Why I’m Voting for Obama
I don’t consider myself a liberal, or a conservative, or even a middle of the road type of person. Although others may categorize me as white, evangelical, and male, I am first and foremost (I hope) a follower of Jesus. When I make big decisions, I try to root my decisions in how I understand Jesus to have lived. I don’t believe in the divisions that create some issues to be moral or personal or ethical or secular. I believe all of life is to be lived spiritually, and life is most fruitful if we look to Jesus in all things — not just ‘religious things’ . Basing my decisions on him may put me in different camps, depending on the time and context in which I live. In the past, I’ve voted Republican, I’ve voted Democrat, and I’ve not voted out of Christian convictions. I’ve considered these three options for this election as well. For the following reasons, I decided to vote for Obama on Tuesday:
1) The poor will be better off with Obama. I believe this to be the first question we must ask of a candidate. Jesus promised a jubilee to his followers. He created a community that shared generously with one another. For a Christian to support a candidate, that candidate must look to create a system that resembles this community of sharing. I don’t call it “socialism” — I call it gospel…
2) Blessed are the peacemakers — we must support people who strive for peace. And Jesus was not saying use the sword to achieve peace — it was ‘use the means of peace to achieve the ends of peace’ (why would he say ‘love your enemies in the same Sermon?). I believe Obama seeks to end the war. I’ve been concerned by the strong military talk by both candidates. However, I think Obama is taking a more direct route to peace. We must support the peacemakers to align ourselves with the Sermon on the Mount.
3) I believe Obama will begin to repair the damage done in our relationships with other countries. I believe he will look to bring reconciliation where there are divisions. In Christian baptism, the two peoples, Jews and Gentiles, become one. The body of Christ, made up of many members from many races, is to be one. It is at the heart of our faith that we overcome our divisions while celebrating our differences. For a candidate to receive the Christian vote, he or she must seek to do likewise. In the United States, I believe that Obama will be a force in healing the racial divide in our country. It is a huge task, and we might not get very far, but I think he will move us in the right direction.
4) I believe Obama will bring other voices to the table. Jesus spent time with the outcasts and sinners shut out from the main halls of power. I believe a candidate, to get the Christian vote, must create a space to hear other voices. I believe Obama himself is one of these other voices. In addition, we need to talk to those who hate us, and we need to know why. I believe Obama will do this in foreign policy — and I believe he will do it here in the US.
5) We are to be better stewards of creation. Right now, it appears we’ve damaged the way the earth is to function through driving our cars and consuming so much of our natural resources. We need to move in the direction of better stewardship of creation as we honor God’s gifts to us. I believe Obama has a better plan to move to alternative fuels and energy than does John McCain. I believe, after 9-11, we should have pushed for energy independence for many of our families through tax breaks for solar panels on houses.
For these five reasons, I’m casting my vote for Obama on Tuesday…
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Can a secular political system bring the Kingdom of God? Do we repeat the mistake of Constantine? As for Obama specifically, what of his position regarding protection of the unborn–weaker and more voiceless than the poor, and the future of our (and any) culture? (The demographic trends resulting from our culture’s and other Western cultures’ failure to value life are staggering in their implications.) Is the sharing of resources when compelled by the power of the sword (cf. Rom. 13:4) gospel? Perhaps, but it ain’t Acts 2:44-47. As much as what Obama says he plans to do, what is the content of his character?
Ultimately, politics in a democratic system turns on compromise. In our multicultural nation, the big parties and their candidates offer different mixes of what’s good and bad. At a moment of difficult choices, I find myself longing for a third way, the Kingdom yet to come.
Comment by Greg McCracken — October 28, 2008 @ 9:52 am
Wow, that is a pretty sad set of reasons if you ask me.
1. The Bible (nor the Constitution) supports thievery as a means to feed the poor. Nor is it the governments job, responsibility or duty to get involved in doing so. Obama’s support for this is not the way to go, it is wrong, and it is illegal.
