Choosing a Candidate

Posted on December 13, 2015 Posted By: abcaz Categories: Faith & Politics

It is well known at FSBCA that I don’t endorse candidates in my position as a pastor. My role is to preach and teach the gospel of Jesus, to lead the church, and to show God’s love to members and people in the community. I don’t ever want my political opinions to get in the way of that.

But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have strong political opinions. And since these political opinions are heavily influenced by my belief in God and my understanding of the Bible, it’s natural that I would at least share how I come to my political opinions and how I choose a candidate, for that is heavily shaped by the Bible and a Biblical worldview. To be honest, it’s more than natural. I believe that it’s part of my responsibility as a teacher of God’s word to apply the Bible to the political world.

The truth is that my reluctance to publicly endorse candidates does not mean that I am not political. Far from it. I live by the following three political truths on a personal level:

First of all, I view participation in the political process as a God-given privilege. Not everyone in the world has this privilege in the same way Americans do. I thank God for it, and I take advantage of it.
Secondly, I believe that it is more than just a privilege; participating in the political world is part of the responsibility we have as disciples of Jesus to influence our communities and even our nation for Christ.
And because of these two beliefs, I spend time educating myself on the issues and the candidates. I read news items from various persuasions so I am not unknowingly and incorrectly persuaded. I listen to debates. I check the stances of candidates. I look at the voting records of candidates. I read about their lives and not just their politics. I am actively involved in the political world.

Right now, our country is in the process of selecting a new president. And for me, when it comes time to look and choose from the many candidates, I pray and think through several issues.

I start with the character of the candidate; this is even more important to me than his stand on the issues. Is he honest? Does she have integrity? Does he have a strong set of values and morals that he lives by both personally and professionally? Does she handle her own finances well? Is he a strong family man? Is she a woman of faith and does she live by that faith? Is he personally generous and does he give to God and to worthwhile causes? Is she kind and compassionate on a personal level?

Secondly, I want to know that he or she has the experience and leadership ability to do the job, and I have very high expectations for a president. Can he lead? Does she communicate well? Does he have the necessary knowledge? Are her political persuasions backed up by real facts and not just opinions? Can he work well with those who agree and those who disagree? Can she be both honest and diplomatic? Can he disagree with members of his own party? Does she inspire confidence? Would he represent our country well among the nations of the world?

Then I look at his or her stands in areas in which I believe the Bible is very clear. I need to tell you ahead of time that some of you will find this section offensive, for I do not see Jesus as either a conservative or a liberal in the current thinking of our day. I am much more interested in being “Biblical” than I am of being faithful to a modern political party or philosophy. As a result, I want to support candidates who support Biblical concepts and a Biblical worldview. Here are just a few of the Biblical questions I ask of a candidate:

Does the candidate have a high regard for human life from conception to the grave?
Does the candidate have a high regard for racial equality?
Does he or she believe in a Biblical concept of family?
Does he believe that the Earth is created by God and that we are to care for the planet and all that is in it?
Does she believe in religious liberty?
Does he believe in both mercy and justice for all people of all colors, faiths, and economic status?
Does she have a Biblical understanding of finances that would translate into leading an economy that rewards hard work, paying bills, and reducing debt?
Does he believe in and actively work for peace in the world?

I also want to know his or her stand on the United States of America as a nation. Personally, I believe that God had His hand in the founding of our nation and that He has given our country great privileges and also great responsibilities. So I have some questions for a candidate that I want answered both in words and in his deeds: Does he love our country? Does she understand and support our constitution? Will he lead our country to be a force for good in the world? Does she understand and support our ideals of freedom, justice, personal responsibility, opportunity for all, compassion, and religious liberty? Can he work with the legislative and judicial branches of the government?

