I heard a leader from my church make a very irresponsible, bold statement the other day. This person said, "I don't know how you can call yourself a Christian and vote for Obama." Wow. How sad. A leader said that. Out loud in public. Where do I even start?
First, I believe our job as leaders in the church is to teach people to think, not to teach them what to think? We are here for spiritual guidance, not to shove our agenda down their throat. What good am I doing if I just go around and tell people what to do? If one of my students approached me for advice on who to vote for, I would not tell them which candidate to choose. That would be horribly irresponsible. I would walk them through some of the issues and help them discover things that are important to them. Teaching is not passing along information, it is enabling someone to discover truths for themselves. I am not saying that we should not tell people what we think, but I do believe we have a responsibility to not take advantage of our position as a leader. Is some one's salvation really in question because of who they vote for? What if someone young and impressionable heard the leader from my church make that statement? They would then have no real choice but to vote for McCain out of obligation and guilt. Is that even a real vote? I know it counts, but this vote was due to spiritual peer pressure, not due to research and ideals. This young person would have missed an opportunity to learn, grow, and stand for what they believe in. I am pretty sure the leader from my church has said that to other people as well. Not a good example. Very frustrating.
Second...really? Is it actually impossible to follow Christ and vote for Obama? I know he is pro-choice and that is obviously a deal breaker for many people. But what if there were issues more important to some Christians than abortion? Is that really the line that no Christ follower can cross? I had another friend tell me recently that he heard a pastor say that abortion is the issue that we can't sway on. Everything else hinges on it. Everything else hinges on it FOR HIM. Again, irresponsible leadership. I hope the next election has a pro-life Republican that supports same-sex marriage. Then what happens? I guess Christians don't vote. Maybe they will have to move. It might bring some to tears. I really don't believe that abortion is the only issue. It is a VERY critical one to me, but I will not judge my fellow Christ followers if they see it differently. That is not my job.
And last, when you surrender your heart to Christ, you do not have to join the Republican Party. You join the church. The church universal. You become a part of the body of Christ. They are not synonymous. I am a registered Republican and I am not knocking my own party, but I do think it is ridiculous that so many believers will vote Republican without even researching candidates or issues. These people were probably taught that Christians always vote Republican. Taught by irresponsible leaders. For crying out loud, learn something. Think for yourself! Read a newspaper. Watch the debates. Watch CNN and Fox News. You may find that one day there will be a democrat who represents your ideals very well. (Just don't tell the people in your Bible study. They may not understand.)