2. Blessed are the peacemakers is referring to people, not governments, therefore your who position is weak. Governments ARE to protect people, that is their job. While I too disagree over the way the current invasion is and has been handled, there is no way in the world I could use that as any kind of an excuse to vote for Obama.
3. It would be one thing if what you are saying Obama may do, was being done in and for Christian reasons, but that is not even close to the truth. So this point is likewise weak and not applicable.
4. Again, the application of this to anything remotely tied to what Jesus did is stretching it so far that it makes no sense at all. Again, weak and unsubstantiated.
5. The government, both side, are as equally responsible for the resources, and neither of them has any plan to turn things around. They instead feed off of the big business and protect them in their over consuming ways. They control much of the resources, yet refuse to allow or promote use of alternatives, all for the sake of their big business friends. You want to see a change…don’t rely on the government, they won’t make the change. Have you converted your house to full solar? Have you purchased a hybrid? Do you fully recycle? What have YOU done for the environment personally? Government is not the solution, and Obama is not even close to the solution. Another weak and pathetic reason to vote for this man.
Now, why don’t you give 5-10 points on why so many of his beliefs are anti-Christian and don’t deserve the Christians vote? Will he put an end to killing children? Will he put an end to taxation? Will he close our borders and not allow immigrants to siphon our resources and funds? Will he cut government spending to all unnecessary funds and organizations that continue to take money from the government that is not the governments to give?
Of the two crappy choices in the mainstream, Obama is by far the worst choice; not that McCain is very much better at all. That is why the Christian vote can only logically and biblically be cast for a candidate that represents God’s ways on a more full scale. There is no way you can tell me in good conscious that you could stand before God and justify your voting for Obama, in light of his requirements.
Five weak excuses can in no way overshadow or cover the multitudes of reasons he is by far the worst candidate for anyone to vote for, much less a Christian.
Comment by Jeff — October 28, 2008 @ 11:23 am
Thanks for your voice on these matters. I couldn’t agree with you more. I’ve given a similar reasoning, and Ive enjoyed learning of others’ reasons for voting for their candidate of choice. I’ve also been struck by the depth of entrenchment by some Christian voters and their unwillingness or inability to grasp other Christian voters’ opinions and theology. We are called to unity. We’ve been set free by Christ, and have the choice to use or lose our freedom to love and serve each other, rather destroy each other. Gal 5. Its incredibly difficult to truly love the other rather than depersonalize others into whatever categories we think they fit. May the Spirit of peace bring us together in unity so that the Body can be complete and healthy.
Comment by Nick C — October 28, 2008 @ 11:26 am
HA! So, any opposing view that makes your reasons look silly, get deleted? Interesting forum.
Comment by Jeff — October 28, 2008 @ 3:26 pm
Sorry, that was odd, my comment wasnt there, then it appeared. My bad
Comment by Jeff — October 28, 2008 @ 3:27 pm
Greg,
My thoughts: No secular system can bring the kingdom of God. Christians must refuse making the mistake of looking to powerful politicians as solving the problems of the world.
I believe that creating programs for the poor and uneducated will reduce the total numbers of abortions in the US.
Greg,
I agree — it is not Acts 2:42-47. But can I get excited if the world copies the ideas of the church, when it practices generosity, forgiveness, inclusion — absolutely. Consider the opposite.
I’m with you — my hope rests solely in the kingdom of God.
Ryan
Comment by Ryan Bolger — October 28, 2008 @ 6:04 pm
Jeff,
I don’t support thievery…
I believe the scripture has to do with all of life — not just spheres. if we are to be peacemakers, we need to be peacemakers everywhere.
I’m not saying he is doing it for Christian reasons. I don’t have access to his heart.
It is problematic to base things on Jesus — it is even more problematic not to do so — you give no alternative from the life of Jesus.
I never said the government is the solution — it is a pale imitation of all that may be good. But do I care if it does evil? Absolutely. It matters.
The options you list are not issues Jesus talks about. If you want to refute me based on what I’ve said, root your arguments in Scripture.
