Coach’s Corner

I confess that I have been a political junkie since I was a child. I can’t explain why…I just have. If you ever watched “Family Ties”, Alex P. Keaton could have been me (but I was better looking… j/k). So as long as I can remember, I have been pretty passionate about politics, my country, and my faith. And quite frankly, to some degree they’ve always been somewhat intertwined in my life.

Now that I am in ministry, I have found myself more concerned about my faith and the kingdom of God than the other two categories, but that doesn’t mean I have stopped caring about them. They’ve just fallen into their rightful place and priority. I have also discovered that there are many Christians who perceive their faith and politics in different ways than I do. I’m still learning that I don’t have all the answers and I’m not right on everything. And I am continuing to make peace with that.

So, since this blog is about my personal journey and observations, I thought it might be really helpful for me to express what my voting motivations are and invite those who see things differently to bring an open, honest explanation for how their faith determines their vote and why.

I will confess that there are many points in my life when my faith has been more of a “what I do” than a “who I am”. But the older I get, the more my faith becomes who I am. As such, it effects my world-view and everything begins to be filtered through that lens. I will also confess that my “faith filter” may very well look differently than others, which is why I want to do this post. So… disclaimers now all in place….and recognizing that how I vote may not necessarily be how Jesus would vote… here we go.

HOW MY FAITH SHAPES THE WAY I VOTE

• Personal Responsibility - The Apostle Paul made this statement in 1 Thessalonians, “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”  My belief here is that there is a scriptural principle that we must take personal responsibility for our actions and our behaviors.  There are most certainly situations that are beyond our own personal control.  I know… I’ve lived them.  And there are situations where some government assistance is warranted and necessary.  But I believe our founding fathers had this principle in mind when they wrote that we have the right to “the pursuit of happiness”.   It is a pursuit… there is effort involved.  We’re not guaranteed happiness, but the right to PURSUE it….to work for it.  Therefore, I tend to vote for positions that espouse more of a personal accountability than a governmental answer to everything.
• Abortion - Since I believe that God is the giver of life, then I have a strong opinion against voting for those who support the legal taking of millions of innocent lives in the womb.  I simply cannot make peace with casting votes for those who support that position through legislation or through judicial efforts.
• Supreme Court - Since more and more of the standards and laws in our land are now being made in the courts rather than the legislature, I hold Supreme Court appointments as a high criteria for my vote.  As a Christian, I have witnessed far too many court cases that seek to push God out of the public square in America in every way imaginable.  As a Christian I have witnessed the Supreme Court and lower courts establish precedents that are far, far, far afield from scriptural principles and ideals.  Our country is by no means a theocracy.  I admit that.  However, that doesn’t mean that I have to approve of and contribute to more movement in these directions as supported by my vote.
• Sanctity of Marriage - This could easily also fall under the Supreme Court, but scripture is clear in both it’s prohibition of a homosexual lifestyle and it’s definition of marriage as between a man and a woman as instituted by God.  There are significant efforts to completely change our understanding of the core reality of marriage and to not only promote acceptance, but to promote an agenda along these lines that is counter to scriptural principles.

There are more, but I really think these are the core drivers for me in my voting based on my faith values.  So now I invite other points of view.  I’m totally OK with others explaining an entirely different perspective on how their faith shapes their vote here.  In fact, I think it would be healthy.  I only ask for a clear explanation of how faith takes you to the perspective you express.