2008 Woodie Awards
Christianity and the vote
DEBBIE THURMAN
Guest Opinion
Issue date: 10/8/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
I am baffled by what may be a percolating national political strategy by some respected evangelical Christian leaders. A number of these folks met in Salt Lake City (was that meant to be symbolic?) recently to discuss, among other things, the possibility of supporting a third-party candidate for president in 2008.
Political and media analysts are testing the waters with various theories about what is happening to the grand old party and one of its most significant voting blocks.
Are evangelicals, a swath of voters representing between 25 and 30 percent of America, splintering in their frustration with what they perceive as no real “values” choice among the front-running presidential candidates? Are they overreacting in refusing to get behind the squeaky-clean Mormon, Mitt Romney? And why on Earth are they not rallying behind the one candidate who not only is smart, funny and likable but represents their values to a t - Mike Huckabee?
Americans who reside outside evangelical circles cannot seem to grasp what the objections to Romney and the Latter-day Saints are all about. Yet, surveys reflect the flat rejection of a Mormon bid for the White House by conservative, Bible-believing Christians.
Why? The simple answer is found in the term latter-day. That appellation for the Mormon Church clearly represents a belief in a historical “revelation” that supercedes the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on Earth, immortalized by the words he uttered as he was dying on the cross, “It is finished.”
Joseph Smith started a new movement predicated on his belief that it was not finished. Even if you remove all the other problematic doctrinal differences between the real church of Christ and the Mormon latter-day version, this would be sufficient reason to reject it. Christ’s atoning death and resurrection are the linchpin for all Christendom. There never was and never will be a need for a book of Mormon or any additional revelation to augment the living word of God, the Bible.
You can reject that analysis if you like, but it will not change the fact that many, many devout Christians are unconfused on the point. Does that negate Romney’s strong values or devotion to his family or even his ability to lead? Certainly not. Many other Christians are ready right now to cast a vote for him, should he manage to win the Republican nomination. They have managed to lay aside their doctrinal differences and focus on a bigger picture. That’s their prerogative, too.
What is more disconcerting is the refusal (at least to this point) of prominent Christian leaders to rally behind former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who may best represent true Christian values. Couldn’t their influence make a huge difference in Huckabee’s dark-horse campaign and quite possibly propel him into the nomination and the White House? It very well could if we truly believed the words of Jesus: “... with God all things are possible.”
Sadly, deciding on the leadership of our nation, which the record shows was founded on biblical Christian principles - please, just read the history - is a huge game of politics. We might as well be playing some Xbox version of “Elect the President.”
Think tanks and advisors ad nauseam give us the sad reality check: This one is not electable. That one is a loose cannon. The other is a flip-flopper. We like that one, but he would be decimated in the general election because, well, maybe we really don’t have that much influence after all and we are afraid to find out. So lets blow whatever political capital we may really have by going off to our rooms to pout in protest. Kind of like threatening to hold your breath until you turn blue while your mom is out of the room and couldn’t care less.
In the end, God, who still is on his throne (lest we forget), will oversee the election. If the Creator wants to spank us by giving us the president we truly deserve - whoever that may be - He is going to do it, regardless of how we vote. That sobering perspective kind of makes us all look small and foolish, doesnít it?
Debbie Thurman is a freelance journalist and former member of the American Association of Christian Counselors.
Political and media analysts are testing the waters with various theories about what is happening to the grand old party and one of its most significant voting blocks.
Are evangelicals, a swath of voters representing between 25 and 30 percent of America, splintering in their frustration with what they perceive as no real “values” choice among the front-running presidential candidates? Are they overreacting in refusing to get behind the squeaky-clean Mormon, Mitt Romney? And why on Earth are they not rallying behind the one candidate who not only is smart, funny and likable but represents their values to a t - Mike Huckabee?
Americans who reside outside evangelical circles cannot seem to grasp what the objections to Romney and the Latter-day Saints are all about. Yet, surveys reflect the flat rejection of a Mormon bid for the White House by conservative, Bible-believing Christians.
Why? The simple answer is found in the term latter-day. That appellation for the Mormon Church clearly represents a belief in a historical “revelation” that supercedes the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on Earth, immortalized by the words he uttered as he was dying on the cross, “It is finished.”
