From: crawford@ben.dev.upenn.edu (Lauren L. Crawford)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: "Christian politics"??
Date: 28 Aug 92 05:13:16 GMT
Organization: University of Pennsylvania

In article <Aug.27.03.31.10.1992.5497@athos.rutgers.edu> bulloj@rpi.edu ( ) writes:
>This is a general question about politics in the United States and
>Christians. I was hearing something on the radio about how 800 out of the 
>2,000 delegates to the Republican National Convention were 
>"Evangelical Christians". Whether or not this number is true is one thing,
>but I'm sure there were much fewer "Evangelical Christians" at the Democratic
>convention in July. My question is, why is it that more "Evangelical 
>Christians" tend to be very right-wing Republicans? I understand the
>position on the abortion issue, but is that really the only reason
>to support Republicans?
>

Here's one opinion:  I think the republicans appeal directly to evangelical
Christians and attempt to be seen as the Christian alternative to the
heathen democrats; I believe they do this for political gain and -- for
the most part -- not out of any true love for God or biblical principles.

As for the belief that most evangelical Christians are right-wing
republicans ... I don't know, could be.  But in my experience, with the
churches I attend, that isn't the case.  The Christians I know
well enough to discuss this with are split right down the middle: some
vote republican, some vote democrat.  Some are declared independents.
A friend and I were discussing this very thing last night.  She, like
me, is opposed to abortion on demand and approves of the republican
party's stand opposing it.  But we also feel that the republican party
ignores other biblicl principles, like caring for the poor.  Neither of
us knows who we'll vote for this year, and I've heard that same sentiment
from other Christian friends.

In short, politics is politics.  People who attempt to make it a religion
are, as I see it, misguided.

  

-- 
Lauren Crawford  //  crawford@ben.dev.upenn.edu

Verbosity leads to unclear, inarticulate things.
            -- J. Danforth Quayle  

[I'm a bit concerned about the tendency to be overly cynical about
politics.  Now and again I hear talks by Christians involved in the
U.S. government.  I worked with a Senate committee a number of years
ago as a consultant.  As far as I can determine, folks in Washington
are no more or less sinnners than the rest of us.  However there are
some pressures and temptations there that may make them more subject
to certain kinds of things.  Based on accounts from people who were at
the Republican convention, the Republican appeal to conservative
Christians is as much due to conservative Christians being more
successful in influencing the platform committees as any cynical plot.
Indeed some commentators say that Bush is somewhat embarassed by the
results, as polls suggest that the party's stand on abortion may cost
him some votes.  As a believer in small government, I certainly have
my problems with bureacracy.  But as a bureacrat myself (what else can
you call a middle manager in a state agency?), I know that
bureacracies typically have many people in it who care about what the
people they are trying to serve.  Being overly cynical can be as much
a problem as anything else, because it can lead us to conclude that
it's not worth becoming involved.  --clh]