___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Will McCain Be a Pain for Biblically-Correct Born-Agains?

February 8, 2008

    Should evangelicals “be subject to the governing authorities” (Romans 13:1) even when that “authority” does not have the backing of James Dobson’s Focus on the Family and does not have the credentials of a true conservative? 

    With the impending nomination of John McCain as the Republican candidate for President, the GOP seems by all accounts to be losing the support of many evangelical, born-again, Bible-believing Christians, the religious right, etc.   If anything, there is now disarray in the ranks of Christian voters according to pollster George Barna, the nation’s top researcher on evangelical topics.

    The results of Barna's latest nationwide opinion survey this week suggest that “’Republicans have lost the allegiance of many born-again voters." Four in 10 born-agains interviewed by The Barna Group say they’ll vote for the Democratic presidential nominee, compared to three in 10 who will vote for the Republican nominee.” 

    The leader of the politically powerful Focus on the Family, James Dobson, has made it crystal clear in a very public manner that he will not vote for McCain no matter what happens. In an article posted on AOL, Dobson is heaped in with a chorus of more secular conservative voices such as Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh, who have said that they will not vote for McCain either.  

    Interestingly, campaign reform and immigration were two issues mentioned in the news article above, but it is difficult to understand why those issues might be important to any Christians, specifically Dobson – once again demonstrating how the secular news media struggles with religious issues.   

    In a revealing remark, Dobson states that McCain has gone out of his way to “stick his thumb in the eye of conservatives.” More important to Christians of Dobson’s stripe are of course the “values issues” such as abortion and gay marriages.  In a speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this past Thursday McCain insisted he has a perfect record in voting against abortion – an issue near and dear to evangelicals.

    But that claim is not entirely true, at least in the evangelical universe. McCain supports stem cell research as well as abortion in the case of rape or incest. 

    He has also changed his views on Roe vs. Wade – at first supporting the landmark case (up until 1999). But now McCain says he would like to see the decision overturned. However, even with if the decision is overturned, McCain still supports abortion in the case of rape and incest. What some see as grey areas, one can assume that these constitute moral ambivalence for the doctrinaire followers of Dobson.

    Another litmus test for evangelicals like Dobson is same sex marriages. On this McCain has more famously flip-flopped. At first standing up to President Bush and the GOP leadership he called a ban on gay marriages “un-Republican” in 2004 . Then in August of 2005 he announced his support for an Arizona initiative to ban gay marriages in that state . What might be worrying evangelicals as this point is that McCain’s rightward drift on these issues might be more for political expediency rather than heartfelt conviction. Obviously this view was supported by “liberal” and moderate Republicans voting in the primaries, who overwhelmingly voted for McCain.

    The real question here for evangelicals such as Dobson is how they interpret that most important Biblical command to “be subject to.” What does that mean? Obviously it does not mean that they will accept abortion, stem cell research and gay marriages with open arms and beds. But neither will they just roll over and play dead.

    I suspect that evangelicals will continue to agitate and campaign against these issues until they are successful. Whether that is truly being “subject to” is a matter of debate.

    So for certain evangelicals the Biblical passage of “be subject to the governing authorities” has a caveat. Be subject to the governing authorities as long as they follow your particular interpretation of the Bible.

    There can be no other correct interpretation - even though  abortion and same sex marriages are nowhere mentioned in the Scriptures.

    David Hale

Links

http://news.aol.com/elections/story/_a/mccain-tells-critics-to-calm-down/20080206165309990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001 

http://thehill.com/david-hill/religious-right-and-the-gop-2008-02-05.htm 

http://www.abcnews.go.com/WN/Vote2008/story?id=4259246&page=1 

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/07/MNDUUT95U.DTL&type=politics 

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/02/07/conservative_onmccain0207.html 

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/07/14/mccain.marriage/index.html 

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0826initiatives26.htm 

http://www.ontheissues.org/John_McCain.htm 

http://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/2008/02/05/dobson-delivers-blow-to-mccain-candidacy/

More Links

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_8143753 

            (Feb 1) Members of Utah’s various faith communities recently met to discuss climate change. The gathering was scheduled to coincide with Focus the Nation, a national teach-in to raise awareness about global warming. Among participants were Mormons, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Bahais, Episcopalians and Quakers.

