November 2007 Archives

Evangelicals and Rudy Guiliani

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(First, a disclaimer. I don’t intend to write much here on the upcoming national election campaign. As an experiment, I have started a second blog, The Permanent Things, (permanentthings.blogspot.com) where I may post more things of a political nature as the campaign and election wear on. However, I think the topics addressed here are not only of a political nature, but touch on social and religious concerns also. This post will be on both sites.)

There has been a lot written lately about the course Evangelical Christians may follow in the coming Presidential election if a pro-abortion Republican, such as Rudy Guiliani gets the nomination. The speculation started with the appearance of a story a month or so ago that James Dobson was encouraging Evangelicals to either not vote or, less likely, support a third party candidate. The rationale for this is that there is no issue facing more important than that of abortion, and if there is no pro-life candidate, then the moral choice is for Christians to sit the election out.

While I agree that the question of abortion is critical, I think it important to remind ourselves, as Christians, that abortion is not the only critical question that voters will be asked deal with come next November. There are a number of other issues that, if not just as important, certainly approach the abortion question in importance, not least of which is the fight against terrorism. Another critical question voters may decide next year is that of the role of Government in our lives; do we want the Government’s power to grow over us so that, in the next four years, it may even be up to the Government to determine the kinds of food we eat, or what we will wear?

These are hugely important questions. It could be argued that, if we fail in the war on terrorism, the resolution of the abortion question will pale in comparison. In fact, we won’t have to deal with it at all; it will be decided for us by Shar’ia law. If we lose the war on terror, we also lose our right to debate such issues, along with the right to practice the religion of our choice, the right to a free press, even the right of free speech. The election of any of the current Democrat candidates could move us dangerously in this direction. It’s possible that, allowing continued expansion of the right of Government to dictate purely personal choices, to interfere in our lives, could also cost us the right to practice our faith, among other things.

At the very least, Christians who sit out the next election, will almost assuredly spell the doom of the Republican nominee’s chances for election, and achieve the very goal they are so dedicated to – the furtherance of abortion in this country. Even if a candidate like Rudy Guiliani is elected, I think it could be argued that those opposed to abortion would be in much better position to oppose the murder of the innocents than if the Democrat is successful. At least they would have a place at the table.

I hope in the coming months that cooler heads among Evangelical Christian leaders will prevail and that they will not abstain from participation in the coming Presidential election. There’s too much at stake for Christians to sit this one out.

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