{"id":1354,"date":"2012-10-30T20:23:30","date_gmt":"2012-10-31T01:23:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/davidcprice.wordpress.com\/2012\/10\/30\/faithandpolitics"},"modified":"2012-10-30T20:23:30","modified_gmt":"2012-10-31T01:23:30","slug":"faithandpolitics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/faithandpolitics\/","title":{"rendered":"On Presidential Politics and the Evangelical Dilemma"},"content":{"rendered":"
There seems to be a great deal of confusion rising regarding the upcoming elections among Evangelical Christians. \u00a0On the one hand, there is a candidate who claims to be a Christian, yet whose policies fly in the face of that claim. \u00a0On the other is a candidate whose policies largely agree with traditional orthodox Christianity but whose theology flies in the face of that claim. \u00a0How does one resolve such a dilemma?<\/span> Regardless of whether we vote for the same candidate, I encourage you to do the same. \u00a0It is a high and important right and responsibility that we share as citizens of the United States of America, and if we end up voting for different candidates, we can do so with the satisfaction that we voted our convictions and hope for a better tomorrow together.<\/p>\n
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For me, I can only say that when it comes to presidential politics, policy trumps theology. \u00a0That might sound odd for a pastor to say. \u00a0However, I am not voting for a pastor, but a president. \u00a0Presidents establish policy, not theology. \u00a0I can disagree with one\u2019s theology and support their policy, if policy is their primary job. \u00a0On the other hand, if I am looking for a pastor, it is theology for which I\u2019m most concerned. \u00a0So, when it comes to a president, I want to know that their intentions regarding policy will fall most in line with my own biblical worldview convictions. \u00a0Note I said <\/span>most<\/em> in line. \u00a0I don\u2019t require a candidate believe exactly as I do or I may never vote, which I\u2019m responsible for doing. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
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Recently, the Billy Graham Association has come out declaring that Mormonism is no longer considered a cult. \u00a0First of all, though they were speaking of their own, internal list of those considered cults, they are seen as speaking for all Evangelical Christians. \u00a0For the record, they don\u2019t. \u00a0Though Billy Graham is the most famous among us, he is not our voice. \u00a0In their political support of Mitt Romney, they seem to have felt the need to pave the way for evangelicals to vote for the Republican candidate with a clear conscience by removing the \u201ccult\u201d label. \u00a0I believe they not only made a tremendous error, it was an unforced one. \u00a0Using the criteria above, I believe evangelicals can freely vote for a candidate who might not share their theology but does share their convictions regarding how the Country should function. I believe they can do that without watering down their convictions in the process. <\/span>
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In my view, based on a simple reading of Scripture, Mormonism fails to pass the test of what would qualifies as an orthodox expression of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. \u00a0I don\u2019t need to be convinced otherwise if I choose to vote for the Mormon candidate. \u00a0The fact is, I\u2019m not voting for a \u201cMormon\u201d candidate and more than I\u2019m voting for a black or a white one. \u00a0I\u2019m voting for a qualified candidate who will lead according to the principles I believe are most important and who I believe can lead the Country out of the economic crisis it is currently in. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n