A Christian Case for Obama

To cut through some complicated questions I have (1), let's look at voting in a straightforward and pragmatic way. On November 4th, either John McCain or Barack Obama will be elected President. So which of the two should a Christian prefer? Let's begin by looking at their political positions.

Two issues which are in the fronts of many Christian minds are abortion and gay marriage. Regarding abortion, I am every bit as sickened by and opposed to it as anyone is. So on this issue, I much prefer McCain’s personal views to those of Obama. But there is the reality that McCain might not have any more of an impact on abortion than George W. Bush has had. And as a silver lining to Obama’s position, he at least says that “nobody’s pro-abortion. I think it’s always a tragic situation,” and speaks of “providing options for adoption, and helping single mothers if they want to choose to keep the baby.”

Then on the subject of gay marriage, we must first look at marriage in general: biblical Christian marriage, and legal marriage. Given their differences concerning prior sexual activity, faithfulness, divorce, and remarriage – just for starters – I contend that they are simply different institutions: legal marriage is not Christian marriage. What legal marriage is, at least in part, is a legal recognition of a relationship, and a granting of things like tax benefits and hospital visitation rights. So since we currently grant this treatment to unfaithful marriages, abusive marriages, and short-lived celebrity marriages, should we deny it to same-sex relationships? These same-sex relationships may be more loving and committed than the heterosexual relationships which we now legally recognize. So this makes me think that legal marriage, or at least an alternatively-named equivalent, is only fair for same-sex couples, and therefore is the will of our just God, who sends rain on the just and the unjust alike, and who forbids us from judging those outside the church (2). Of course, Christians should continue to preach and practice a standard of Christian marriage different from the world’s standard of legal marriage. Indeed, we should get much better at doing this.

Continuing on, however important abortion and gay marriage are, they are certainly not the only issues Christians should consider. For abortion is only one application of biblical teachings on life, death, and violence; and homosexuality is only one aspect of biblical teachings on how people should relate to each other, sexually and otherwise. We must also consider issues like tax policy, health care, education, trade, and humanitarian aid – for the Bible has a great deal to say about money, and about those in need. And it is on these social and economic issues, and on foreign policy issues, that Barack Obama wins my support over John McCain.

I’ll first briefly address foreign policy. War is manifestly horrible, and the inevitable death of innocent people in war is atrocious. Beyond that, Jesus commands us to not even resist an evil person, and to turn the other cheek (3). And while I realize that this cannot be a national policy in this world (4), it is still the ideal. So if we are to affect our nation’s foreign policy, we should steer it away from violence, away from war. And through all the complications of foreign policy in general, and of particular stances and statements by Obama and McCain, Obama emerges as the candidate who favors more diplomacy and more multilateralism – that is, the candidate who is more concerned with peace, and opposed to war.

We now come to tax policy, health care, education, trade, and humanitarian aid. And on these issues, a trend emerges where McCain seems most concerned with competition, hard work, and success, while Obama seems most concerned with poverty, need, and justice. And while there is much validity to both sides, one side sounds a lot more like the gospel than the other side does. For I do not read in the Bible a great concern for incentivizing diligent entrepreneurs; I read a great concern for orphans, widows, immigrants, and the poor (5). These huge issues, which a President can hugely influence, reveal an ideological divide, and Barack Obama is much more on the side of the poor, which is the side of God. These are the strongest reasons why I support Obama.

There remain important questions of character and experience. I’ll readily grant that Barack Obama has surprisingly little experience, especially when compared to John McCain – and this is a legitimate criticism. However, on only criteria of experience and competence, aside from political positions, I would still prefer having Obama as President to having Sarah Palin a moment away from being President.

And then when we come to looking at indicators of a person’s character, we must look diligently and humbly for the truth. So we must be careful not to believe lying propaganda – and there is a lot of that being circulated about Barack Obama. And we must not use vague talk about character to conceal – from ourselves or from others – a sinful fear or unlove of people who are different from us. This, too, seems to be happening to Barack Obama, because of his race and his parents’ beliefs.

So for these reasons, I cast my vote for Barack Obama – but this does not mean that I support him absolutely. It doesn’t mean that I believe a given one of his policies, or his candidacy as a whole, is ideal, or even “right” – let alone that I adore him as devoutly as some of his supporters do. And in particular, I mentioned my sharp disagreement with him on abortion, and my reservations about his experience. But in the end, I have concluded that given a choice between Barack Obama and John McCain, Obama’s presidency would aim to be the more compassionate, just, and peaceful of the two. That means that it better reflects the teachings of Jesus Christ, and should be more acceptable to Christ’s followers.

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1) We might ask the question if Christians should vote at all. For despite the received wisdom about patriotism, democracy, and civic duty, Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). And as Shane Claiborne puts it, “It is not easy to make an imperfect decision. It just doesn’t feel right to say to the state, ‘Please kill less’… as it still holds an imperative ‘Please kill.’ However, ideals can keep us from working for ‘better.’” Also, exercising the right to vote which I am given seems like it might affirm all of the means by which this right was won and defended, some of which are appalling. Although, this line of reasoning faces a serious challenge in an electoral system like ours where one can vote not only for a party which maintains much of the status quo, but also for a libertarian, or a communist, or for Mickey Mouse by write-in, for that matter. That is, the most radical of governmental changes can in theory be made through voting, so voting doesn’t necessarily assume or affirm anything.
2) Matthew 5:43-48, 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
3) Matthew 5:38-48
4) Dietrich Bonhoeffer discusses this brilliantly in The Cost of Discipleship, saying, in part: “If we took the precept of non-resistance as an ethical blueprint for general application, we should indeed be indulging in idealistic dreams: we should be dreaming of a utopia with laws which the world would never obey. To make non-resistance a principle for secular life is to deny God, by undermining His gracious ordinance for the preservation of the world. But Jesus is no draftsman of political blueprints, He is the One who vanquished evil through suffering. It looked as though evil had triumphed on the cross, but the real victory belonged to Jesus. And the cross is the only justification for the precept of non-violence, for it alone can kindle a faith in the victory over evil which will enable men to obey that precept. And only such obedience is blessed with the promise that we shall be partakers of Christ’s victory as well as of His sufferings.”
5) E.g. Deuteronomy 10:17-19, Deuteronomy 14:29, Psalm 72:12-14, Isaiah 1:17, Jeremiah 5:27-29, Zechariah 7:8-10, Malachi 3:5, Matthew 25:31-46, Luke 6:20-26, 1 Timothy 6:17-19, James 1:27, James 5:1-6

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For more thoughts along these lines, check out this great post: “The Conservative Christian Case for Supporting Obama.”

Voting as Damage Control

Consider a few thoughts from Shane Claiborne’s short essay “Voting as Damage Control”:

The decision we make on November 4 is an important one — perhaps no more important than how we live on November 3 and November 5 — but important nonetheless.

As a follower of the enemy-loving God, it is difficult to vote for a commander in chief of the largest military in the world, especially when no candidate seems to be preaching “blessed are the peacemakers” or creating a plan for turning swords into plows.

It is not easy to make an imperfect decision. It just doesn’t feel right to say to the state, “Please kill less”… as it still holds an imperative “Please kill.” However, ideals can keep us from working for “better.”

One way to look at voting is that it is damage control – not so much voting for something as it is voting against something worse.

Being an agent of God’s kingdom, transformation means calling out the best that the state can do, and not expecting it to be our savior.