Voters should look at big picture
Whitney Hopler
2008-10-08 11:57:53
As the presidential election quickly approaches, I’m concerned about the number of fellow Christians I’ve met who are neglecting the full range of issues at stake.
So many have told me that they’re planning to vote for John McCain simply because he’s a Republican, and the Republicans have historically held more biblical views on abortion and gay rights.
But this year, the Democrats have a candidate who I believe is actually more thoughtful and expressive about his faith in Christ �Barack Obama.
I’m writing to encourage my fellow believers to seriously consider what Obama has to say rather than just writing him off because he’s not a Republican.
Remember: Jesus didn’t affiliate Himself with any particular political party.
As a longtime evangelical Christian and political independent, I’ve voted for many Republican candidates in the past, but I’ve also supported Democrats and even a few candidates from smaller third parties. The way I see it is that God wants us to vote according to the person and the issues �after thoroughly thinking and praying about them �rather than simply rubber stamping a candidate because of his or her political party.
Christians who stay narrowly focused on just the personal morality issues (which, by the way, Obama cares about, as he explained in the recent civil forum hosted by Saddleback Church) without giving enough attention to broader justice issues can become just like the Pharisees Jesus chastised in the Bible. The Pharisees were so fixated on just a few issues that they couldn’t see the big picture of what God was trying to do.
So this is my plea to my fellow Christians: Before this upcoming election, please consider all the issues about which God cares �not just a few. What about providing health care for “the least of these” �the 47 million Americans who don’t have medical insurance and the many who go bankrupt every year trying to pay their medical bills? What about empowering parents who are struggling to afford the cost of college for their kids? What about protecting the environment �God’s creation �as He calls us to do? There are so many issues to consider.
To be truly faithful, we must consider all of them, and cooperate with God in the full range of the work He wants to do in our great nation today.
We urgently need a new president who will look beyond just a few narrow issues and work for God’s will to be done on all the issues. For my part, I’m convinced that Barack Obama is the man we need this time around. May God lead you as you examine all the issues for yourself.