http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/5026.htm

http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKL0221636420080202

            (Feb 2) The rector and other faculty, about 1,000 academicians, at Istanbul University have criticized the government’s plan to lift the ban on wearing Islamic headscarves at universities. They claim that supporters of headscarves have endangered Turkey by creating divisions among society and threatening the core principles of the Republic under the guise of freedom of education. In a related rally, tens of thousands of secular Turks rallied last week to protest the same plan, claiming that allowing women students to wear the Muslim headscarf at universities will usher in a stricter form of Islam in the country. Parliament is expected to approve a constitutional amendment next week.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/02/AR2008020200387.html

            (Feb 2) After talks between church and government officials, Vietnamese Catholics in Hanoi have ended their protests against government-seized church property. Under the leadership of Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet, parishioners agreed to dismantle a cross and tents while authorities agreed to temporarily close a noodle shop on the site near the cathedral. The church had argued that no business should be conducted at the site while property ownership is in dispute.

http://www.saultstar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=885697

            (Feb 2) The Supreme Court of Canada and the British Colombia Supreme Court will soon rule in two court cases which will determine the rights of parents’ desires and religious beliefs in cases where government workers are compelled to protect children from risk. In the B.C. case, four extremely premature babies were recently seized and transfused with blood when doctors believed they wouldn’t survive otherwise. The parents in the case are Jehovah’s Witness and believe that the Bible forbids blood transfusions. In the other case, doctors proceeded to give a 14-year-old girl in Manitoba  a blood transfusion to treat effects of Crohn’s disease, despite her refusal and no consent from her parents.

http://www.israelenews.com/view.asp?ID=907

            (Feb 2) Germany’s Federal Ministry for Families is considering including a children’s book on a list of literature considered dangerous for young people after questions that it ridicules Judaism, Christianity and Islam. If the Ministry determines that the claim is valid, the retailers will be banned from selling the book to minors. The book, “How Do I Get to God, Asked the Small Piglet,” deals with a piglet and a hedgehog’s search for “God.” On their journey, the encounter a rabbi, a bishop and a mufti who are portrayed as insane, violent and continually at each others throats. In addition, the distinctive characteristics of each religion are made ridiculous.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,327938,00.html

            (Feb 3) Muslim women working at U.K. medical facilities are increasingly refusing to comply with basic hygiene standards. Britain’s Department of Health rules require medics to be “bare below the elbow” to stave off the spread of infectious killer bugs. However, a number of female workers claim that showing any skin other than the hands and face, is immodest. For public safety, hygiene experts say the standard should hold for all workers, even if it goes against their religion. However, there is fear that enforcing such rules will lead to lawsuits charging discrimination against female Muslims within the medical professions.

http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/6672

            (Feb 3) Supporters of Zimbabwe’s ruling party and President Mugabe blockaded Harare’s Anglican Cathedral earlier this week to stop the investiture of a new bishop. The new bishop, Sebastian Bakare, was elected by local churches to replace ex-bishop Nolbert Kunonga, a schismatic bishop notorious for his backing of the regime. However, the High Court in Zimbabwe ruled that the ceremony should go ahead and congregants should be allowed to worship in the cathedral despite intimidation and threats.

http://www.indcatholicnews.com/pretor325.html

            (Feb 3) Catholic bishops of Southern Africa have condemned a recent midnight raid of Johannesburg’s Central Methodist Church. South African police were searching for illegal Zimbabwean immigrants. However, the spokesman of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference said the raid was a violation of the status of the Church as a sanctuary.

http://www.indcatholicnews.com/keneuba216.html

            (Feb 3) A Kenyan archbishop announced that Catholics known to have participated in the on-going political violence should refrain, or even be bared, from Holy Communion until they seek forgiveness. According to Archbishop Boniface Lele of Mombasa, those involved should realize that their acts have been sinful because they were against God’s will, the commandments, and brotherly and sisterly love.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/04/2153692.htm?section=world

            (Feb 3) A tree allegedly descending from the one the Buddhas is said to have sat under when he gained enlightenment about 2,500 yeas ago is now the center of alleged corruption, looting and religious rivalry. As more tourists and pilgrims visit the tree, so has money and mounting charges of less than saintly behavior. Priests and monks allege that thousands of dollars in temple donations have mysteriously vanished, that a thick branch of the tree was lopped off and sold in Thailand in 2006, and that ancient relics have disappeared.

http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/316547.aspx

            (Feb 5) A Malaysian government official has stated that customs officers were wrong to seize 32 Bibles from a Christian traveler, and the traveler has been told that she can go and collect the Bibles. Church groups had previously alleged that it was another sign of religious intolerance in the Muslim-majority country. The woman said that she brought the Bibles from the Philippines because they were cheaper there.

