I’m glad the openly proclaiming believers (whether Christian or otherwise) are already out.
Now I realize that the remaining candidates all claim some religious affiliation, but we all get the sense that these are candidates who happen to call themselves Christians rather than Christians who happen to call themselves candidates. The remaining three are not running as “Theists with a Cause”.
Now I recognize that ALL of us have a view of the world that dictates our decisions and our choices. Theists have a perspective that guides them and atheists have a perspective that guides them. I certainly have a guiding view of the world, and this perspective is rooted in the Christian truth claims. And, I will also admit that I would love for others to discover these truths.
But I know that people cannot be DRIVEN toward Christianity; they can only be “wooed” toward the truth that Christianity proclaims. Does that make sense? In other words, I cannot PUSH people toward accepting the truth of the Christian worldview, I can only provide the evidence that exists to support the claims (and the evidence of my own life), and then allow people to make the choice for themselves. As believers, we must allow skeptics to be “drawn” toward the truth.
How many people in the 1980’s actually knew that Ronald Reagan held deeply rooted Christian views? Clearly, many of us knew he was a Christian, but he was NOT a Christian President; he was a president who was a Christian. There is a difference. His Christian faith guided his decision making, but he did not make decisions in order to proclaim his Christianity.
I want to elect people who hold my values; that is for sure. But at the same time, I want candidates who are willing to modestly “woo” our culture with the nobility of their character and the power of their reasoned decision making ability; rather than with the overt, preemptive claim that they are Christians.
When Reagan’s term was over, and many years had passed, his faith became a matter of public record. In spite of all his personal blemishes and imperfections, we can now see how his faith guided much of what he did and said. As we look back, the testimony of his life (and leadership) is a powerful evidence that may “woo” skeptics to take another look at the guiding principles of his faith and life. That’s the kind of candidate I am looking for: not a candidate that wears their faith on their sleeve, but a candidate who lives their faith from their heart.
Let me know what YOU think!
Jim
http://www.pleaseconvinceme.com/
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