Are Evangelicals Awake?

What exactly is going on? We're less than three weeks away from an election that seems to be unlike any this country (The United States) has ever seen. I would agree that many folks may think that is the case nearing any election, but if one cannot see the differences between this presidential election and those before it, they are not paying attention.

What is the deal? Are Evangelical Christians just sitting back and quietly waiting to pounce on November 4, sending Barack Obama packing? I certainly hope so. Maybe they are upset because John McCain is their other choice. Hey, I am not terribly thrilled about that either. Our choices are, as a friend of mine put it to me yesterday, between an ultra-liberal candidate and a liberal candidate. When is the last time we can say we were faced with such a choice?


I live in Washington state, and by the time the nominating, primary election process rolls around to our state, things are all but decided. Granted, the initial choices were not all that inspiring, but now I am faced, along with every other voter, with a serious choice to make. I really would have preferred not to have voted for either one of these men, but the consequences of not voting may be such that I could very possibly regret them for many years to come.


Even though both of these candidates fall onto the liberal side of the political spectrum, the differences between them are staggering enough that they should give all conservatives pause, especially Evangelical Christians. Why that group in particular? Abortion. It is and still should be the watershed issue. http://ourbreadoflife.blogspot.com/search?q=watershed+issue Where has the issue been though? Who has been talking about it, publicly?


People think the Catholic Church is harsh because it says that if one supports (speaks out for or votes for) abortion rights as Joe Biden has, one cannot receive communion. Tough. The Catholic Church has every right to exercise church discipline as it sees fit. People shouldn't fall for the rhetoric either. Joe Biden says that while he personally adheres to the position of the Catholic Church on abortion, he doesn't wish to impose his religiously held belief on anyone else in a "pluralistic society". Got news for you Senator Biden, someone is always going to disagree with you. Get used to it. That's called politics. Where have you been?


I mean, if you believe something is morally wrong, then stand up for your belief. Show a little backbone. Senator Biden is not the only one who seems spineless on this issue. I really believe that a good portion of the church has lost sight of the issue. There are elements within the ranks of Evangelicalism now who openly endorse Barack Obama, even though he is about as supportive of abortion as someone can be. How can they do that, and what can they be thinking? The right to life, protecting the innocent unborn is about as important to the Lord as it gets. If you don't think so, then read the passages where Jesus talks about kids. It leaves little doubt as to where He stands on that.


One has to attach one's self firmly to presuppositions and jump through exegetical hoops to think that the unborn do not matter to God. Not to protect them, to ignore the issue, is to say that what God wants is not important. It demonstrates a certain hardness of heart. I wondered in a February blog post if I would really have anyone to vote for when November 4 rolled around. I stated that unless John McCain had changed from his year 2000 run position and made more of a declarative statement for a pro-life stance, that I didn't think I could vote for him. Well, at least his team has stated his position as pro-life many times though I haven't heard it from him. He has also voted pro-life consistently, and that will have to be good enough.


Barrack Obama can say more words and speak less substance than almost any man I have ever heard. He has an eloquent style of speech with a cadence that many people seem to enjoy, but aside from that, what does he really have to recommend him? He has voted four times against legislation that would have concretely helped to protect babies who survive botched abortions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uYDxZlRqx4 This seems to get very little notice on most mainstream media outlets. Where is the outcry?


Will the "religious right", especially Evangelical Christians, step up to the plate and hit one out of the park in this election? Or has the Evangelical Christian church become so desensitized to the issue of abortion that it is actually apathetic about it? I sincerely hope not.