Joseph Smith started a new movement predicated on his belief that it was not finished. Even if you remove all the other problematic doctrinal differences between the real church of Christ and the Mormon latter-day version, this would be sufficient reason to reject it. Christ’s atoning death and resurrection are the linchpin for all Christendom. There never was and never will be a need for a book of Mormon or any additional revelation to augment the living word of God, the Bible.
You can reject that analysis if you like, but it will not change the fact that many, many devout Christians are unconfused on the point. Does that negate Romney’s strong values or devotion to his family or even his ability to lead? Certainly not. Many other Christians are ready right now to cast a vote for him, should he manage to win the Republican nomination. They have managed to lay aside their doctrinal differences and focus on a bigger picture. That’s their prerogative, too.
What is more disconcerting is the refusal (at least to this point) of prominent Christian leaders to rally behind former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who may best represent true Christian values. Couldn’t their influence make a huge difference in Huckabee’s dark-horse campaign and quite possibly propel him into the nomination and the White House? It very well could if we truly believed the words of Jesus: “... with God all things are possible.”
Sadly, deciding on the leadership of our nation, which the record shows was founded on biblical Christian principles - please, just read the history - is a huge game of politics. We might as well be playing some Xbox version of “Elect the President.”
Think tanks and advisors ad nauseam give us the sad reality check: This one is not electable. That one is a loose cannon. The other is a flip-flopper. We like that one, but he would be decimated in the general election because, well, maybe we really don’t have that much influence after all and we are afraid to find out. So lets blow whatever political capital we may really have by going off to our rooms to pout in protest. Kind of like threatening to hold your breath until you turn blue while your mom is out of the room and couldn’t care less.
In the end, God, who still is on his throne (lest we forget), will oversee the election. If the Creator wants to spank us by giving us the president we truly deserve - whoever that may be - He is going to do it, regardless of how we vote. That sobering perspective kind of makes us all look small and foolish, doesnít it?
Debbie Thurman is a freelance journalist and former member of the American Association of Christian Counselors.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 27
certaincurtain
posted 10/08/07 @ 1:06 AM MST
Jesus said this to the Mormons in his day.
John 15:18
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
John 15:19
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. (Continued…)
certaincurtain
posted 10/08/07 @ 1:16 AM MST
The first recorded instance of the Mormon Church being restored to the earth is found in Genesis.
Genesis 1:31
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. (Continued…)
certaincurtain
posted 10/08/07 @ 1:55 AM MST
A verse comes to mind when I think of the leading candidates in the GOP, not including Mitt Romney.
Psalms 12:8
The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted. (Continued…)
Paul
posted 10/08/07 @ 5:43 AM MST
The fact that evangelical christian leaders will not support Governor Romney as a candidate who, in my view, most certainly represents true christian, conservative, and family values is unfortunate. (Continued…)
Kerry
posted 10/08/07 @ 7:29 AM MST
Debbie - Thank you so much for this very thoughtful, intelligent piece. Your comments are right on target, especially about Mike Huckabee being able to really take off in this campaign if only the Christian leaders would stand with him. (Continued…)
R. George Dunn
posted 10/08/07 @ 7:56 AM MST
Debbie, Of all the candidates that is steadfast in his faith, you have pointed to Governor Huckabee. He truly is the best choice and I might add, never a better one. (Continued…)
John Hajicek
posted 10/08/07 @ 8:08 AM MST
I never realized that the Bible was finished and new scripture ceased when Jesus was on the cross. Thank you for your Christian insights. But by your theory, his resurrection is not scriptural, nor are the Acts of the Apostles, or those letters of Peter, James, John, and that new guy Paul; and certainly not that purported thing called Revelation that came so many years after Christ, and centuries after the book of Deuteronomy 12:32 said not to add to what God has said. (Continued…)
Dale
posted 10/08/07 @ 9:06 AM MST
Great article! Evangelicals getting excited about Romney ain't gonna happen. Aside from Mitt's recent (and conveniently timed) flip-flops on sanctity of life, gays and the second amendment, he is a Mormon. (Continued…)
http://www.evangelicalsformitt.org/
posted 10/08/07 @ 10:15 AM MST
http://www.evangelicalsformitt.org/
Captain Obvious
posted 10/08/07 @ 10:37 AM MST
I wonder if Debbie has torn out every section of her bible that occurred after Christ's death. If revelation and so forth were ceased at that point, simply because Christ said "it is finished," then she is a heretic by her own account if she reads or believes anything written by Paul, or Peter, or John, et al. (Continued…)
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