Picking A President
(K-V Dispatch Column, 2/14/07 Edition)
It seems there’s no shortage of folks who want to run for President in 2008. Just in the past two weeks, several have declared they are “in the race,” or that they’re looking into the possibility – which means, of course, that they will be “in the race” soon enough. Why so early? Elections aren’t until next November. We shouldn’t be paying attention until at least this time next year.
Or should we?
I think now is the time to start looking seriously at presidential candidates, because now is the time we’re likely to see who they really are. As the race gets tighter, the candidates will give focus-group speeches rather than talking to the everyday you-and-me. Instead of talking abut their passions and motivations, next year they’ll be telling us what they think we want to hear.
So where does the Christian fit into all of this? We’ve seen more in the past few years that, for better or worse, Christian Americans have influenced elections and policies. But before we jump up and down in victory, we should take a moment to reflect on what it means for us, as the Church, to have so much influence in our government.
Jesus opened up the age-old matter of church-vs.-state when the Pharisees came to him in Jerusalem with a loaded question: “Is it right for us to pay taxes to Rome?” Jesus knew their intentions, and he gave the perfect answer: “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give to God the things that are God’s.”
Jesus wasn’t just making a clever turn of phrase, and he wasn’t just trying to outfox the Pharisees. He was making a statement to us about our relationship to our government and society.
As members of a democracy, citizens of our great nation, each of us is responsible to have a voice in what goes on in our communities and our nation. We are responsible for the choices we make – or fail to make. If we elect a leader, then you and I are somehow implicit in the successes and failures of that leader. If we vote for a policy change, then you and I share the consequences that come from that change.
How do we, as Christians, make decisions? How do our decisions impact our nation and world? These are questions each of us can only answer for ourselves. But the fact remains, we have been given a mandate – both by our country and by our God – to take responsibility and action. Help the oppressed, feed the hungry, care for the poor… these are the things God consistently tells us we should do, both as individuals and as a nation.
Sure, it’s another 19 months until we choose our next president. But let’s take our God-given blessings and duties seriously, and begin even now to choose and to pray for our future leaders.
