Thoughts on the Presidential Debates and the Upcoming Elections

Having watched all three presidential debates and the single vice presidential debate, I remain firm in my commitment to the candidate I have chosen. Speaking solely for myself, I support President Bush in the upcoming election. However, I would like to share some thoughts on the debates and the elections.

1. I have not been pleased at the way both candidates have resorted to denigrating the other candidates. Regardless of what we have heard during the debates and in the campaign ads, I do not believe that either Kerry or Bush are evil incarnate. I do not believe that either candidate is set to ruin our great nation. I would have preferred to see the candidates focus more on what they propose to do rather than on how the other candidate is wrong.

2. I think that the one thing that has come from the debates is that America can clearly see a difference between the two candidates in regards to their world view and vision for this nation. President Bush clearly comes across as a candidate influenced by a conservative Christian world view. He appears to see his administration's actions as attempts at implementing the social justice principles in the Bible. Senator Kerry clearly comes across as a candidate influenced by liberal policies and not by any religious world view. With this view, he promotes a more tolerant view of religion overall and bases his administrative proposals on how society and government should act in a civilized world. Which is right? It would depend on your own personal world view.

3. The Environment. If there is one area that I have to fault President Bush, it is in this area. While I understand that his main concern since taking office has been to reverse the recession that has impacted the nation, I feel that more could have been done to promote environmental policies that were compatible with business practices.

4. The Economy. There is a clear difference between the two candidates in this area. President Bush is focusing on less government and more economic incentives to businesses to grow the economy. Senator Kerry believes that the economy should be handled by increased Government programs designed to spur economic growth. Clear cut conservative economics vs. liberal economic policies. Generally, the same holds true for healthcare and jobs.

5. The War on Terror. Once again we see a clear difference between the two candidates in this area. President Bush tends to view the war on terror as America's responsibility, and if the world wants to help, great. If the world doesn't want to help, we'll do it on our own. Senator Kerry tends to take the more liberal approach of building a consensus with other nations and approaching the war on terror as a global problem. If we do not have the support of the other countries, then we should respect their opinions and not engage unilaterally. [The funny thing here is that on the issue of Korea, the two candidates flip-flop views.] I think both candidates have still failed to recognize the spiritual aspects of the war on terror, and until they do so, we will continue to fail in winning the war. We may win battles, such as in Afghanistan and Iraq, but the war will continue to be in doubt. Another area of concern I have is that we continue to approach the war on terror with a western perspective. Until we recognize and realize that we are fighting an enemy with a different world view and with a different perspective, we cannot win. That is why WWI and WWII were so decisive, but wars with Asian and Middle Eastern countries (Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, etc.) remain difficult.

So, how should a Christian vote? What would Jesus do in regards to this upcoming election? WWJVF (Who Would Jesus Vote For?)? This is not a question that is easy to answer, but let me give you some principles that I use to guide my vote:

I try to hold up a candidate's view of issues to my own interpretation of the Bible, knowing that I approach the Bible from a literal conservative Methodist perspective. In that regards, I tend to vote for candidates that are pro-life, pro-family, and pro-civil justice. I tend to vote against candidates that support abortion and same-sex marriages.

I do not believe that Christians should base their vote solely on economic issues. Christ told us that we cannot serve two masters -- money being one of the masters that He mentioned. Whenever we use economics, even our own financial security, as the sole factor in deciding who to vote for, we may end up compromising our integrity in other areas.

I personally do not favor Government welfare or social security programs. I contend that the existence of these programs demonstrates the failure of the church. Jesus gave us the responsibility to care for widows, orphans, elderly, and the outcast. He did not give that responsibility to the Government. I would rather see fewer Government programs and more faith-based programs that originate from the church with church funds. I tend to vote for candidates that support fewer Government programs.

That said, let me make one more final point. I believe it is a God-given responsibility for Christians to vote. God has placed us in this great nation and has given us the right to elect our leaders. His word tells us to submit to the authorities placed over us, and I think that means exercising our right to vote. Christians should vote their conscience, basing their vote on biblical principles and not on political or solely economic principles, and certainly not along party lines. God is neither a Republican or a Democrat, and I believe He would have us vote for the person rather than the party.