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Introduction

By the time we are born, we have already been impacted by the political decisions that our parents and their parents and the founding fathers have made. These choices determine the opportunities we have, the visions and dreams we follow, the philosophies we will accept, and our understanding of what needs to be changed. It doesn’t take long for us to become little political beings with opinions about how we’re supposed to vote and what party we’re supposed to belong to.

I grew up as a Republican. I remember being a grade school student in the 1950s when everybody liked Ike. It was presumed that everybody would vote for Eisenhower because of what he had done for our country in the past, and because he was a nice, likable man. When we had our grade school mock elections, there were only two people in my grade school class who voted for Adlai Stevenson. After staring at them for a few moments, I reached some conclusions that these two people were not like us. Many years later I discovered that my uncle, who was an author and a renowned university professor in history, felt Stevenson was one of our truly great Americans. He had been an avid supporter of Stevenson, and was a Democrat. But I knew nothing of that at an early age.

By the time I could think further about politics, Nixon and John F. Kennedy were running against each other. It seemed to me absolutely essential for Nixon to win. I was told that if Kennedy won, the Pope would move into the White House and govern our country, because a Roman Catholic had to obey the Pope above our Constitution, above our Congress, and above any other democratic institution that might not be quite in line with the Pope’s point of view.

But Kennedy won me over. His vision of putting a man on the moon, his creation of the Peace Corps, and his strength and charisma made me excited about political leadership. In my developing adolescence, I almost became a Democrat in my mind, even though I was not able to vote. Lyndon B. Johnson turned me back to the Republicans because of his coarse and sometimes bullying personality. It was many years later that I realized how much good he had done for our country. I moved back and forth and finally, with the corruption of the Nixon Watergate scandal, I registered first as an Independent and then as a Democrat.

When I went to seminary in the 1970s, I came into contact with some new ways of thinking that developed my consciousness. By that time, my mother had already moved over to the Democratic Party because of the influence of a minister, and because of her developing anti-war feelings. My sister and my father remained staunch Republicans.

When I was in seminary, even though I worked three jobs, studied all the rest of the time, and had some scholarship help, I was so poor I couldn’t afford to park at a parking meter because I didn’t have an extra dime. I went on the food stamps program, and food stamps saved me. They made it possible for me to stay in graduate school and to eventually get my Th.D. Experiencing what it was like to be poor changed how I thought about government assistance. No matter how hard I worked, I still needed help. I believed it was to the benefit of me and my country for me to complete graduate school. At one point, one of my jobs gave me a raise of $20.00, which disqualified me for food stamps. Within two weeks, my employer illegally fired me. It took me six weeks to get back on the food stamp program. The day before the food stamps arrived, I looked through my cupboard. All I had left was dry cereal, which I ate that day with water.

During this time, I was also grateful for free women’s clinics, which gave me the opportunity to see a doctor when ill and to receive medications, if necessary. Now that I’m over 65, I am grateful for Medicare and for the Social Security check I have just started to collect.

My developing view of the government’s role in helping its citizens was reaffirmed in 2004 when my sister became ill with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). She was eligible for Medicaid because ALS is one of those few diseases where one can get Medicaid before 65, but the social service agencies were not responding quickly. I was told to call Holly’s representative from Long Island, New York, who was Steve Israel, a Democrat. His response changed my sister’s life. He and his office staff helped her get a Medicaid card within a week. They were compassionate, efficient, caring, and on top of the problem. Although she died several years later, the political policy that allowed her to get the help she needed made it possible for her to die with grace and dignity. This assistance from Steve Israel made such a powerful impact that her daughter, who had never voted for anyone except a Republican, voted for him, and said, “I voted for him because he helped my mom.”

Many times we make changes in the way we think about political policy because of personal influences including the people we meet, the jobs we have, the books we read, and those who help us form our theology and our understanding of the Bible.

I work in the film industry, and I live in the context of an industry that is made up of agnostics and atheists and Jews and Christians and Muslims and Buddhists and New Agers. I cannot live and work in this world if I’m intolerant of different points of view, because my work demands teamwork with a diverse group of people from all over the world.

