:Reasonable Force

Rev. Mark D. Roberts, among other things, a well-known blogger on matters of faith, has written a series of articles on the role of the church in political discourse.

The example below is from the second article in the series:

My second story is more current. When I go into the voting booth this November, I will see the names of three members of my church on the ballot. One is running for city council, a non-partisan race, at least in principle. Another is running for State Senate as a Republican. And another is running for Congress as a Democrat. Ironically, the Republican and the Democrat are both named John.

I know both Johns as members of my church. Moreover I’ve spoken with them about their political views and I’ve read things they have written. Both of them are quite independent in their thinking, not always toeing the lines of their respective parties. I wonder if their independence might reflect, in part, their Christian viewpoints. Be that as it may, however, I know for a fact that these two men make an effort to live out their Christian faith in their political lives, both in their positions and in their behavior.

Let me provide an example of the latter. The man I’ll call John #1 was in a gathering of local party leaders. He overheard several of his partisan partners running down John #2. They weren’t just criticizing his views, but his character. John #1 intervened. “Look,” he said, “I disagree with most of John #2’s views. You know that. But I know him personally. He and I attend the same church. And what you’re saying about his character is inappropriate. It’s not true and it’s not right.” John #1’s political cronies were shocked, but appropriately ashamed. They stopped talking about John #2 in the way they had been talking.

I greatly admire John #1, both in general and for what he did in this meeting. It took courage to break out of the partisan mold and stand up for John #2. It also took perspective, the kind of perspective one gets from being first a citizen of heaven, and then a citizen of the USA, and then a Democrat or a Republican or Libertarian or a Green or . . . . (For the record, I don’t know if John #2 has ever had to defend John #1 in this way, but I expect that he would show the same sort of integrity in such a situation.)

A thoughtful and necessary read for people of faith who haven’t given this matter any consideration. It also speaks, to some degree, to the nature of the weblog which, while noticeably partisan during this election season, is intended to eventually deal more with apologetics and issues of faith.

With the links to both the Southern Baptist Convention and the campaign website of George W. Bush it would be understandable for a visitor to conclude that voting Republican is an article of my faith. That is not the case.

My support of President Bush is based on his character, his pro-life position, his support for the defense of the institution of marriage and his strong leadership on national defense. I believe these issues are the most crucial facing our nation at this time, thus I feel compelled to voice my support rather than sit on the sidelines.

As the NRA-ILA news feed makes clear, I also think that the right to keep and bear arms is essential to ensuring that we remain a free and democratic society. Being a free and democratic society is what allows us the freedom to worship as our conscience dictates, and gives evangelical Christians the freedom to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others both here and abroad.

My faith informs my views on these issues. As Pastor Mark notes, however, others who share my faith do not necessarily share my views. I welcome respectful discourse with them as well as those who do not know Christ as their savior. This website is, at the moment, more an extension of my own thoughts and the issues that occupy me than it is a… um, purpose driven site. Also, despite the dot-org domain I’ve selected, I do not represent an actual non-profit organization that needs to concern itself with IRS regulations regarding advocacy of candidates.

I suspect that over time I will be refining my focus to be more overtly evangelical. At that point I may feel it prudent to dispense with political endorsements for the sake of removing any obstacles between a seeker and the cross of Christ. Ultimately that is infinitely more important than this, or any, election.

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