This morning I received an email from a “born-again” reader who chastised me for being a liberal.
“Why are you still politically liberal since becoming a born again Christian?” he wrote. “I was once liberal. But when I was born again, I believe the Holy Spirit changed many of my views to those that I think are the norm for all who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.”
Hmmm. Okay. Well, for the record, I’m neither liberal nor conservative. Depends on the issue. Some of my opinions probably qualify as “conservative.” A great many of them, I know, qualify as liberal. Call me a conservative democrat. Call me a liberal republican. Better yet, don’t call me at all—especially if you want to talk politics.
But this guy’s point is interesting. Because most Christians are politically conservative, right? But I always figured that weirdness had as much to do with culture and regional history as it does anything else. At the moment I became a Christian, I didn’t think, “Sweet! Now I know how to vote!” But apparently this reader’s conversion experience did lead him to start voting differently than he had before he joined the faith.
Does anyone out there really think that voting Republican is a natural consequence of being Christian? Because if it is, then isn’t any Christian who votes as a liberal democrat less of a Christian—less indwelt by the Holy Spirit—than a Christian who votes the Republican ticket? And if that’s not true—if believing in Jesus has no natural or particular bearing on a person’s political affinities—then isn’t it wrong for conservatives to assert that they have any better or more comprehensive a grasp on Christ’s spirit than liberals do?
![John Shore on The Huffington Post](http://johnshore.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/huffpost.jpg?w=120 "John Shore on The Huffington Post\")
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I’m a pastor who tends to vote liberal. I’m probably going to hell.
Reading these posts, I can see that politically-minded Christians generally fall into 2 categories: 1) right-wing fascists and 2) left-wing fascists. At least the right-wing fascists will allow me the freedom to let God to decide what to do with my income/property.
Love the above logic. LOL
Simple answer: God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are on an Independent ticket: GRACE. With it we are saved, without it we are lost forever. Unfortunately, most (not all) politicians have sold out to a cause to save a pet project. Grace allows us to give and give with nothing in return. Can't think of any politicians today that fall into that category.
Personally, I think Jesus was a liberal. His concern was always for the lowly, not the rich corporations (or their equivalent in his day). He said we should visit the sick, feed the hungry, and give alms to the poor. He said to take care of the widows and orphans. Most conservatives that I know want to reduce taxes by stopping school lunches, health care reform, and any sort of welfare for the poor. I think Jesus might be more apt to raise taxes on the wealthy in order to provide more services for the poor, the sick, and the elderly.
Many will not understand.
Many will speak in God's shadow, afraid to live in the open.
Many will point their fingers, claiming God has fingers.
Many will not do as God does, reliant upon Gods deeds, not their own.
Many, confident in their knowledge of God, praise it as their god.
The Christian moral majority is a polarizing force crusading and agenda that thankfully can not rise to the violence of the crusades because of our laws. The anger of the moral majority at the lack of conversion from secular society suggest such a degree of arrogancy that it is easy to believe if they were not kept in check by their self-righteous good works mongering they'd be plotting an invasion to over throw the heathens. The God of the American evangelicalism is a God to be pitied. He is better at "saving" if he has a celebrity on His side or He wants many things He can not get. He wants to save you "IF" you will only blah,blah,blah…. Must be frustrating to be Him. I would be nice if people started taking care of them selves a little more and stop parading around like you got it all together and can fix everyone's problems if only they would say a little prayer. Yes i am frustrated! Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them and in doing so you will save both yourself and those who hear you. 1 Tim 4:16
This is an American thing. We have different ideas in the UK, and a lot of people do vote according to Protestant/Catholic tradition, especially in Northern Ireland and Scotland. I grew up in England, as a member of both the Methodist and the Anglican churches, and politics was a personal thing for us. I know Christians who are conservative, Christians who are Marxists. I find the link between Christianity and conservative politics in the U.S. INCREDIBLY bizarre, and I'm guessing it was probably at least one of the topics that non-Christians wrote to you about. What is that about? My knowledge of American history isn't that great I admit but I really just don't get it. I reckon if Jesus were around he would tax the wealthy and give to the poor.
I'm from a church background that thought all voting was wrong. So bugger off, you who think "voting for someone who is against God's commands is wrong." My church would've thought you a heathen for simply voting in the first place.
All a matter of perspective, isn't it? I suggest obtaining some…all of Christendom isn't defined by your mainstream American-type.
I've always registered myself as Independent, label myself as "Moderate," think that all politicians and people in power are full of hot air (sometimes, I think I could rule the world better as a nobody), and I think that a lot of what goes on in the "culture wars" is stupid.
