Vote 2008

I'm glad nothing was decided yesterday on "super fat Tuesday" as far as the elections are concerned, because I've been mulling something over in my mind and am interested in some feedback.

First of all, this is probably one of only two posts you'll find in all my archives that have anything to do with politics. Although I'm very politically involved, the purpose of this blog isn't to discuss politics. And, since I mention my church and position here a lot, I want to be careful to never give the idea that being a Christian/pastor or even a member at McKinney implies any kind of political leaning at all. We've got people on staff who run the political gamut, and I'm sure that's representative of our local church as a whole. We're okay with that.

With that said, according to surveys, the vast majority of evangelicals - especially in the South - lean towards the right. The "religious right," as it is called, is given credit for being a kingmaker for Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II. There is a large group of voting conservative Christians who vote Republican... few people would deny that.

So here's what will be interesting to me: The decision in 2008 could very well come down to a decision where that conservative evangelical right has to choose between a person with whom they vehemently disagree politically, and a person with whom they vehemently disagree spiritually.

If Mitt Romney wins the race and ends up the President of the United States, Mormon missionaries stateside and all over the world will have instant credibility. That will provide an instant obstacle for evangelical Christian missionaries stateside and overseas.

If Hillary or Obama wins the race and ends up the President of the United States, they will likely have the opportunity to nominate judges to the Supreme Court that have values many evangelical Christians do not support, as well as to represent a political agenda with which many Christians do not agree.

It seems like an interesting worldview test for conservative evangelical Christians. Are temporal ideologies and political issues more important in this time and place than theological differences? Or, is the collective "religious right" willing to fall on their ideological swords in order to prevent electing a president who will add instant credibility to a counterfeit Christian faith?

It will be interesting - if the opportunity presents itself - to see how those people react in the voting booth. What do you think?