Anyway, thanks for caring enough to read the blog and share your concerns. God bless, Jeff.
Ryan
Comment by Ryan Bolger — October 28, 2008 @ 6:10 pm
Nick,
Thanks for the affirming words…I agree — why do people get personal when we disagree? Isn’t this a democracy? I am happy to discuss issues, but so many folks would rather make personal attacks.
Good to hear from you guys —
Peace,
Comment by Ryan Bolger — October 28, 2008 @ 6:13 pm
As far as the abortion topic goes, if all of these pro-life Christians are so concerned with saving these children’s lives, then why aren’t they stepping up to adopt, financially and emotionally support the mothers, or work on preventing the conditions that lead to unwanted pregnancies? Most women would rather not have abortions, but sometimes they see no other help for their situation. These pro-life Christians don’t seem to have their actions support their words.
Comment by Jen — October 28, 2008 @ 9:13 pm
[...] from 9% in May to 22% as of last week. One of my contributing professors at Fuller recently posted his reasons for voting for Obama on his blog. Now… before you start thinking this is a pro-Obama or anti-Obama blog, let me assure [...]
Pingback by obama, american evangelicals, and random questions on church leadership « st george the dragonslayer — October 28, 2008 @ 11:54 pm
Thanks for your posting, Ryan.
A) I couldn’t agree more about the importance of creating a “community of sharing”. My problem with the Obama plan is he creates that community by taking forcefully at the point of a gun, and then it redistributes in cold, heartless, ineffecient method.
It would be FAR better to inculcate first in the Church and then more broadly a culture of self-sacrifice that values service over greed. Private social action … given out of love and service … will always be more effective than the government. Unfortunately, the opportunity to create that culture shrinks as the government expands.
Unfortunately, the GOP has not been successful in creating that culture, but the danger of Obama’s solutions is that they remove the opportunity of it EVER happening.
B) 48,000,000. There have been 48,000,000 abortions since Roe was enacted. We are on the cusp of overturning Roe with 3 Roe supporters over the age of 72, and with that Pro-Life forces will at least have the opportunity at the state level to enact restrictions that most of America supports … thus saving lives.
Comment by Gideon — October 28, 2008 @ 11:57 pm
You are so bold Ryan. I have always loved your spirit. I confess to being confused by this presidential race. I wish I could be as settled as you… Thanks for the clear challenge.
Comment by David — October 29, 2008 @ 4:37 am
Gideon – I’m not sure what you mean that Obama creates community with a gun — are you for no govt at all?
I agree with you — these practices are WAY WAY better as church practices — but overflow into the culture is surely not a bad thing…
I think we would do well to end poverty in the country and our abortion rate would decrease dramatically…
Thanks for your thoughtful comments, Gideon…
David — thanks for the affirming words — they are a breath of fresh air…
Jen — you make a very good point…
Comment by Ryan Bolger — October 29, 2008 @ 6:01 am
It seems to me that you would like the government to take over the job of the church. Care for the poor, sick and needy by the government and the church gets lazy and doesn’t need to help their neighbor. Obama’s plan is not an overflow of the church into the culture. He plans to overtake. What good is feeding the poor without sharing the true HOPE of Jesus. (They will go to Hell fat) Caring for the poor is done well in my community. (as well as a clothes closet) Why don’t you start that at your church instead of HOPE in Obama for the poor. McCain has a plan for supporting the Faith Based Ministries like this. Please look into that and you will see.
We need a government but not big government. I know who did the most help for hurricane Katrina victims. Christian organizations. I know that they did it for less money than our government. Much of that was sponsored by the upper middle class who Obama wants to take their money and put it to government use. I have not been satisfied with his choices of where to spend our tax money. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/743/
Not to mention how lazy the grasshopper gets if you promise to feed him. He will let the ant do all the work. (Wealth redistribution)
Did you even want to MENTION abortion? Maybe not, because that would be hard to admit. Can you know a child will be killed by a neighbor and refuse to speak up for the child. Would you speak for a child and not a baby in the womb? Science proves that life begins at conception. I agree that we need to be careful about war, but abortion has killed more than all of the wars. Obama will have my tax money funding more killing of innocent lives that can’t speak for themselves. We have a local faith based program for pregnancy counseling. I’d rather see it easier to adopt. I have friends who adopt and take out second morgages.
