Choosing a Presidential Candidate

I watched the Saddleback Civil Forum the other night (I actually recorded it to be able to watch and really analyze it). Having looked at it quite intensely, I have made some conclusions:

1. Whoever you vote for, they should represent the values you hold most dear. No candidate will reflect all of your values, but usually one or the other will reflect far more of the values you hold dear than the other.
2. The media keeps speaking about Evangelicals as though they are a monolithic group. They also group any of us who are serious about our faith or conservative in our theological views into the Evangelical category. Being at Fuller has certainly taught me that the variety of interests for those who are religiously conservative is quite diverse. (By the way, I don't consider myself an Evangelical. It is a rather specific term that does not describe most of us who have embraced Church of God theology and practice - our background is Pietistic rather than Evangelical).
   
3. Whoever wins, the world will neither end nor will it become suddenly brighter. Both candidates are capable leaders. The messianic fervor that supporters place on either their election or the dominance of one party over the other seems foolish, at least according to history. There are times when a less than exciting winner of the White House has become a great president (Abraham Lincoln comes to mind) and there are others when a landslide winner has been less than great (Johnson and Nixon come to mind). What we hope for is someone who will grow in the job.
   
4. I am glad that the candidates and the parties are talking about values in a religious context.
5. I was greatly offended by the pundits (I usually am) who made the case that Obama won the night because his language was more "natural" for Evangelicals. In other words, what he said mattered less than how he said it. I find that demeaning to those of us who are thinking believers. I also found the pundits less than helpful when they jumped on McCain's decisiveness as the key for his winning the night - as though thoughtfulness and thinking were not to be valued by believers. That unless you can name the ten things you believe without question, you are not going to resonate with a group of believers who can name the ten things they believe without thinking. Both positions demean the meaning of faith.

So, now you know who I will be voting for in the next election. Good luck with your decision.