp. 34-43; Hughes, R. K. (1991). Romans : Righteousness from heaven. Preaching the Word (246). Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books. MacArthur, J. (1996, c1991, c1994). Romans (210). Chicago: Moody Press; Chuck Colson with Anne Morse, “Voting Like It Matters,” http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/article_print.html?id=60563; Gordon MacDonald, “Gordon MacDonald's 2008 Questions” http://blog.christianitytoday. com /outofur/archives/2007/03/gordon_macdonal.html; Daniel Taylor & Mark McCloskey, “How to Pick a President,”  Christianity Today, October 15, 2008   http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/article_print.

Html?id=55724.

[2] Cf., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_States

[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2008

[4] as either the first African American will be elected President along with the first Roman Catholic, Joe Biden, as Vice President or the oldest President will be elected with the first woman Vice President.

[5] Ibid

[6] Chuck Colson with Anne Morse, “Voting Like It Matters,” http://www.christianitytoday.com/ ct/article_ print.html?id=60563;

[7] Connie Willems, “Thinking Biblically About Politics,”  May/June 2008, p33.

[8] The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

[9] Cf., Chuck Colson with Anne Morse, “Voting Like It Matters,” http://www.christianitytoday.com/ ct/article_ print.html?id=60563;

[10]Cf.,  Ibid.

[11] Gerrit Wolfaardt, “Voting by the Book,” Discipleship Journal   May/June 2008, pp. 52-61

[12]Barton, B. B., & Osborne, G. R. (1999). 1 & 2 Corinthians. Life application Bible commentary (354). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.

[13]Ibid. (see Acts 10:34–44 for Peter’s discovery of this; see Acts 10:12–16, 28–29 for Peter’s reaction to entering a Gentiles’ house.

[14]Ibid

[15] Gerrit Wolfaardt, “Voting by the Book,” Discipleship Journal   May/June 2008, pp. 52-61; Chuck Colson with Anne Morse, “Voting Like It Matters,” http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/article_print.html?id=60563;

[16] Gordon MacDonald, “Gordon MacDonald’s 2008 Questions”, http://blog.christianitytoday .com/outofur/ archives/2007/03/gordon_macdonal.html

[17] Roy Culbertson email to Ray Wolfe, Thursday, 10.16.08