What a True Christian Candidate Is and Isn't

If you are planning on caucusing in Iowa tonight, or you are planning on attending a caucus or primary in your local state, wherever that may be, and you happen to be Christian and want to caucus/vote for a candidate who has Christian morals, please read what I have written below, especially if you want a candidate with true Christian morals (whew! Long sentence!). 

Now, there are several candidates that consider themselves to be Christian and to have “Christian morals.”  Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, and the Donald come to mind; although, I’m sure there are others in either party who claim to be Christian.  And, while some of these candidates say they have “Christian morals,” they make statements against welcoming the neighbor and the stranger; they don’t value life (unless you’re a fetus) as they promote the death penalty and are against any kind of gun control; they would rather cut off the poor from food (yes, not every poor person is a lowlife who takes advantage of the system), but allow the very rich to get out of paying thousands of dollars in much needed tax dollars; When it comes to social justice issues, like racism, they sweep it under the rug as if we don’t have a problem; finally much of their campaigns are fear driven and are not faithful to God’s abundance, grace, and love.  Does this sound Christian to you?

Being a Christian means that we place our trust, our faith, and our allegiance in Christ Jesus.  No, not Moses, not Abraham, not St. Peter, nor St. Paul, but to Jesus (for Jesus is God!).  This means that to follow Christian morals and beliefs is to follow the teachings and actions of Jesus.  And, if you actually read the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), you will see that a lot of the candidates that say they have “Christian morals,” don’t actually have any (or very few) Christian morals!

How do I know this?  Well, when you read the gospels (and please, actually read them if you haven’t!) you will discover that Jesus welcomed the stranger, the neighbor, and the foreigner (Luke 10:25-37); that Jesus values all life (Luke 23:39-43); that Jesus calls for us to care for the poor (Matthew 25:31-46); that Jesus calls for justice of those oppressed (Mark 10:46-52); and that Jesus is about spreading love, not fear (John 13:34-35). 

So, when you go out and caucus/vote for a Christian candidate with Christian morals, make sure you are caucusing/voting for a candidate who wants to care for the poor and give freedom to the oppressed; who wants to welcome neighbor, stranger, and foreigner; who wants to place the lives of people above the right to kill or carry a weapon in public; who will fight against injustice whether it is racial, economic, social, etc…; and who will lead with love, compassion, and is intent upon peace.  These are true Christian morals.  Any candidate who talks about hate, discrimination, rejection, being unwelcome to outsiders, wanting to use lethal force in any way; and thinks we need to cut benefits to the poor are candidate who do not have Christian morals. 

Happy caucusing/voting!

Pastor Zach