(Originally published 12/9/2004 at www.iuchallenge.org/blog)
As an evangelical Christian, let me just say that I am about tired of being
labeled as a Republican. You talk to people now, in the aftermath of one of the
most divisive elections in our nation’s history, and they automatically slap the
scarlet ‘R’ on you (51% smile as they do it, the other 49% with a scowl). It
taints you, and I’m tired of it. I’m tired because I know for a fact that neither candidate represented a complete set of Christian values, and both parties lied to the public to garner votes (see www.factcheck.org). I was forced this year to vote for a man who I know does not completely agree with my moral convictions. He will NOT support my view, an evangelical Christian view, on important issues. People find out that you are an evangelical and they just KNOW without asking that you voted republican and therefore you believe everything that Republicans have ever mentioned from the party platform.
I am tired of having my worldview assumed by my voting record on one
elected office in one election. It seems that in America today you are red, or
you are blue. There are no other colors. The fact remains, however, that neither
red nor blue is an ideal fit for most evangelicals. (Yes, some will disagree, but we can’t all be intelligent.) Some of us–many of us–are a shade in between.
51%-49%. That’s the approximate split in America’s political convictions, and that does a fair job of describing mine as well, if they must lay along party lines as is too often assumed. Republicrat? Demoblican? What am I? Politically, I don’t really know. What I do know is this: on every issue, environmental, social, moral, fiscal, whatever, I will find the Christ-like position and I will stand there. Rooted in God’s word, I will defend or attack immorality and unrighteousness regardless of what political color it may take, should I be called upon to do so. Will it be easy? Of course not! Does that matter? Of course not. What does matter is that we as Evangelicals do not allow ourselves to be colored by someone else’s brush.
The body of Christ should not and must not allow itself to be defined
monochromatically by an American political process. We are supposed to be light
(Matthew 5:14-16), not red, not blue, not even green, but light (which, by the
way, indicates the presence of ALL colors.)
SO, the next time you wind up talking to a ‘politics-first’ person (and that will probably be sooner than later) try to remember that we are not called to a party, but to a person; Jesus Christ. Remember, too, that that we are aliens in this world, and therefore in this country. (1 Peter 1:1) We have the privilege of voting on its political leaders, but our first allegiance is to the King of Kings, not an elected official.
Jon
