Dear friends in the Lord,
I know how deeply hurt and disappointed you have been by the politics in Washington during the Bush administration. I know you may have hopes that George W. Bush’s being a Christian would prove to be positive for our country. I know how much you wished our government would make good decisions about how we interact with other nations and by what means we choose to protect our nation. And I know how deeply you want our economy to recover so life can become a little less strenuous financially.
It pains you too that Bush has changed the face of United States foreign policy. It probably even makes you angry that our President claims Jesus to be his favorite philosopher, yet didn’t “turn the other cheek” when we were attacked by terrorists. It probably makes your heart melt when you hear about the failed No Child Left Behind program on our schools, or to hear about some children going without health care. It also makes you sad to hear that we are not being good stewards of the environment that God has given us to care for and look after.
All these and more are exactly why you believe that somebody remarkably unlike and definitively different from President Bush should be the next leader of our country. And I don’t blame you. For eight years we’ve had an inarticulate CEO, a seemingly hard-nosed decision-maker, and a man whose mannerisms make you want to chuckle and cringe at the same time. And while we’ll miss having such a leader to poke fun at, we’re longing––no, aching––for a President who will fill the gaping hole that George W. Bush is leaving behind.
One thing I recently learned in seminary was that history can appropriately be perceived as a series of actions and reactions, movements and counter-movements, reformations and counter-reformations. It’s a cycle of history that we can’t avoid because our perspective is not ahistorical. Now we are at the precipice of a new frontier, and we see no value in voting for what Democrats call “more of the same.” As reactionary as I have been in my life, I refuse to believe that this is the way we as Christians are called to live our lives.
Many churches whose senior pastor leaves the church on poor terms find themselves with a search committee that is inherently aware of his weaknesses of the former pastor, and thus are sensitive to who will be next. As an understandable reflex based on previous experience, they are sometimes “touchy” about features than remind them of the former pastor. In cases of severe hurt and pain, the next pastor is likely to be very much the opposite of the former pastor because the congregation is so focused on what they don’t want that they fail to evaluate each candidate on his own merits, and through the prism of their own pain.
The same happens in politics. We bounce from one party to another, one type of candidate to another. Each party simply points out the weaknesses of the opposition in power. And most of the time the American people are swayed. I agree that Barack Obama offers a rather different vision for America, a progressive agenda that will seek to change the face of American politics, society, and the economy. He wants to deliver results for our country that fit the vision he has cast for his administration. He has worked hard to craft this vision and has done very well in capturing the imagination of most Democrats and many independent voters.
However, as Americans we must ask, “Does this fit the vision of the founding fathers? Does it promote life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for everyone? Is this vision constitutional and comport with the Declaration of Independence?” More importantly, as Christians we must ask, “Does it fit with the teachings of Jesus? Does it fit with biblical values?”
In spite of Obama’s claim to be a uniter, the heart of his agenda is built on that which, historically, has failed to unify the country. His vision and policies will inevitably fail to unify young and old, rich and poor, black and white, conservative and liberal. Neither his voting record nor his speeches indicate that he will bring together those of differing visions for our nation. Furthermore, attempting to “rig the system” toward equality, his policies will ultimately fail to treat all as equal. Milton Friedman wrote, “A society that puts equality…ahead of freedom will end up with neither equality nor freedom. The use of force to achieve equality will destroy freedom, and the force, introduced for good purposes, will end up in the hands of people who use it to promote their own interests.”
I truly hope that you will consider what support you give to that which looks very good on the surface and is backed by good intentions––yet in the end will be detrimental to our society and our well-being as a nation.
Doug Stuart is a committed follower of Jesus and passionate about building for the Kingdom of God through education and mobilization. He is a regular writer at LibertarianChristians.com as well as the founder of Living Loud.
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