BallotVox

What Will Evangelical Christian Voters Do?

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[Ann Raber is a BallotVox co-curator.]

Evangelicals just might be the known-unknowns of this election. How will these traditionally Republican voters cast their ballots in November? It’s always been assumed that their beliefs on hot-button issues like homosexual marriage and abortion dictate their votes. This year things might be different.

We got some insight from two evangelical Christians who are thinking hard about new trends in evangelical politics — and whether laws, legislation, and political influence are the answer to their prayers after all.

Back in June, Greg Alterton of the blog Render Unto God wrote about faith and American conservatism. Citing recent books and articles, Greg says he has “the distinct impression there are seismic shifts going on in the political perspective of evangelicals.” He feels the leaders of the Christian right are concerned that evangelicals will not support John McCain — not only because he doesn’t represent religious causes but because evangelicals are starting to care about new issues:

[A]n increasing number of evangelical Christians have voiced dissatisfaction equating abortion, gays, and guns as the sum total of Christian social concern. Many are expressing the need to address issues of poverty, health care needs, stewardship of the environment, humanitarian efforts in Africa and Asia, opposition to war, to name a few, as consistent with their concern as Christians.

Greg also points out that socially conservative leaders in all branches of government did little to uphold the social values that are important to him and most evangelicals:

As recently as this spring, I was still maintaining that the election of a conservative president was important for no other reason than to continue to shape the philosophy of the federal judiciary. But then came the California Supreme Court’s 4-3 decision to give legal sanction to homosexual marriage. Three of the justices who voted for the decision were appointed by Republican governors, so the idea that Republican-appointed justices can hold back social changes reflective of an ever-increasing post-Christian consensus in society is a vain hope.

Tim Dando blogs on the site LDS & Evangelical Conversations as the evangelical Christian in the conversation. He thinks homosexual marriage will remain a decisive issue in California because of the proposed amendment to the state’s constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. He’s unconvinced, however, that laws about homosexuality will be the source of social change:

Whether or not any kind of marriage amendment is passed on the state or national level, I’m confident those are short term stop gaps and we’ll eventually be overturned by a younger generation. As we move forward I think what’s important for us is to be vigilant in emphasizing what we are for rather than what we are against (grace and redemption at the top of the list). We should avoid making sex a political issue and making our churches appear to be voting blocks.

Greg agrees with Tim that politics may not be the right place for evangelicals to focus their energy:

[T]he truly revolutionary thing in 2008 isn’t for evangelicals to jump the fence and consider voting for a reasonable liberal, but to look at the futility of politics in general, and to apply the walk of faith to addressing human needs outside the realm of politics. Politics, like the poor and rumors of war, will always be with us, but the growing challenge is to consider that politics is not the end-all/be-all, and wasn’t even within Jesus’ consideration when addressing the needs and pain of a failing world.

[…] Most of the issues we face in our society are spiritual in nature. Conservative Christians have failed over the past generation to reverse the trends in an increasingly secular society precisely because they have tried to respond to these trends through politics. It’s well past time for Bible-believing, Christ-devoted believers to consider what spiritual resources they have in Christ, and begin applying those resources to the challenges in our society.

Amen.