As I read the Kings of the old Testament, I see that those Kings who follow the one true God and not to trust in self or other gods have led Israel to success. Although I don’t see either of them wholeheartly following God, I believe that the character of McCain has been evident of this. He, like David, has admitted his greatest moral failure in the failure of his first marriage. Although he wasn’t my first choice, I believe he is the better of the two.
I ultimately trust and hope in Christ. I encourage my fellow Christians to be the salt and light this world needs. America (government) is not the light, the true followers of Christ carry the light. We should all put more effort into encouraging church involvement.
Thanks for bringing this up and for reading through my response.
~Page
Comment by Page — October 29, 2008 @ 7:30 am
Thanks so much for your post. It’s a breath of fresh air to me in the midst of all the toxic gas and smoke polluting this final week before the election. We need a leader who can lead in each of the ways you outlined so well.
Comment by Dave Burkum — October 29, 2008 @ 8:11 am
Ryan…I agree w/ Greg and must reiterate his primary point in another way. The late Harold O.J. Brown (w/ C. Everett Koop founded Christian Action Council, which is now Care Net) once said…
“No matter what you believe about the abortion issue you must agree that the destruction of more that 30 million (at the time) Americans in the womb cannot be good for our society.”
Neither the President nor our Government can end poverty. But w/ the stroke of a pen or the utterance of a Yes, either could end the holocaust of abortion. “Roe v. Wade” is bad law at best and an egregious cultural and national immorality at heart. You cannot claim a “justice for the poor” vote for Obama and at the same time ignore the silent cries of the truly voiceless…this is an ethical contradiction of meta-narrative proportions!
The central issue is one of character. A man will act according to his deepest convictions and Obama’s voting record in the Senate is the strongest indicator of that character.
The poor will be better off, no matter who or what party is in office, when we, the Church, act to make it so in our own communities, with our own resources…hopefully resources that increase w/ the decrease of failed “Big Government” programs (30 years of welfare has not ended poverty) and the resulting confiscatory taxation.
And for Jen…unfortunately, overlooking Dr. Brown and all that others have accomplished through the pro-life movement negates your point. There are literally tens of thousands of men and women putting their faith into action through countless hours of support for mother’s-to-be who find themselves in the very difficult situation of an “unwanted” pregnancy…many who are working to save the lives of the unborn through adoption, etc. I would challenge both of you, if you truly believe what Jen has said, to look into Care Net and discover the depth of misinformation that belies her point.
Comment by Willie — October 29, 2008 @ 8:46 am
Nice points Ryan, I agree with you these are all reasons I too am voting for Obama on Tuesday, not because he’s going to usher in the kingdom or replace the church but because after Tuesday there is going to be one of two people in charge of our powerful country and I think he’ll be the better of the two.
Another reason, I actually think abortions will be reduced under his presidency because of his economics, his stance of helping make adoptions easier and quicker, his willingness to ban partial-birth if a plan can be struck that protects mothers, his desire to make protection more readily available and because of his comprehensive sex education ideals.
It’s not that strange to imagine all these things would actually lead to less abortions than the “pro-life” route which hopes all people will follow Christian convictions on abstinence and has resorted in a rise in abortions and a maintenance of Roe v. Wade over the last 8 years.
I’d like to see abortions dropped, I think his policies will do it better than the policies that undergirded Bush’s “culture of life.”
I liked what Rob Bell said recently in a Revelant Magazine interview:
“The Church has missed the heart of God by speaking out against abortion while keeping silent about war. Both are forms of violence used to preserve prosperity. Abortion is prenatal war against the powerless child. War is postnatal abortion that destroys innocent life. The kingdom is life for the fetus and life for the civilian. The church embodies this life in a world of expedient and preemptive killing.”
