November 1st, 2008

The Most Important Political Issue for Christians (Still)

This month we will (or have already, depending on when you are reading this) vote for the future leadership of our country. We all know it’s a very important election and many of us will vote based on our position related to a single issue that is important to us. Maybe it’s the war, maybe it’s the economy, maybe it’s the culture; there’s something that will animate and motivate us to get out there and cast our vote for one person or another. All of us prioritize the issues; some things are more important to us than others. That’s probably a good thing, because no one candidate agrees with us on ALL of the issues. So we prioritize and do the best we can to vote for the candidate who agrees with us on the issues that we think are most important. But what issues ought to be most important?

As a Christian, there are many issues that are important to me. I am concerned about the sanctity of life, the veneration of marriage, the reality of poverty and disease, issues of global injustice and war; there is so much that concerns me as a Christian. How can any of us possibly begin to prioritize? Well, let me offer a little analogy.

I have been involved with inner city ministry on occasion for several years now. We have partnered with a small urban church in the “Skid Row” area of Los Angeles and we often get involved in efforts to reach out to those who are homeless. Imagine that you have joined me in this effort and that both of us are working a food line, feeding those in need. As we begin serving those in need, we observe that the line of homeless adults and children is growing and is now more than 100 people long. With great joy, we continue to serve meals and care for those in need... (read more)