October 13, 2004
While we may choose to disagree on certain matters of public policy, or support different political parties, the fact remains that we as Christians have an objective standard of truth – the Bible -- to base our decisions on. No matter how complex or contemporary the debate might be, the Bible speaks to it. That’s why it’s critical to spend time understanding what the Bible says about the important issues of today – and the 2004 Elections.
The following statement – recently endorsed by more than 70 Christian leaders (click here for list of names) -- is presented for the thoughtful consideration of all who are interested in how the Bible might speak to ethical issues in the current political contests.
1. Supreme Court justices: People may not consider the appointment of Supreme Court Justices to be an ethical issue, but it clearly is now because several of the Court’s decisions have imposed on our nation new policies with significant ethical and religious ramifications.
A slim majority of our current Supreme Court -- and lower courts which follow their example -- have gone beyond their Constitutionally-defined task of interpreting laws passed by Congress and state legislatures, and have in effect created new "laws" that have never been passed by any elected body. By this process they have imposed on "the people" decrees that allow abortionists to murder unborn babies (contrary to Exodus 20:13 and Romans 13:9, "you shall not murder"), protect pornographers who poison the minds of children and adults (contrary to Exodus 20:17, "You shall not covet ... your neighbor’s wife; see also Matt. 5:28), that redefine marriage to include homosexual couples (thus giving governmental encouragement to actions that Romans 1:26-28 says are morally wrong), and that banish prayer, God’s name and God’s laws from public places (thus prohibiting free exercise of religion, and violating Romans 13:3 which says that government should be "not a terror to good conduct, but to bad"). In taking to itself the right to decree such policies, the Supreme Court has seriously distorted the system of "checks and balances" intended by the Constitution between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government.
It is unlikely that any elected body such as a city council, state legislature, or the U.S. Congress, would have decreed policies like those mentioned above, for such groups are accountable to the will of the people. Not so the Supreme Court, which is appointed for life. And democratically-elected members of Congress and state legislatures are helpless to change those Court-mandated policies unless the makeup of the Court is changed. We believe the ethical choice is a President and U.S. Senate committed to appointing judges who will follow the original intent of the Constitution -- interpret law, not create it; enforce the will of the people, not thwart it -- rather than candidates who have often voted to block such judges in votes in the Senate.
2. Defense against terrorists: A fundamental responsibility of government is to "punish those who do evil" (1 Pet. 2:14) and thus to protect its citizens. We now face a unique challenge, because terrorists who will sacrifice their own lives in killing others cannot be deterred by the usual threat of punishing a criminal after he commits a crime. While Jesus instructed individuals not to seek personal revenge but to turn the other cheek (Matt. 5:39), the Bible instructs that governments are responsible to "bear the sword" (Rom. 13:4) and use force to oppose violent evil. We believe the ethical choice is support for a candidate who will pursue terrorists and, when necessary, use force to stop them before they strike us; not for a candidate who only promises to respond if we are attacked again.