Comment by C. Wess daniels — October 29, 2008 @ 9:09 am
Nice points Ryan, I agree with you these are all reasons I too am voting for Obama on Tuesday, not because he’s going to usher in the kingdom or replace the church but because after Tuesday there is going to be one of two people in charge of our powerful country and I think he’ll be the better of the two.
EXCELLENT point Wess! I really appreciated this point!
Ryan, I’ve been saying that I cannot continue to be silent for the sake of a false peace. Your post is a clear effort to say it with love! Thanks.
And as far as the abortion issue goes, I think The Matthew 25 Network does an excellent of discussing this issue!
Comment by kimber — October 29, 2008 @ 1:11 pm
@Kimber – thanks for the link to the Matt. 25 network, looks good.
Comment by C. Wess daniels — October 29, 2008 @ 10:06 pm
[...] Bolger gives some really good reasons he’s voting for Obama. See, it’s not just about [...]
Pingback by Interesting Stuff « Missio Dei — October 30, 2008 @ 6:01 am
Pro-choice problems:
1. We are talking about a life. A life that can’t speak for him or herself. Would you speak up for a 4 year old living next door? What’s the difference? Will you legalize the killing of a child?
2. We faced the same roadblocks when dealing with abolishing slavery. There were people who said slavery was wrong, but didn’t want to have any laws preventing it. We don’t want to go back to those days, do we?
3. I agree that war is an issue that we need to deal with but you can’t compare the two to prove your point. Your argument about war is not as significant. There have been 48,589,993 aborted babies since Roe v. Wade.
Year 2000 death numbers compared to war: http://www.htmlbible.com/abortstats.htm
I argue that abortion is a war on the innocent babies.
I hope you will consider these points.
Thanks,
Page
Comment by Page — October 30, 2008 @ 8:10 am
Rod Dreher put it well I think :
“Withdrawing in disgust is not the same thing as apathy.”
http://www.amconmag.com/article/2008/nov/03/00008/
“I can’t vote for Barack Obama. He is a pro-abortion zealot and wrong on all the issues that matter most to social conservatives. Mind you, one should not be under any illusion that things will markedly improve under another Republican administration. But there is no question that on issues related to the sanctity of life and traditional marriage, an Obama administration, with a Democratic Congress at its back, would be far worse.”
“While it is foolish to look forward to a decisive electoral defeat for one’s side, I can’t say that the coming rout will be a bad thing. The Right desperately needs to repent, rethink, and rebuild—and only the pain of a shattering loss will force conservatives to confront reality.”
Or as Mark Shea puts it: we’re faced with a choice between “The Stupid Party” and “The Evil Party” . Not much of a choice , but in rejecting the GOP = “The Stupid Party” doesn’t mean I’m going to embrace “The Evil Party” .
Comment by Dave — October 30, 2008 @ 4:27 pm
[...] blog and thought it was worth linking to. Boneman’s post is in response to this post. You really should read both posts actually. I can’t tell you who to vote for. I have [...]
Pingback by i’m not political… « serial youth pastor — October 30, 2008 @ 5:26 pm
Thanks Ryan…I have been wondering who to vote for, and decided last night that in good conscience I could not not vote, but neither could I vote for Obama or McCain (for too many reasons) so I wrote in a candidate, and I feel amazinlgy at peace. I am sure he will not win, but that does not matter, I voted my conscience. Thanks for your mentoring and voice. One small suggestion, change the font on this reply page, hard for an old 40 something to read….
Salaam/Shalom,
T
Comment by Thomas — October 31, 2008 @ 6:08 am
Since you are basing your decisions off of your understanding of Jesus, I have one question:
Would Jesus have voted?