The big issues of the day, such as racism, sexism, classism, ecology, and war, began to push me toward registering as a Democrat. I found Democrats, as a whole, more compassionate and tolerant. I learned that those who needed help were far beyond a stereotype of “takers” and “dependants.” The help was usually not a hand out but a hand up. At the same time, I became clearer about my own identity as a Christian, affirming the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the involvement in our world of Jesus Christ, and the necessity for me to develop a more social and global consciousness.

It is said that the conservative mind and the liberal mind are quite different. Perhaps they are. Some say that the staunch Republican and the staunch Democrat are almost like two different species because they have different values and visions of the future, and different ways of interpreting the Bible and message of Jesus. For many years, this difference has evolved into an opinion that a Christian could not possibly be anything except a Republican. Republican policies and Republican speeches that mention religion imply (and sometimes state absolutely) that the Republican Party carries the message of Jesus, and that the poor Democrats have lost the point and have obviously gone very far astray.1

We form our spiritual opinions about politics in different ways. Most Christians look at what Scripture says about issues. What does the Scripture say about the poor? Abortion? The environment? Helping the mentally and physically ill? Homosexuality? Education? Social programs for the poor and disadvantaged?

To what extent might Biblical translations, the meanings of words, and the context of the time change our viewpoint?

Some Christians, particularly Catholics, look to Church tradition and practice. How did the church fathers and mothers, saints, and historical practices address various issues? Did those interpretations change or remain the same through the ages? What are the influences that change our minds? How are new understandings guided by the Holy Spirit?

This book is written as a kind of Christian Political Apologetic. It is meant to clarify what we, as Christian Democrats, believe and why we believe it. Originally, it was an assignment from Adams Media Publishers, who wanted a book which would respond to the oft-repeated idea that the Christian vote was the Republican vote. Since I was a Christian Democrat with a theology background and experience as an author, they asked if I’d be willing to write a book articulating how we use our Christian values to inform our political decisions.

In this Third Edition, I have updated some of the political information, although the focus of Democrats and Republicans has been fairly consistent since I started researching this topic in 2005. However, this year shows some of the sharpest divisions of the values and actions between Republicans and Democrats.

I felt it was essential to do a 2016 edition because it is an important and groundbreaking election. Hillary Clinton may be the first woman president, and she may be one of the best-qualified candidates who have ever run for office. She brings her experience and knowledge base as a lawyer for the poor and disenfranchised, a governor’s wife who knows the workings of a state, a president’s wife who discussed issues and advised her husband, and as someone who researched and created health care policy, a senator, a secretary of state, and a presidential candidate twice. She knows the world—the international leaders and the way Congress works. She has proven she knows how to cross party lines and how to be strong and firm. She has influence and understands the potential of diplomacy. She is the only candidate who would be ready on Day One.

Bernie Sanders has long worked for a more equal economic system, for equality in our justice system, for a raise in the minimum wage, and for peace policies. He was one of the few who voted against George W. Bush’s Iraq War, which was considered by many to be one of the wiser votes in Congress.

Their views and policies are clear.

In the 2014 edition, I changed the subtitle. Originally, the subtitle was Why the Republicans Don’t Have the Corner on Christ, which was the publisher’s choice. Although I didn’t like the divisiveness implied in this subtitle, I recognized it was a direct response to the prevailing presumptions of 2006. In the last two editions, with the new subtitle, I have tried to remove some of the divisiveness of the first edition.

This book is written for Democrats who identify as Christians, to help them better understand how their spirituality leads them to political choices. I expect that some people who are spiritual but not necessarily Christian might also find this book helpful. The previous editions were read by many Independents and some Republicans who said they liked the book, and I hope some Independents and Republicans will read this edition as well. Perhaps, for them, it will open up a better understanding of why their brothers and sisters in Christ vote differently than they do. Perhaps it might break down some of the barriers and divisiveness that exist between parties and people. It may lead to all of us working together for a more loving nation. And for some, it may change their vote.

If you are unsure about which party and which policies best express your values, perhaps this book will bring you to some new decisions about who you are, what you believe as a citizen of our country and of our world, and what actions you can take to help create a society that is an expression of God’s grace, the love of Christ, and the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.