In my days in college majoring in political science, and later in law school, I would have said yes and then tried to argue with people over policies and political accomplishments, etc.  No longer.  There is a better way, and I found it in two different Christian magazine articles - the May/June 2008 issue of Discipleship Journal, and the June 2008 issue of Christianity Today. Allow me to distill these articles down for you and throw in a few comments of my own. If you'd like more details on these topics, I will be preaching in more depth on these same articles here at Saline First Assembly of God on Sunday, August 3 and 10 in the 10:45 AM service.

First, thank God Almighty that we live in a free nation which allows us to have a real decision about who will lead us in these powerful positions!  That gift and who it comes from dictates that we handle it with care and respect by first taking the time to get informed on the issues and candidates.  Then, we should be sure that we exercise the freedom to vote -- a privilege that so many people have fought and died to secure for you and me.  After that we should look at the right position to take on the issues, and then of course, vote for the right candidates.

First the issues;  As Gerrit Wolfaardt's Discipleship Journal article pointed out, we need to remember that Jesus came not to revolutionize the political scene of His day, but to usher in the Kingdom of God which operates on principles all too seldom practiced by the world.  Jesus brought to us a particular set of values for life and living, and, as it turns out, that can be applied equally well to political issues.  Those values are:  1. The primacy of love, 2. The call to be reconcilers, 3. God's passion for justice, and 4. Grace and Truth.  The point is, whatever the issue may be from immigration, to environmental issues, to budgetary matters, etc. ask yourself, What is the loving position to take? What position on the issue will reconcile people to people and people to God? What side of an issue will promote justice over oppression? And, "How do grace and truth intersect this issue?"

After applying these four "tests" to the campaign issues and comparing your outcome to the position a candidate has taken on the same, you may receive some direction on which candidate you should vote for no matter what level of government is involved.

Second, the candidates:  Daniel Taylor and Mark McCloskey's Christianity Today article, in part, made a great point in my opinion when they stated that the most important thing to base one's vote upon for or against a particular candidate is their virtue (character, moral excellence, goodness, righteousness) and not so much on the positions the candidates take on issues.  Here is one important reason why - issues come and go, but character remains throughout.  The character of a person will largely determine the position the office holder takes on future issues that none of us (candidate or voter alike) might have dreamed of during the campaign.  In other words, if we vote for someone because they favor our position on the current issues of the day and not based on the moral excellence of the person, what happens when they get into office and are faced with a new issue?  Now you better hope you elected a man or woman who has great righteous moral fiber!  That way, you can be confident they will deal with the issue in a way that will be good and proper since the voting is now over and you can't take your vote back if the candidate (now office holder) takes a position you don't like.

There is a lot more to each of these great articles, like what to do if your exploration on the issues shows that two different sides can both be right?   Or, how do you tell which of the candidates is a good person and which may not be so? Etc.  But, I guess you'll just have to be in this church this Sunday and next to find out!

Please go ahead and post your input on election time decision-making or on anything I've written here, or anything else on your mind on this topic.  And, be sure to vote every time you have the opportunity.  Blessings...

Love,

Pastor Bomey

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