Torch, Spring/Summer 2008

D espite attempts to separate the two, religion has never been far from politics, and this presidential election cycle is no exception. What has transpired in the 2008 campaign continues to indicate how important religion is to the American voter. And why shouldn’t it be? American voters are, well, Americans, and Americans are intensely spiritual. While we seem to split on whether the religious beliefs of the president should influence his policies — George W. Bush, for example, received both accolades and consternation when he admitted in an interview last year that he prays before big decisions — we believe our president should be religious. Many of us still believe there is a connection between religion and policy-making. What someone believes to be true about the Creator, the creature, and the world we live in has a profound influence on what that person does in the Oval Office. But regardless of the media blitz surrounding Sen. Obama’s relationship to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and the exposure of his former pastor’s questionable theology, for instance, very little has been reported on the actual religious beliefs held by this presidential candidate. The same could be said of the other candidates as well. Not only is there a noticeable absence of this kind of reporting, there also seems to be a dearth of political analysts bringing a Christian worldview to the events and sound bites of the campaign trail. Those who interpret the world and this American political process through the lens of Scripture and with the mind of Christ have a keener interest in the religion issue and how the ideologies of the candidates affect vision and policies. These voters, regardless of their party affiliation, make decisions with a different set of values. While to the average observer the values may seem quite similar to the rest of the American voter profile, a closer look reveals a Kingdom-oriented motivation that transforms the values in the political process. When Jesus said, “He who is not with me is against me” (Matthew 12:30), He dismissed the notion that any decision in the political process has inherent neutrality. We cannot be neutral. We have an obligation to search the Scriptures, research the candidates, and apply our grace-enabled worldview to stewardship of our government and society. It’s our responsibility to engage that process in a manner that reflects the mind of Christ. 30 TORCH This editorial is presented by CDR Radio: The Path. Chad Bresson serves as Impact News director for the CDR Radio Network and is the host for the Impact News Front Page program. A Cedarville University graduate, he is a self-proclaimed news junkie and has been at the network since 1992. Bresson and his Front Page program can be heard online at www.thepath.fm . ® T Separation of Church and State: Is It Possible? By Chad Bresson, CDR Radio News Director