Christian Civility
We recently got our November issue of Sojourners magazine, and in it was a very enlightening and much-needed article by the chief editor. He began by talking about certain issues that he thought Christians needed to consider when voting for a candidate in this election. Then he pointed out that, based on people's different views and interpretations, there would be those of Christian faith voting for both sides - Democrat and Republican. He continued by stating "Five Rules of Christian Civility" in light of this fact. They are as follows:
This article had perfect timing in my opinion. Sean and I have gradually been leaning toward a different worldview over the years. One which has been considered by some of our family and friends to be more "liberal", but which we felt was more in line with our ever-growing and changing faith as Christians. In some cases, we have been criticized and have also had the validity of our faith questioned because of this change in values. It's been somewhat insulting, as well as frustrating since our faith is such a large part of our lives and something we are excited about as it relates to us personally, and to the world around us. It's sad to me that on some of the occasions when we have shared our excitement about these things, people have viewed it as a threat to them personally. We never intended or suspected they would feel this way, and certainly never said anything bad about their views. We only stated our views which, granted, happen to be (respectfully) different than theirs. Not better. Just different. . .which is not a bad thing.
Fortunately during this time, we've found a church which holds a worldview similar to our own, and which expresses an interest and excitement in common with ours about how a person's faith should impact the world around them. It's been so refreshing to find Christians we can relate to! But not only that, through our changing views, we have found a whole new group of family and friends (religious and not) who share our worldview and whom we've been able to grow closer to as a result. We value these people so much! They are our support group, and we hope we have been able to return the favor in some small way. We also hope, at some point, to find or re-establish a common respect and understanding among those who we differ from in these matters. . .In the spirit of "Christian Civility."
Just a side note: The above-mentioned article is NOT advocating that Christians should vote only for "Christian" candidates, and neither are we. There are plenty of good and wonderful people in the world who actively and passionately support values that fall within Christian standards without actually professing specific, or any, religious preferences. In fact, there are quite a few other religions out there with standards similar to those of the Christian faith, as well as additional standards that could make this world a better place. What this article IS saying, is to educate yourself about what the candidates support and stand for, and then (if you are a Christian) to consider if those things line up with what the Bible as a whole stresses to be important, regardless of where the candidates values may or may not come from. The same considerations would be necessary for any person who holds a set of moral standards (religious or not) as to how people should live and treat one another.
1. Christians should not be in the pocket of any political party, but should evaluate both candidates using a biblically based moral compass
2. We should vote all of our values based on biblical foundations
3. We should advocate for a consistent ethic of life from the "womb to the tomb" (meaning ALL human life), challenging the selective moralities of both conservative and liberal views
4. We need to respect the integrity of our Christian brothers and sisters in their sincere and thoughtful efforts to choose a candidate, realizing that people of faith and conscience will be voting both ways
5. We should not attack one another, but should "expect and respect the practice of putting our faith first", even as we reach different conclusions
This article had perfect timing in my opinion. Sean and I have gradually been leaning toward a different worldview over the years. One which has been considered by some of our family and friends to be more "liberal", but which we felt was more in line with our ever-growing and changing faith as Christians. In some cases, we have been criticized and have also had the validity of our faith questioned because of this change in values. It's been somewhat insulting, as well as frustrating since our faith is such a large part of our lives and something we are excited about as it relates to us personally, and to the world around us. It's sad to me that on some of the occasions when we have shared our excitement about these things, people have viewed it as a threat to them personally. We never intended or suspected they would feel this way, and certainly never said anything bad about their views. We only stated our views which, granted, happen to be (respectfully) different than theirs. Not better. Just different. . .which is not a bad thing.
Fortunately during this time, we've found a church which holds a worldview similar to our own, and which expresses an interest and excitement in common with ours about how a person's faith should impact the world around them. It's been so refreshing to find Christians we can relate to! But not only that, through our changing views, we have found a whole new group of family and friends (religious and not) who share our worldview and whom we've been able to grow closer to as a result. We value these people so much! They are our support group, and we hope we have been able to return the favor in some small way. We also hope, at some point, to find or re-establish a common respect and understanding among those who we differ from in these matters. . .In the spirit of "Christian Civility."
Just a side note: The above-mentioned article is NOT advocating that Christians should vote only for "Christian" candidates, and neither are we. There are plenty of good and wonderful people in the world who actively and passionately support values that fall within Christian standards without actually professing specific, or any, religious preferences. In fact, there are quite a few other religions out there with standards similar to those of the Christian faith, as well as additional standards that could make this world a better place. What this article IS saying, is to educate yourself about what the candidates support and stand for, and then (if you are a Christian) to consider if those things line up with what the Bible as a whole stresses to be important, regardless of where the candidates values may or may not come from. The same considerations would be necessary for any person who holds a set of moral standards (religious or not) as to how people should live and treat one another.
posted by Dani | 10:47 AM
4 Comments:
I would be interested to hear you articulate your worldview and how you arrive at the values which are most important to you. What is the standard that you hold the candidates' values to in order to see if they conform with the points you specified?
For instance, which biblically based morals are most important to you of all the morals listed in the bible, since no candidate can possess them all? Which biblical foundations are the bedrock, or do all hold equal significance? How significant to you is their protection of the ethic of life from the womb to the tomb? What does this mean to you? For instance, if they advocate abortion in all instances what offsetting value might make you feel they would respect ALL human life? On the flip side, if they advocate escalating war what offsetting value might make you feel they would respect ALL human life?
Melinda
I kind of just hit you with question after question, didnt I? What I am trying to get at is a chance for you to say how these values and important points of Christian civility are arrived at for you personally, since I realize Christian people are choosing to vote for candiates that hold opposing values, but the Christian voters are all using these same criteria to arrive at their decision. What I am trying to find out is how your own personal evaluation of these points looked?
Melinda
You did have a lot of questions. That's OK though. A lot of what I believe to be important biblically based morals, which also happens to be my worldview, I have stated in a previous post from February 2008. In that post, I stated and explained how the following things are important to me: "Caring for the poor. Befriending the marginalized and excluded. Being a voice for justice and peace. Coming up with new solutions to old problems. . .This is how Jesus lived, how he brought God's Kingdom to earth, and how he encouraged those he knew to carry out that dream in their day-to-day lives. I think the whole "good news" or "gospel" message of Jesus is (about) that. . .Learning to live a life of love, kindness, peace and justice, and helping others to do the same."
Reaching these conclusions involved a long process of listening, observing, reading and evaluating. I don't expect these to be my final conclusions or worldview. It is very likely that my views will continue to evolve as I continue to observe and learn.
After re-reading all of Melinda's questions and comments, I feel it is necessary to point out that I have never, nor would ever support a candidate that would "advocate" abortion. In fact, I think a candidate who would advocate abortions, thereby proposing that they increase or at least continue at the same rate without decreasing, is probably very rare.
Obama certainly doesn't advocate abortion. He most definitely advocates REDUCING abortions, however. And he is Pro-Choice, maintaining that women's rights, values and bodies need to be respected in an issue that is difficult both morally and personally. I appreciate that he respects all beliefs/opinions/consideration on this issue and is striving for an effective solution that encompasses all of these views as much as possible.
Other things about Obama specifically which indicate to me that he respects ALL human life (and which I would also use as a guide for future candidates), are his views on war, poverty, healthcare, foreign aid. . .
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