Election Season

Oh, election season. How I love and loathe thee. At its best, this season is a vibrant time of people becoming impassioned and further exploring their own beliefs and stances. But at its worst, it is a monopoly of money and tactics and choruses of "he said, she said" where it becomes difficult to pin down the truth.

And it seems that each election cycle only becomes more complicated by the increasing prevalence of the internet and social networking. Granted, the advancements in technology have been amazing on many accounts - i.e. my ability to livestream in all three debates thus far, with not a tv to be seen in our house. But then there is the darker side to it, the parts I don't like to admit - the parts that leave me obsessing over fact checker and emails and online articles and status updates/comments/responses for far many more hours than in reality I have the time/energy for. A mixed bag.

During the DNC, a writer whose books and blog I very much enjoy posted something referencing how awesome Michelle Obama is. (And seriously, I couldn't agree more - what a brilliant hottie, for real.) This writer also happens to be known as a Christian author. You should have seen the firestorm that imploded on her Facebook wall as a result! Some people agreeing with her excitedly, others denouncing her, stating that there is no way the Obamas are Christians and that they were disappointed in her for saying something affirmative in regards to Michelle. The whole thing was making me a bit sick, but I couldn't pull myself away from reading each new comment and thought.

Hence, an issue that is bound to come up for me during election season - defending my beliefs as a liberal Christian. Talk about one of my hot buttons. It is clearly a complicated conversation, as are all things political, but at the end of the day, Jesus wasn't a Republican or a Democrat. And the belief that a vote for one party or the other determines the authenticity of your faith, well, that's ludicrous. People on both sides of the spectrum have really real (and grounded) faith that guides their decision making, and if you want to see me get in a tizzy, challenge me otherwise.

In light of all of this, I loved this recent blog post, titled Why I am a Christian Democrat. Ellen Painter Dollar clearly articulates many of my own leanings and reasonings without being vengeful or defensive. I especially appreciated this section on "Biblical Values" (which, like Dollar, I agree reach far beyond one or two hot button issues):

 I am a Democrat because “Biblical” values are far from clear cut, so I focus on what Jesus chose to focus on in his earthly ministry. Jesus understood, I think, that our holy scriptures are not always consistent when it comes to details, even such important details as the character of God (Did the same God who called the little children to him really mastermind the murder of the innocents?). So Jesus made it simple for us. Jesus said there are two things we must do: Love God. Love our neighbors as ourselves. To figure out in practical terms what it means to love God and others, we look to what Jesus did and said, searching for common threads. The most obvious common thread is that Jesus continually reached out and offered hospitality, healing, hope, and help to those who were poor, sick, powerless, or reviled.

Jesus’s continual emphasis on our duty toward the poor and marginalized is most beautifully and memorably expressed in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 24:31–46). Jesus says, quite simply, that any time we offer concrete help to someone suffering from hunger or cold or imprisonment or sickness or lack of welcome, we are loving God. And Jesus doesn’t instruct us to first decide if those in need of a cloak or a drink of water deserve our help. Jesus doesn’t say we can first figure out whether it’s fair to ask me to give away my only cloak or offer a stranger a drink from the well I built with my own two hands, with my wealth, to nurture me and my family.

Time and time and time again, Jesus put caring for “the least of these” at the center of his ministry and his message. These days, neither party is doing a particularly good job of making the poor central to their message, preferring to focus instead on the middle class, who are more likely than the poor to vote. But when it comes time for me to color in a circle on my voting card, I’m going to choose the candidate whose party has shown, most recently via the adoption of universal health care, that it takes seriously our societal obligation to care for those who cannot, for whatever reason, care adequately for themselves.

There are many reasons why I'll be casting my vote for Obama in a few weeks, and I won't lay them all out here, but if you are curious to know why or to discuss other topics, I would be more than happy to. My hope is that we, as the collective of Christ followers voting, will make an informed decision, grounded in research and careful consideration and most of all, in faith. At the end of the day, there isn't a right or wrong, but there is a right or left (my version of political humor...).

And, if you are still an undecided voter (or if you are decided but just curious - I loved taking this), I highly recommend checking out the quiz on this website: http://www.isidewith.com. The survey is very thorough and you can get a pretty detailed score by being sure to utilize the "choose another stance" option to highlight your more specified beliefs. Seriously. Check it out. And vote.