Written by J. Brent Walker
When I was cutting my political teeth in the late 1960s, it was an article of faith among
many that one could not be a Republican and a Christian at the same time. And, if you
planned to vote for George Wallace for president, God help you! Democrats were thought
to be pursuing Godly values like civil rights and economic justice.
Even as a political neophyte, I knew that could not be right. God must be far greater than
any one political stance and had to transcend party affiliation. As I matured, I began to
understand that all political candidates, parties and ideologies are flawed and that God
could not accurately be assigned the label Democrat or Republican or even American for
that matter. It was nothing short of idolatry to equate any political movement with the
Kingdom of God; it was pure fantasy to deny that people of faith populate nearly any
political philosophy.
Thirty-five years later the claims remain, but the labels have switched. Many in the
conservative evangelical community have associated Christianity with the GOP and
concluded that God is going to pull the cosmic lever (or touch screen) for George W.
Bush. For example, Jerry Falwell has been reported as saying: “It is the responsibility of
every political conservative, every evangelical Christian, every pro-life Catholic, every
traditional Jew … to get serious about re-electing President Bush” (New York Times, July
16, 2004). In the same way, Pat Robertson has declared: “I think George Bush is going to
win in a walk. I really believe I’m hearing from the Lord. It’s going to be like a blowout
election in 2004. The Lord has just blessed him … It doesn’t make any difference what he
does, good or bad” (AP/Fox News, January 2, 2004).
In response to these foolish (indeed heretical) assertions, and others like them, 40
Christian leaders and 40,000 citizens signed a petition titled, “God Is Not a Republican
Or a Democrat.” Originally published in the New York Times on August 30, the petition
is worth reproducing here.
“These leaders of the Religious Right mistakenly claim that God has taken a side in this
election, and that Christians should only vote for George W. Bush.
We believe that claims of divine appointment for the President, uncritical affirmation of
his policies, and assertions that all Christians must vote for his re-election constitute bad
theology and dangerous religion.
We believe that sincere Christians and other people of faith can choose to vote for
President Bush or Senator Kerry — for reasons deeply rooted in their faith.
We believe that all candidates should be examined by measuring their policies against the
complete range of Christian ethics and values.
We will measure the candidates by whether they enhance human life, human dignity, and
human rights; whether they strengthen family life and protect children; whether they
promote racial reconciliation and support gender equality; whether they serve peace and
social justice; and whether they advance the common good rather than only individual,
national, and special interests.
We also admonish both parties and candidates to avoid the exploitation of religion or our
congregations for partisan political purposes.
By signing this statement, we call Christians and other people of faith to a more
thoughtful involvement in this election, rather than claiming God’s endorsement of any
candidate.
This is the meaning of responsible Christian citizenship.”
People of faith — proceeding in good faith and for essentially religious reasons — can
come to different conclusions about for whom to vote and what policies to support. As
the great evangelical theologian Carl F. H. Henry once said, “There is no one direct line
from the Bible to the ballot box.”
Faithful discipleship and responsible citizenship require us to say “No” to those who
would assert a divine imperative for any party or candidate and who claim to know with
cock-sure certainty the mind of God.
Let our religious convictions influence how we vote. But in the final analysis, our vote
should be based on which candidate would best serve the commonweal and most
effectively improve the lives of all Americans.
This column originally appeared in the September 2004 edition of Report from the
Capital.
