But Can He Win?

Dear Bob,

Been watching the polls lately? Are you relieved to see Al Gore behind in every one? Have you started the process of training (or should I say 'retraining") yourself to say, "Go Bush" or "Go Dole"? It's funny how those words catch in your throat, isn't it? There's a cause of that you know; it's called a conscience. You've got to kill your conscience to make it sound sincere.

But that's what you've been doing since you started paying attention to this stuff, trying to kill your conscience, while at the same time claiming to be a responsible citizen who is actively involved in the political process. You knew I'd have something to say about that, didn't you? Despite our claim to encourage people to live more separate lives I do believe it is legitimate to be active politically. I'm not one of those who believes that politics is necessarily dirty, that somehow God missed political issues while trying to equip us for every good work. Nor am I one to suggest that our focus needs to be exclusively on the hereafter. I believe in kingdom building, and I believe part of that process is political, not all, or even most of it, but part of it.

So are you relieved? Good. Now, please go throw away your lawn signs and bumper stickers, and promise never to say Dole or Bush again, unless it is followed by the word "stinks." You see the problem is not that we are involved in voting, or in supporting particular candidates, it's that we're trying to win, and will work to win at any cost. The problem is being realistic, which means of course, compromised. The second "But can he win?" becomes a part of your calculus in determining to whom you will throw your support, the second you have fallen into sin, and doomed any chance for godly government. This is why we Christians get taken for a ride every four years. When the Republicans win, we are cordially invited to sit in the back of the bus. When the Democrats win, we are blamed. I say a pox on both their houses, and the horses they rode in on. And shame on you for being one of those horses.

Translate that coalition building, back room deal making, "can he win" theory to your faith to see what nonsense it is. What if Jesus had handlers telling him "Hey, Jesus, you're killing us. You keep driving away the Jewish vote, and making nice with John the Baptist sure didn't help your chances with the Herod coalition." Would you then go out and look for a nice establishment Messiah, one who knew the political ropes? I don't think so; at least I hope not.

But that's essentially what we do. Some of us are so eager to make up coalitions to fight abortion and pornography that we've decided to lay down our sword on the issue of the gospel. It's one thing to fight beside the Catholics politically. It's another thing to call a cease-fire in the only war that matters, the war over the gospel. I wouldn't betray the gospel to elect a good man like Alan Keyes, let alone Libby Dole, Mrs. Tax Collector for the welfare state. (By the way, I'm not saying that voting for a Roman Catholic like Keyes is betraying the Gospel. He's a good man.) Such is akin to the nonsense perpetrated recently by the choir from Covenant College. Touring through eastern Europe they provided their services to adorn with music the resacrificing of our Lord in the mass in order to promote the school with the Roman Catholics. Both politics and marketing make strange bedfellows.

So what do you do? Try what Martin Luther did: vote your con science. If your conscience is held captive to the Word of God, then don't sell it for some soon to be dead skunk slinking down the middle of the road. I know Bob, if we did that then we'd end up with Algore. All sorts of terrible things will happen. That's always the cry of the pragmatist, the ad baculum argument. But think of it this way. Which is worse, having a really, really, really bad guy as president, instead of only a really, really bad guy (or girl), or making God really, really, really, really mad? Which is better, selling your vote to one snake over another snake, or acting with character? Or to argue pragmatically, which route do you think is most likely to take us to God's blessing, trying to yoke together dark and less dark, or a remnant of people willing to vote with their conscience? And which is apt to make things better, electing another politician or receiving the blessing of God?

There are decent men running for president. One or two of them are actually running as Republicans. Try not to hold that against them, but neither let that make you chose them over say, the U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate, or the new Southern Party candidate. Find the one, wherever he may be, that fits your conscience, and stick with him. And when your neighbors argue that you are wasting your vote, tell him it's no waste to give it to those who earned it. And then see if they feel like defending George Bush's administration. Of course all of the good men carry as their cross the "Can he win?" burden. The answer is "No, as long as we keep having 'the ability to win' be a criteria in our voting."

Don't do it Bob. It only encourages them. This is part of what it means to be separate. It's not that we can't vote for someone popular, but that we don't make these decisions in the same way as the world. We do not operate as pragmatists, far less vote for them. Rather we behave as men of character, and seek to elect men of character, the very men who don't stand a chance. Remember the lesson of Gideon, and don't be a lap dog for the Republican Party.