Politics or Family

As you prepare to vote today, keep these words in mind:

I hate the negative advertisements just like everybody else.
But those advertisements work on the ignorant, and it gets simple thinkers heated up. We just have to have the discipline to be civil. Many of my friends will vote for McCain, and members of my family too. But it doesn't matter to me. Family comes first, and so do friends. When I'm on my deathbed, Barack Obama and John McCain won't be there, but my friends and family will. So they come first, and they are more important. I just won't let myself get too heated about this stuff. It's not worth it.

These are the words of Donald Miller, popular Christian author, who is actively campaigning for Obama. I don't agree with all of Miller's political views, in fact, I think he has many factual errors in this interview (read the second comment for a response to Miller's statement about Obama actually working to reduce abortions), but i certainly appreciate Miller's perspective on the priority of politics. Keep it mind to day as you vote and discuss politics with friends and family.

Christians in Politics

Here are some quotes From the book unChristian on the way non-Christians feel about the Christian involvement in politics:

“Christians don’t even follow what the Bible says; why do they try to tell everyone else how to live morally?”

“They do not seem to prioritize the poor and needy in their political agenda, as Jesus commands.”

“Christians do a lot of complaining about the society and how bad things are in politics, but they don’t do much more than complain. The point is that you have to offer more than an opinion.”

“Christians talk about being driven by family values when they vote, but a lot of their families are in bad shape too.”

“They run the risk of turning people away from the cause they are trying to promote by losing sight of real people. Christians do not show grace to people. They judge their actions without walking in their shoes.”

These may be overly characterized, but whether you find these statements to be true or not, recognize that this is the public perception of Christians in politics.