Voters made their decision on November 4th 2008 and Obama triumphed with a landslide collection of 364 electoral votes to McCain's 162; including a well-defined lead in the popular voice (53% to 46%). The new President-Elect responded with a rousing proclamation stating: "Change has come to America". He called on all citizens to join together in a new spirit of patriotism, responsibility, service and sacrifice. For certain, there were tears of both joy and bitterness being shed that night.
Why were emotions so divergent among Christians throughout this historical election? Could the crux of the reason exist, not in the embedment of faith, but in the recognition that authority of moral demarcation had been symbolically wrested away from conservative Christianity and into the hands of those representing religiously liberal ideals?
Christians have always had their internal disagreements but the lack of unity they currently face is highly troublesome, mainly because it poses to be yet another excuse for further fragmentation of the Body of Christ. The entire presidential campaign of 2008 supplied plenty of provocation towards this hazard. It was a political crusade fraught with hateful rants and fearful predictions aimed at vilifying both candidates and their supporters. Each side of the Christian divide unabashedly launched slanderous declarations against the other in a struggle over who might gain the political ability to sanction righteousness. Evangelicals cited Obama as the anti-Christ while religious Democrats tagged their voting counterparts as a pack of ignorant racists. The fear of homegrown terrorism and financial ruin succeeded in fueling the flames of angst and anger, which strengthened defiance on both peripheries.
For those who have married their extreme political viewpoints to their theological tenets, it would be beneficial for them to take a moment and consider the implication of this union but alas; self-analysis has never been the hallmark of any Christian sect.
Sifted by colors of creed, the Red Believer and the Blue Believer each carry their own version of what it means to live out a life aimed at reflecting an authentic representation of Christ. This mission begets a moral code of identifiable behaviors destined to impact the systems of society, which in turn are overseen by the elected government. Therefore, it is inevitable that faith and politics will eventually have to contend with one another. The concept of Separation of Church and State, as devised by Thomas Jefferson, was not a denial of the interdependence upon the two institutions but rather an attempt to give clear definition to the role each should play within society so that through those roles, they could properly function. The ability to assign institutional definitions is where the power struggle lies.
In general, for the Red Christian, a moral government is one that protects innocent life, sacred traditions and self-sufficient success. For the Blue Christian, a moral government is one that provides peace, tolerance and equality for all.
Throughout the 1980's, conservative believers occupied the high ethical ground of right and wrong for American society and camped out on that land for almost a full decade. They were known as the Moral Majority and even after their disestablishment in 1989, their namesake continued to be a way in which to define voters who adhered to evangelical politics.
Now here we are, almost 20 years later, and the politically religious landscape is quite different. Fortunately, there are faithful followers from both sides of the political spectrum who have identified the need to set aside their own social agendas in hopes of encouraging a unifying perspective during these divisive times. John Piper is one such voice that has stated: "A prophetic perspective is what the church needs. What I mean is, we don't live for politics. We don't base our confidence about the future on whoever gets elected... There is a kind of voting, a kind of politic, and a kind of advocacy, which is not investing our whole selves into it... God puts kings up and takes kings down and God can turn this for good no matter who gets elected."
Though the desire to unify is merely one step upon a long pilgrimage towards spiritual reconciliation between the Red and the Blue, it is a worthy step to acknowledge and cultivate. Walking it out, in love, is not only the answer to healing the cuts within the Body of Christ; it is also the best representation of a life authentically lived for God.