… I read somewhere that the 10 Commandments in courthouses actually originally began as a Hollywood promotion for "The Ten Comandments" film and know that the Pledge of Alleigance is a 1950s thing…. and people shouldn't have "God forced upon them" anyway. Americans invariably react badly to having anything forced upon them.
I definitely feel that God's kingdom is not of this Earth.
I always end up voting "the lesser of evils," knowing that I am, by necessity, letting some things that I think are evil slip for the "greater good" because there's no other choice, politics isn't black and white. For example, I may vote for a guy who supports non-medically-necessary abortion because I feel like I have to (because the other guy doesn't believe in contraception *at all* – which is something I support, and, to boot, is into war – which I hate, and into money for the rich and squeezing the poor – which is against my concience and which frankly hurts me).
Add to the fact that I think it is a necessary part of politics for those who play the game to LIE. All. The. Time. I can't trust any leader I vote for in the American system, anyway.
So, what does that make me? Confused, I think, but not evil, I hope. In any case, I certainly hope I won't be denied entrance to Heaven just because I'm horribly, horribly confused here on Earth.
Amazingly well put! Thank you. As a born again Christian and a bed-wetting, dyed in the wool, liberal, who makes no apologies for her positions and sees no contradictions, especially when it comes to the Christ's preferential treatment for the poor, I applaud you for taking such a bold and public stand. When I look at both major political parties, I have problems rectifying their positions with Christianity. I have chosen to align myself politically with the one that I think Christ would most be welcomed. I don't have anything against the rich. I agree with Jesus, though, that it is very difficult for the rich to get to heaven (the whole camel and eye of the needle thing, don't you know) because no man can serve two masters. Wealth is a master. It demands that you make more and pay service to it. I am not a socialist, but I do recognize that market based capitalism was historically seen as anti-Christian because of the sin of usery and because profiting from others flies in the face of Christian morality, which tells us that when we see someone hungry or thirsty, etc, we should help them because whatever we do to the least of our brethren we do to Christ. I am pro-life, which means that as pro-life I do not support abortion. It also means that I do not support the death penalty. Death is death. It doesn't matter if that death is at the beginning of life or later. As both parties are pro-death, I tend to find that for me those two issue cancel each other out. If they bot cancel each other out, then I am left to look at each party's agenda. Paying lip service to family values without helping families is as dead as a body without breath or faith without works. Helping families survive. Helping the poor. Jesus would have liked that. He would not have liked tax cuts for the wealthy so that they could avoid their obligation to the less fortunate. Then there is the homosexual issue, which by the way would have been a non-issue for Jesus because Jesus spent his entire ministry in the company of "sinners". Look historically at how his birth was announced — it starts from day one. He appears to shepherds — the lowest, least trustworthy sector of society. And, in death, he appears to women, people without political position or voice in the ancient world, especially in the Judaic tradition. Jesus ate with tax collectors, again, the dregs of society because they touched unclean money all day and were themselves thought to be unclean. If you eliminate the hot button, reactionary issues from both parties, then what do you have left? As Jesus spent almost all of his time on earth with the poor and outcasts, I would definitely not align myself with the GOP, which spews negativity, hate, and a totally intolerant agenda. Were Jesus to come back today, he would not be hanging with James Dobson and his crew, he would be in the streets with the homeless and the poor.
Came across this today … thought it interesting and perhaps appropos to the detour taken withing this comments thread regarding tithing/giving (about two-thirds of the way down the page; DANG, I miss that numbered-comments feature).
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/204/story_20419_1….
Diana: Extremely well said and conceived. I think you're exactly right.
Hi John,
I just came across your blog- very interesting stuff. I was born into the Catholic faith, left it as an early teen like so many do, and now have come back to the fold at 32.
I think a lot about reconciling my faith with the American political two-party system and this is what I've figured out (for me, at least).
The Catholic Church puts a huge emphasis on helping others less fortunate- the poor, migrant workers, the sick, etc. In that respect, the Democrats have the edge.
Then- there is the abortion issue. If you really think about it- no party is FOR abortion. But one party is for personal choice. Personal choice is similar to free will, no? All people have God given free will. There are many sins waiting out there for us- but we have the free will not to do them. So, is the option of having an abortion a sin? Is government (or the political party) actually saying, "have an abortion?" I don't think so- I think it's more about that free will that rests in each one of us.
Maybe this whole thing isn't biblically sound. And I'm sure they'll be some Christians on this site that consider me a member of the "great whore church" and whatever else they call Catholics (cause name calling is sooooo Christ like). But, that's the way I see it- and I in no way EVER think I have the 100% right answer.
I am weighing in a bit late probably – just stumbled onto your blog for the first time. I haven't read all the comments, but just wanted to answer your original question in the post.
