Posted by
JayPeriod on Monday, August 25, 2008 2:05:12 PM
God is not a Republican or Democrat. That's what we hear, usually from Democrats, when the idea of religion gets infused into politics. I'm sure that's what we'll be hearing this week as the Democratic Party tries to paint itself and the choice for young evangelicals.
I heard an interview this morning with
Relevant Magazine founder, Cameron Strang. He had been scheduled to open the Democrat Convention in prayer, but as he realized he could be viewed as endorsing one candidate over another, one with polarizing views on abortion, he retreated from the engagement. In his explanation, he cited that young evangelicals looked at both parties and their positions, and believed that both held positions that were in line with their beliefs. He specifically mentioned the positions of abortion and war, stating that the Republican's view of war seemed at odds with the pro-life issue.
I'd like to give some clarification for our young evangelicals who might be a bit confused on the issues.
Evangelicals have held to a pro-life position on abortion since before Roe v. Wade in 1972. The idea that life begins at conception, is valued by God and deserves special protection fits neatly in the Bible and the faith of most Christians, if not all. On this issue, almost all Democrats struggle to identify themselves with evangelicals. They have looked at ways to overcome this for the last several election cycles.
This year, many have decided to bring in the war issue into the pro-life argument. This is really nothing new, as they have tried with the death penalty for years, trying to show some "inconsistency" in the view. On the surface, one could make the argument that killing innocent people in the midst of war seems a bit out of line with the pro-life position. On the surface, that could be a strong argument.
As you dig deeper, though, the fallicy becomes clearer. Unlike most evangelicals, Democrats view the actions of all people as equal morally. Careful here, I said actions. All people are created equal, as evangelicals hold to, but not their actions. Thus, Democrats will view the actions of Saddam Hussein and Mother Theresa as morally equal. Thus, they would view an attack on Saddam just as they would an attack on Mother Theresa. To evangelicals, this is just no the case. Justice must be served, and God does have a history of using governments and war to mete out that justice.
The Bible is repleat with war. When the children of Israel disobeyed and abandoned God for idols, He sent the Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem and carry away into captivity the Israelites. As time went on, the Babylonians were defeated by the Persians for their disobedience, and so on and so on.
There can be no doubt that innocent people have suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the actions of the Jihadists could not be allowed to continue. Add to that the fact that Saddam had gassed his own people, condemned them to unjust prisons and rape rooms, and it does not become difficult to see the greater good of war to dispose someone like him. In fact, we are currently facing similar problems in places like Darfur. Relying on the "good" of the oppressors will never provide the relief the oppressed will need. Action may be required.
So, while there are many pro-lifers who feel action to protect the innocent, even at their own risk, may be inevitible, they do not do so without compassion for the innocent. What happens on the other side of the coin is that there is no action taken on the guilty and the innocent suffer far further. I'm sure at this point in time, most Iraqis would admit to some suffering and loss, they would admit, though, that it would have been far worse if no action had been taken and would express great thanks for the gift of life and freedom they have been given.
So, as young evangelicals begin to look for politicians to look to, I hope they will not simply look at the surface. I hope and pray they will dig deep into issues and see which really are more in-line with the foundations of their beliefs. If they can't, then how deep are their beliefs, if they can't handle a little digging?
**While this deals with just one aspect of the argument, other issues need to be looked at more deeply, including welfare and social security, among other things. Many times the "easy" solution is actually the least Scriptural and compassionate.