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/02/05/news/doc47a73c6c92cae057065390.txt

            (Feb 5) A man accused of killing his wife says he was trying to exorcise a demon from he when the devil entered his body and caused her to die. He was arrested last week after authorities went to his house and found his wife’s body wrapped in a bed sheet with a cross and a sword on top of it.

http://uruknet.info/?p=m40859&s1=h1

            (Feb 4) Israel’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metger has been blased by Neturei Karta, an international society representing non-Zionist Orthodox Jews, over his remarks calling for the deportation of the people of Gaza to the Egyptian Sinai desert. In a statement issued by Neturei Karta, the remarks were called vicious and provocative, and said that Metger is not an authentic rabbi, despite his title, because his legitimacy is held only in the eyes of the Zionist Jews.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=0e7ab29c-a022-4198-91e8-0ef9fc45c94c

            (Feb 5) Thomas Monson has officially been named the 16^th president of the Church of Jesus Chist of Latter-day Saints. Monson was second-in-command to Gordon Hinckley, who died late last month, and has said that there will be no abrupt change in the course of the Church.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200802050483.html

            (Feb 5) The Catholic Archbishop of Jos, Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, has blamed religious leaders and traditional rules for religious conflicts in Nigeria. Kaigama alleged that each time there is a religious crisis, leaders claim hooligans are responsible, but when the same hooligans are arrested, frantic efforts are made by religious and traditional leaders to free them. In addition, he claims that Christians and Muslims in public office are guilty of exploiting religion for political or material gains.

http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=11440&size=A

            (Feb 5) Pakistan’s government has approved plans to build places of worship for non-Muslims inside the country’s correctional facilities as part of its overall reform of the prison system. The plans have been announced after Human Rights Minister Ansar Burney toured several detention centers. In the past, the government has made similar promised, but never put them in practice. Human rights activists praise the initiative, but also stress the need of a judicial review of all cases involving people detained on the basis of discriminatory laws.

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0800689.htm

            (Feb 5) Pope Benedict XVI has reformulated a Good Friday prayer for the Jews, removing language about the “blindness” of Jews. However, he has left in language that calls for their conversion. The new prayer will replace one contained in the 1962 Roman Missal, sometimes called the Tridentine rite. While the 1962 prayer is generally not used by Catholics, the revised form may be used by some church communities. The 1970 Roman Missal is the one generally used by Catholic churches. Its Good Friday prayer for Jews does not contain negative language or express the hope that Jews will convert.

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSKLR14876420080206

            (Feb 5) The upcoming elections in Malaysia’s predominantly Muslim state of Kelantan, between promises of a moderate, secular Muslim government and the ruling hardline Islamist party will largely be a choice between money and religion. The federal government has promised millions of dollars of investment in a bid to win the state back from an Islamist party that has ruled the rural backwater for 18 years. However, many voters may choose religious piety and a corruption-free environment rather than promises of economic progress.

http://www.startribune.com/local/west/15314881.html

            (Feb 5) Minnesota’s state Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of churches in the latest round of gun law exemptions. The court ruled that forcing churches to allow guns in their parking lots and use state-mandated language for signs forbidding firearms is an unconstitutional infringement on religious freedom. Parking lots, day-care centers and other charitable, educational and nonprofit facilities owned by churches may also continue to ban firearms.

http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/6695

            (Feb 6) A senior United Nations official has praised the work of churches and other civic bodies for their work towards reconciliation and stabilization in Burundi. In addition, the official pledged support of the global body to the peace work. Since independence from Belgium in 1961, Burundi has seen tensions between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority, which is perceived to have more privileges. Burundi’s first democratically elected president, a Hutu, was assassinated in October 1993, after only 100 days in office.

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/79506/House-OKs-bill-vs-using-Muslim-Christian-words-to-tag-crime-suspects

            (Feb 6) The House of Representatives in the Philippines has approved a bill that prohibits the use of the words “Muslim” and “Christian” in mass media to describe any person suspected of committing a crime. Proponents hope that the bill will help reduce connotations of discrimination in the practice of religion.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,328966,00.html

            (Feb 6) Nearly 100,000 people around the world have signed a petition asking Wikipedia, an online user-created encyclopedia, to remove all depictions of the Prophet Muhammad from its English-lanuage entry. The four images are of Persian and Ottoman miniatures from the 14^th through 16^th centuries. Wikipedia has images of the Prophet on pages in other languages, including Farsi, Dutch, German, Russian and Spanish.

http://www.cathnews.com/news/802/39.php

            (Feb 6) According to BBC, the number of Catholics belonging to Orders has dropped dramatically, bringing the current total to under one million. Between 2005 and 2006, there was a drop of 10%.

Richard Butler