Should Christians automatically vote Republican? Of course not – they should vote for the candidate they believe is the best.
This is not a new answer, but I do want to share an observation that has been often discussed among people I know:
Conservative bloc Christians can't believe that any true Christ-following believer would vote Democrat.
Would you believe that there are real Christ-following, Bible-believing Christians (with great family values!) who just cannot understand why a fellow Christian would ever vote Republican? It's true.
So there are two sides to this coin.
I was a Republican for a long time, just because, hey, I love God and he hates abortion, so I have to be a Republican. But my thinking began to change when a friend (actually, he was a pastor) challenged me: In the Bible, does it talk more about killing unborn babies, or about looking after widows and orphans, giving to the needy, helping the weak? What did Jesus do most during his earthly ministry – uphold the current "family values" of the day, or look after the downtrodden and upset the religious establishment?
So I took care of that, and also — SHAZAM! — this post now has the 100 comments it deserved. It was a great line of thought. 100-plus comments shoulda been a cinch! I'm sure it was just the waning days of summer that got in the way.
It's bugging me that this post has been hanging at 98 comments for a couple days …
I saw a bumper sticker today that seemed as if it would "fit" here:
Under Republicans, man exploits man.
Under Democrats it's the other way around.
I am done with politics for the year (other than the 5 minutes it will take to get into and out of the voting booth), because I just bought FOUR new books. One of which is the new Arterburn and Shore offering. CAN'T WAIT. Why do I always have so much to do Thursday nights that I cannot start reading right now??
Liberals are a little too religious for me. They believe in doing penance and flagellating themselves for everything, and literally paying dollars for sins.
If the legislation passes, we’ll do penance through “Cap and Trade” by paying for our carbon emissions because mother earth will punish us otherwise.
We buy indulgences by paying more for our gas from foreign countries because we are evil consumers.
Next thing you know, we’ll be sacrificing our infants to the gods to make sure our crops don’t fail.
Then again, maybe we do that already.
Well, then God surely is not a Republican.
@ Andrea -
Member and very active – Evangelical Free Church.
Reading God’s word daily. Probably spend an average of 12-14 hours per week, Not counting church and group Bible studies.
Lots in the Bible about using its wisdom to stay humble and live with love under the guidance of the Word and the Holy Spirit. Not a lot in there as far as I can see promoting self-righteous close-mindedness and subtle stomping of others so as to elevate oneself.
But hey — maybe that’s just me.
Blessings and peace to you.
“even as far as endorsing infanticide”
Where there is no infant, there is no infanticide. I’m sorry, but however you may feel about abortion, a clump of cells does not equal an infant.
For Candace~
If you did watch the Saddleback forum, you would know that when McCain was posed the question of “What was your biggest moral failure” to which he responded, “The failure of my first marriage.” You would know that he clearly is contrite about it. I don’t want someone to think that I stated that a candidate had to be flawless & w/o any stains – just the one who lives as closely to how the Lord commands us to live and supports constituants who share the same ideals. Perfection has never been a requirement to serving the Lord, just a surrendered heart and willingness to be formed in the “Potter’s hands.” <
Frankly it surprises me that there is much to discuss on this topic – it’s such a no-brainer to me. Either the candidate and issue reflect the heart of the Father or they don’t. Hmmmm….where’s the difficulty here???? Senator Obama has the most liberal voting record in congress, even as far as endorsing infanticide – Gee, I wonder how God feels about that one (duh). Senator Obama feels that God’s word spoken through Paul’s address to the Roman church on the topic of homosexuality is quote, “Some obscure passage in Romans” thereby defending his support of gay rights – again, gotta’ wonder how God feels about that too (double duh). I ‘m surprised how little God’s professed followers actually read His word. How blessed am I to go to a Jesus freak church where the Word of God is boldly proclaimed. There’s really no room for interpretation.
Here’s a thought – To know God’s will, know God’s word. Pray for the Body of Christ to open up her eyes!!!
As a way to tie this back to the original topic of whether God votes republican…..
After contemplating our brief discussion on charitable organizations, I wonder why the heck an organization that gets favorable tax treatment is not REQUIRED to publish their books! Making them tax exempt and making donations deductible is every bit the same as receiving my tax monies.
Obama is right on this one. He favors expanding the Faith-Based Initiative (FBI), but clearly states (I paraphrase) “If the government holds the purse strings, then recipients must be accountable”. Oversight of the FBI and making sure that federal monies go to social services instead of rectory carpeting is eminently reasonable. An Obama FBI is something that I could support. The Bush FBI is not something I can support.
Talk amongst yourselves….
Many churches and para-church organizations or benevolence groups voluntarily join this financial accountability group — simply to be transparent about their accounting procedures.
http://www.ecfa.org/
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