Churches and Elections

I spent some time watching Rick Warren's interview with Barack Obama and John McCain, which took place this weekend. Observations that stand out in my mind: For Christians, our churches are a great forum to be talking about the candidates for President. We need to know more than the sound bytes from ads. We need to know more than the pot shots candidates take at one another during debates. I liked the set-up for this interview, even though it was probably a lot more about Rick Warren than about the candidates. I liked the fact that they were asked the same questions, that they had plenty of time to answer, that their answers were not edited. I don't know if they saw the questions first. But it was a more relaxing way to get to know both Obama and McCain. I feel much more comfortable about both right now. I hate sound bytes!!

All this said, I urge you to read what candidates have to say on their web sites and in any kind of forum where they have time for thoughtful answers. I'd say be suspicious of most of the news media--television seems to be more and more interested in the inflammatory headline than anything else. Find out for yourself. Let's talk about politics in our churches, and reflect on which positions and which candidates come closest to our core values as Christians. We want our country to be taking care of our brothers and sisters in need, protecting the weak, the widow, the orphan, the stranger, the prisoner. We want to care for God's creation. We want to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. We have that word from the Gospel. The "hows" may be different, but I think we are agreed on the basics. It's what we profess and do in church.

I'd invite Obama and McCain to Northside to have this discussion if I thought they would come, and I applaud them for taking advantage of this opportunity to talk at length about their beliefs and their character. If you missed the forum, you can find it by doing a search including "Obama McCain Warren" on youtube.com. Watch. Listen. Pray.