How Do I Choose?
By: Tom Minnery
You know you should vote, but how can you tell whether you’re voting for the best candidates? Here are some thoughts and questions to consider:
Separate principles from policies. All politicians talk about broad principles (or goals): world peace, quality education, affordable housing. Achieving them, however, requires how-to policies. Would the candidate’s policies likely increase the size of government? Government spending is usually wasteful and does best when it sticks to public safety, roads and sewers, national defense and a safety net for the needy. New programs usually mean higher taxes and more waste.
Does the candidate have a Christian worldview? Is he pro-life? A clue is whether he knows the embryonic stem-cell debate and opposes the process. Does she firmly support God’s definition of marriage, and does the she oppose civil unions that give marriage benefits to same-sex couples? Does he believe that parents, rather than the state, have ultimate say over what a child learns in school? Is she hostile toward or silent on matters of faith? A candidate’s positions on all these issues are important indicators.
Political parties matter. You like the platform and value of a local candidate who’s running with the party you typically vote against. Should you cross party lines and vote for him? Don’t forget that whichever party is in the majority has control over which bills eventually reach the floor. You’re voting for more than individual candidates; you’re voting for which party sets the agenda.
Isn’t the lesser of two evils still evil? There will never be a perfect candidate; we’re all sinners. Think of it this way: How much that is good will protected by candidate A as opposed to candidate B?
What if all choices are bad? Write in a name, or skip that race, but there are other races on your ballot, so don’t stay home. The success of our form of government depends on the participation of its citizens.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Christianity and Social Responibility Part 1
By: Ricardo Barber
Politics, what does it mean? According to the Pocket Dictionary of Ethics politics is, “the organized conduct of and various attempts to regulate relationships that exist within any form of human community.” In other words politics is how we live in a city or community collectively. It goes on to stay that, “politics is generally used in the narrower sense of denoting the science and art of governing human society.” Are we as Christians suppose to be involved in politics? What about social service? If one looks at the former definition of politics the answer is yes. Social involvement is evident in Scripture. Jesus himself was a political leader. Did he start a political party or attempt to overthrow Caesar? Certainly not. He was more concerned with the human community than with creating a program of governing a nation. It is hard to do anything socially without taking a political stand. If we believe mankind is created in the image of God and it is our duty to protect human life, a stand must be taken on abortion and euthanasia. Social responsibility and spreading the gospel go hand and hand. If we want to restore the dignity of the family and prevent further breakdown a stance on homosexuality is obligatory. Or we can sit back and not be involved at all. This world is getting worse and worse, only Christ can fix it is the pious cover up we use for our lack of political activity. Getting our hands dirty is out of the question. The priest and Levite thought the same way as they passed the wounded man on the way to their holy castles in the Good Samaritan parable (Luke 10:25-37). They must have thought that everything was okay as long as they going to their church to fellowship with their people. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” That’s social concern. The Good Samaritan saw a need and took action. “Jesus and the apostles did not build hospitals, or require them to be built, but Christian hospitals are a legitimate extrapolation from Jesus’ compassionate concern for the sick.”[1] I am not suggesting a social gospel or creating political agendas by no means because we cannot bring Utopia on earth. Our social concern should draw from the first commandment “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.”
“The church should, therefore, not forget its primary calling to pray, worship, evangelize and call people to follow Christ. Politically, it also needs to be aware that even as it seeks the very best for human society and studies the Word of God in pursuit of a Christian mind, it cannot enshrine Christian thinking into a particular political programme.”[2]
Man is fallen. Freeing him from social and economic chains want change that. It takes both evangelism and social action and of course the power of God to spark revival in our nation. We must be committed to the eternal gospel of Christ and not to temporary programs that politicians campaign. We should rest on God’s principles for clarity on social involvement, not man’s agenda. This requires a biblical mind with a deeper understanding of the doctrines of theology:
Nature of God
Deity of Christ
Original Sin
Church
Salvation
Mankind
We need a biblical worldview (which is different from all other thinking) before we can enter the arena and battle for justice. The war starts in the mind. How is your thinking?
For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Cor 2:16
[1] Taken from John Stott’s book “Issues Facing Christians Today”
[2] Ibid.
Politics, what does it mean? According to the Pocket Dictionary of Ethics politics is, “the organized conduct of and various attempts to regulate relationships that exist within any form of human community.” In other words politics is how we live in a city or community collectively. It goes on to stay that, “politics is generally used in the narrower sense of denoting the science and art of governing human society.” Are we as Christians suppose to be involved in politics? What about social service? If one looks at the former definition of politics the answer is yes. Social involvement is evident in Scripture. Jesus himself was a political leader. Did he start a political party or attempt to overthrow Caesar? Certainly not. He was more concerned with the human community than with creating a program of governing a nation. It is hard to do anything socially without taking a political stand. If we believe mankind is created in the image of God and it is our duty to protect human life, a stand must be taken on abortion and euthanasia. Social responsibility and spreading the gospel go hand and hand. If we want to restore the dignity of the family and prevent further breakdown a stance on homosexuality is obligatory. Or we can sit back and not be involved at all. This world is getting worse and worse, only Christ can fix it is the pious cover up we use for our lack of political activity. Getting our hands dirty is out of the question. The priest and Levite thought the same way as they passed the wounded man on the way to their holy castles in the Good Samaritan parable (Luke 10:25-37). They must have thought that everything was okay as long as they going to their church to fellowship with their people. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” That’s social concern. The Good Samaritan saw a need and took action. “Jesus and the apostles did not build hospitals, or require them to be built, but Christian hospitals are a legitimate extrapolation from Jesus’ compassionate concern for the sick.”[1] I am not suggesting a social gospel or creating political agendas by no means because we cannot bring Utopia on earth. Our social concern should draw from the first commandment “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.”
“The church should, therefore, not forget its primary calling to pray, worship, evangelize and call people to follow Christ. Politically, it also needs to be aware that even as it seeks the very best for human society and studies the Word of God in pursuit of a Christian mind, it cannot enshrine Christian thinking into a particular political programme.”[2]
Man is fallen. Freeing him from social and economic chains want change that. It takes both evangelism and social action and of course the power of God to spark revival in our nation. We must be committed to the eternal gospel of Christ and not to temporary programs that politicians campaign. We should rest on God’s principles for clarity on social involvement, not man’s agenda. This requires a biblical mind with a deeper understanding of the doctrines of theology:
Nature of God
Deity of Christ
Original Sin
Church
Salvation
Mankind
We need a biblical worldview (which is different from all other thinking) before we can enter the arena and battle for justice. The war starts in the mind. How is your thinking?
For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Cor 2:16
[1] Taken from John Stott’s book “Issues Facing Christians Today”
[2] Ibid.
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