And, since I have a practical mind, I want to know if he or she has a plan to deal with some of the real problems that we face. There are some real problems and issues in American life that are not usually addressed by politicians running for office. Will he address these issues with forcefulness, honesty and understanding of the issues? For example, I’d like to know how the candidate would address issues like these:

Does he have a plan for reducing our growing debt?
Does she have a feasible plan for solving a looming Social Security crisis that will be fair both to workers and those who are retired?
Does he have a plan on reducing the number of murders in this country while still preserving our freedoms?
Does she have a plan for reducing the huge number of drunk drivers in this country and for a huge national “drug” problem?
Does he have a plan that will keep America safe in a world of war, terrorism, and weapons of mass destruction?
Does she have a fair and workable plan to deal with our borders and our broken immigration system?
Does he have a plan on how the government can help the needy without creating a large group of people who expect to be taken care of by the government?
Does she have a plan for improving our tax code that is fair to families and businesses, and that supports our government adequately?
Does he have a plan for cleaning our environment without destroying our economy?
Does she have a plan on how to deal with terrorism both nationally and internationally?
Does he have a have a plan for when to get involved in–and when to stay out of–international conflict?
Does she have a plan for dealing with issues like a growing infrastructure problem, a water problem (especially in the west), an energy problem, a climate change challenge, and the myriad of other issues we face?

As you can see, I have very high expectations for a President. I ask a lot of questions from both a Biblical and a practical perspective. I’ve never found a “perfect” candidate and I know that I never will. But I do take my role as a Christian and as a voter very seriously.

And if you are a Christian, I encourage you to do the same!

PS. You can’t fully participate unless you are a registered voter, and in Arizona you can register online at www.servicearizona.com. You can also check your status, change your address, or change your party affiliation. If you’re not registered, why not follow the link now and do so?

It is well known at FSBCA that I don’t endorse candidates in my position as a pastor. My role is to preach and teach the gospel of Jesus, to lead the church, and to show God’s love to members and people in the community. I don’t ever want my political opinions to get in the way of that.

The truth is that my reluctance to publicly endorse candidates does not mean that I am not political. Far from it. I live by the following three political truths on a personal level:

First of all, I view participation in the political process as a God-given privilege. Not everyone in the world has this privilege in the same way Americans do. I thank God for it, and I take advantage of it.

Secondly, I believe that it is more than just a privilege; participating in the political world is part of the responsibility we have as disciples of Jesus to influence our communities and even our nation for Christ.

Right now, our country is in the process of selecting a new president. And for me, when it comes time to look and choose from the many candidates, I pray and think through several issues.

Does the candidate have a high regard for human life from conception to the grave?

Does the candidate have a high regard for racial equality?

Does he or she believe in a Biblical concept of family?

Does he believe that the Earth is created by God and that we are to care for the planet and all that is in it?

Does she believe in religious liberty?

Does he believe in both mercy and justice for all people of all colors, faiths, and economic status?

Does she have a Biblical understanding of finances that would translate into leading an economy that rewards hard work, paying bills, and reducing debt?

Does he believe in and actively work for peace in the world?

Does he have a plan for reducing our growing debt?

Does she have a feasible plan for solving a looming Social Security crisis that will be fair both to workers and those who are retired?

Does he have a plan on reducing the number of murders in this country while still preserving our freedoms?

Does she have a plan for reducing the huge number of drunk drivers in this country and for a huge national “drug” problem?

Does he have a plan that will keep America safe in a world of war, terrorism, and weapons of mass destruction?

Does she have a fair and workable plan to deal with our borders and our broken immigration system?

Does he have a plan on how the government can help the needy without creating a large group of people who expect to be taken care of by the government?

Does she have a plan for improving our tax code that is fair to families and businesses, and that supports our government adequately?

Does he have a plan for cleaning our environment without destroying our economy?

Does she have a plan on how to deal with terrorism both nationally and internationally?

Does he have a have a plan for when to get involved in–and when to stay out of–international conflict?

Does she have a plan for dealing with issues like a growing infrastructure problem, a water problem (especially in the west), an energy problem, a climate change challenge, and the myriad of other issues we face?

As you can see, I have very high expectations for a President. I ask a lot of questions from both a Biblical and a practical perspective. I’ve never found a “perfect” candidate and I know that I never will. But I do take my role as a Christian and as a voter very seriously.

And if you are a Christian, I encourage you to do the same!