Jesus is NOT Running for President!!!
- Rick Scarborough
- Nov 10, 2011
Because I am a Pastor who is politically engaged, practically every day someone asks me what to make of the various candidates in the GOP field, as they rise and fall in the polls. It seems that every week a different candidate is leading the pack and threatening to run away from the rest of the field, only to fall back once they fall under the scrutiny of being the frontrunner.
Most recently, Herman Cain has been leading and just when it appeared he might take off, a story broke in Politico that was more than ten years old, alleging that he sexually harassed two former female employees who were paid to dismiss the allegations. He adamantly denies any wrong doing, but since the story broke, more allegations have been leveled against Cain.
Before that, it was Governor Rick Perry, whose views on immigration and HPV vaccinations of young girls caused an excited electorate to pause and reconsider.
And before that, it was Congresswoman Michele Bachman, who was the talk of the town with her win in the Iowa straw poll, before she swooned after a couple of debates and increasing scrutiny.
And before that, there was former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, always the smartest man in the room. Unfortunately for him, he has never been smart enough to pick a wife for life, having failed twice already before settling for the current Mrs. Gingrich.
Many evangelicals can find grace to forgive one mistake, but two? He did well at first, but then his staff resigned; his excessive love for fine jewelry was exposed and down went his numbers. Ever resourceful, the former Speaker is once again gaining traction in the latest polls.
And then…there’s always Mitt Romney and Ron Paul, who both seem to have a solid base of support that never changes, neither up nor down. Romney stays near 25% and Paul stays near 10%, neither with enough to win the nomination.
While few are willing to say it publicly, due to political correctness, Evangelicals DO struggle with Mormon teachings, and rightly so, in spite of Rev. Joel Osteen’s naïve assertion in the Washington Times that Mormonism is no different than mainline Christian denominations like Baptist, Methodist or Catholic.
And Ron Paul, a lifetime fiscal conservative and strict Constitutionalist, has very radical views on social and foreign policy, which many who could otherwise warm to his candidacy, cannot support.
My Take on It All.
There are no perfect candidates, either in the current field or in the dream team field of possible candidates who have been lurking in the shadows and testing the waters, only to pull back, for one reason or the other.
Soon we are all going to have to make our choice, and many Christians are concerned that all the candidates have their flaws. And to that, I say…JESUS IS NOT RUNNING!!!
That means that you and I must choose between flawed men and women.
While one may be a more effective debater than others, what I look for is history. Over time you can tell what a man or woman truly believes, by the way they live, lead and govern. A sixty second response to a debate question or a sixty second campaign ad is no way to properly evaluate a candidate.
I often hear people say rather piously, "I will not vote for the lesser of two evils," but every vote for a human candidate is exactly that...voting for the lesser of two evils.
For the Christian, not voting is not an option. Since Jesus is NOT running, a flawed candidate must be chosen. Our challenge is finding a flawed candidate whom we believe will best represent our values.
When you make your choice, make sure you choose someone you can trust to do the right thing….even when they think no one is looking.
And remember, Jesus is not running!
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I have written a booklet entitled, Mixing Church and State, God’s Way, which looks at the narrative in the Bible on Paul and Silas’s visit to Philippi, and gives a defense of Christians, and particularly, Pastors, engaging in politics. For a gift of any amount, I will send you a copy as my way of saying thank you.
Select here for your copy of Mixing Church and State God’s Way.
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