Comment by Kristofer — October 31, 2008 @ 1:07 pm
[...] today, moving on, Ryan Bolger writes his reasons for voting for Obama: 1) The poor will be better off with Obama. I believe this to be the first question we must ask of [...]
Pingback by Cynthia Opines: Day 40 « A Life Profound — November 2, 2008 @ 5:44 am
Your number one reason bothers me. If Jesus asked us to share, it is with a cheerful heart. Not because we are forced to by the government. Just this week, Obama called McCain selfish because McCain doesn’t want to raise taxes. Obama compared it to sharing his sandwich with a classmate. It would be more fair to say that the principal came in the lunch room and took half of his sandwich and wouldn’t tell Obama where he was taking it. I like to have a “say” in where my money goes. Do you really trust that the government will make better decisions than you on where the money should go? Have you ever served in a faith based soup kitchen? Don’t you believe that a church based program will do better than a government based program?
Your number two reason is wrong. Nobody likes war. I don’t believe that either side is a warmonger. Both sides want “out” but they way they get out is the difference. Iraq is building a free country and is needing our assistance. Our military is training them to help themselves. If we leave too early, it could collapse. Why would you want to do that to them now that things are starting to go well. You wouldn’t set your 10 year old child out on their own in NYC?
Your third point, you are probably right. He will make concessions that would make them like us. Many of these terrorist organizations have been hoping that Obama will be elected. I have seen their quotes.
Your point four… what? He shut out a TV station that asked legitimate questions and gave three newspapers the boot off his plane because they didn’t endorse HIM. It doesn’t sound like he wants any “sit down at the table.”
Your point five, McCain has a more detailed plan for the environment http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/Speeches/Read.aspx?guid=0b381abd-e573-459d-8716-fbd83ab62d8d as well as plans to reduce our dependance on foreign oil.
Comment by Page — November 2, 2008 @ 6:06 am
Page,
I have no interest in the govt. taking the church’s job.
Feeding the poor is sharing Jesus, as well as talking about him.
Very cool about the Katrina help — heard the same from many that churches really made the difference. I don’t think that excuses the government’s incompetence in that area, however.
I believe abortions will be reduced, not by passing a law but by reducing poverty. So I do care for that person next door!
My hope is in Christ as well — I don’t know if a govt is to be big or small, but I would rather one be closer to the kingdom of God than the other one!
Peace, thanks for posting such a thoughtful comment.
Ryan
Comment by Ryan Bolger — November 3, 2008 @ 5:16 am
Willie,
So, abortion could be erased by the stroke of a pen, and not poverty? Wasn’t 700B given to rescue the economy by a stroke of the pen? Do you think 700B would have made a difference to the poor? So, it is a matter of priority – preserve capitalism or end the conditions that give rise to abortions…I think we know which one our current leaders chose…
Comment by Ryan Bolger — November 3, 2008 @ 5:19 am
Kris — great question – would Jesus have voted?
well, he didn’t live in a democracy, so that wasn’t an option —
So, we need to argue from the way of life he lived in Palestine -
Jesus was about creating a community of the outcasts and marginalized and giving them a voice. So, I don’t think we can argue about voting in the abstract — is it always good or bad? We need to ask what it is doing in that particular context, whether voting is liberating or oppressive for that particular event.
Was voting a kingdom-like activity in South Africa when blacks voted for the first time in 1994? I would say it was. Is voting a kingdom-like thing when a one-party govt has 99% support? Probably not — it reinforces the illusion of support that those in power hold. So, the question must be asked — is this a time to vote, is it an empowering thing for people or not? I think for many it is. I believe we have, in this election, an opportunity to reverse the tide in this country on several levels. But I completely respect those who believe they must refrain from voting — I’ve been there too.
Comment by Ryan Bolger — November 3, 2008 @ 5:29 am
[...] friend of mine asked this in a previous post of mine. My answer? Well, Jesus didn’t live in a democracy, so that wasn’t a real option for him. I [...]
Pingback by RyanBolger.com » Would Jesus Vote? — November 4, 2008 @ 8:02 am