The following is an open letter posted on evangelical evangelist Dutch Sheets's website in response to his recent message regarding Tuesday's election results. I discovered the original letter and evangelist through a friend and you can view his original "letter" here.
My Response
Dear Reverend Sheets,
I wish to say at the start of this letter, than I, for a big part, am probably not of the same ideology that many of your viewing base are. I have seen your book in stores and have seen you while flipping through the channels from time to time, but this is about the extent of my knowledge of you and your ministry. Before I get into the intent of this letter - a response to your letter concerning our recent election - I wish to say (much in the way that the Apostle Paul might have greeted a fellow minister) that I am a fellow evangelical minister and follower of Christ, and as such, I commend you on your efforts to follow the teachings of Jesus and to make those known to your viewers, listeners, and readers. Our faith we have in common, and I am eternally grateful for this. And although people of faith may disagree with the policies and ideologies of government officials at times, I believe this faith is shared (because it has been claimed as such) by our current President and by our new President-elect. That said, I pray that the content of this response will be interpreted through love and not a desire for argument. There are certainly issues we can all agree on - regardless of political ideologies, and I think it’s important for the body of Christ to come together on these shared interests for the good of the world. I cannot speak for you, but I gather that you ultimately wish for the same.
Much like you said, I do not claim to be an infallible source. I do believe that the scriptures point us to a sovereign God - a God who does give us free will, but one who has a sovereign destiny for the world, the universe, and the cosmos. The will of a sovereign God is far more powerful than any worldly system of government (and this is certainly no respecter of political parties). God is not a Republican or a Democrat, but - I believe - is continually pointing us upward, not right or left.
I did take issue with some of the content of your open letter. I think sometimes Christian leaders of a certain ideology (whether right or left) can make the mistake of assuming that all who share their faith have the same ideology. Taking a step back, I think we can all agree this is not always the case.
One of the shifts in the recent election was that of a decidedly shifting evangelical vote. While many conservative evangelicals continued to vote for their Republican base, a great many evangelicals (many of whom still hold to conservative ideals) decided to vote for Barack Obama. I have had conversations with evangelicals who voted for both candidates, but what I found were that those who voted for Sen. Obama did so, not in spite of their faith, but because of their faith. This video is one such example of this. While many of these evangelical Christians still disagree (and strongly so) with the President-elect on his pro-choice stance, it is becoming clear that the realm of moral obligations to people of faith must be weighed in as a whole. Many evangelicals have paid attention to biblical mandates that cause them to be concerned with moral issues beyond simply abortion and gay marriage. These biblical issues include poverty (as you alluded to in your letter), the AIDS pandemic, a biblical stance on preemptive war, the use of torture, and care for the environment as God’s creation. Many of these evangelicals argued that while Sen. McCain held to a pro-life policy (though McCain made some decidedly different statements regarding this in his 2000 bid for the White House), he was often vague and unclear about his plan to handle these other issues, making many evangelicals apprehensive.
Understand, like you I am conservative on the issue of abortion rights. I do not blindly dismiss it, and I don’t believe these other evangelicals do or should either. I do argue, however, that there are two fundamental problems with making this a be-all-end-all criteria for a voter. The first is that many younger (and some older) voters have been uninformed of the real meaning of some of these issues. The Supreme Court’s ruling of Roe v. Wade has nothing in and of itself to do with abortion at large. The ruling simply made a woman’s right to choose a national ruling rather than a state one. If the Supreme Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade today (and don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it would be a bad idea to do so), this would not eliminate or outlaw abortion. It would simply turn abortion rights back over to the states. The states that previously held to abortion rights laws (New York, Massachusetts, California, to name a few) would still legally allow abortions to take place. The Catch-22 of this is that many women living in states that do not allow for abortions would still be having abortions - illegally and very dangerously - or driving across state lines to do so. The issue of Roe v. Wade certainly has implications for abortion, but the ruling itself is simply a “Big Government v. Small Government” ruling. That said, there are many Pro-Life Democrats in our government system (Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove, for two examples).
The second problem with this is that we’ve had a President in office for the last eight years who personally and publicly opposes abortion rights (and you and I agree with him in this), yet has done nothing to do away with it. Abortions have increased during the current administration. You know as well as I do that politicians on both sides are great at rallying their respective bases on social platforms - be it abortion, gay marriage, the environment, big government v. small government, etc. - but once elected, those issues take their places at the very bottom of the to-do list. In politics, it’s all about getting votes based on social issues. In government, it’s all about economics. Both sides are guilty of this.
This does not mean that churches and Christ-followers should remain silent on the issue of abortion. By all means, we should not. What this does mean is that we must stop relying on politicians of both sides to legislate morality. We cannot count on the government to reduce abortions, regardless of an Obama or would-be McCain administration. Instead, this gives the church a POWERFUL opportunity to be PRO-active; to be, as Gandhi said, “the change you wish to see in the world.”
This brings me to another issue with the conclusions stated in your letter. Again, please don’t view my disagreements as questioning your heart or faith - as I would never intend to disrespect you or your right to your concerns.
That said, I am concerned that many of your readers and viewers will take your conclusions that God’s wrath is now coming as a call to inaction. Many may see this “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”-type message and think, “Oh well, there’s nothing we can do now but watch the world crumble around us and wait to die or for Christ’s return.” I don’t think that was your intention, but I do fear many Christians will take this as such.
For one thing, if God’s judgment means that God allows our economy to sink and wars to claim the lives of our own people, then this judgment didn’t begin now. It began years ago, if this is the case. I think we can all agree that the last eight years have not been a time of peace and prosperity, regardless of an evangelical Christian in the White House.
Inaction is, quite simply, not an option. The church must find ways beyond the political structure to be and make disciples and do good in the world. If we are truly concerned with the problem of abortion in this country, it’s time to get off our high horses and do something real about it. Let’s work together to make adoption easier, not harder for families who are desperate to have children but who are unable to conceive naturally. Let’s go into the poverty-stricken inner cities where there is much moral decay and educate young women on the real options they have, even helping to provide moral and financial support for them. Let’s start some crisis pregnancy centers all across our towns and cities, giving help, education, and hope to women rather than judging them. Many of these women find themselves in circumstances of unplanned pregnancies and are horrified at the thought of telling their parents, the thought of what their uncommitted boyfriends might do, or how they might ever raise a child on their own. The church has a POWERFUL opportunity to step in and do something that makes a real difference. This will bode far better for us than picketing politicians who disagree with us.
These are just a few ideas, and if we put our heads together and take prayerful action, I think God will give us the strength and resolve to make a lasting impact on this nation. These are issues that Obama supporters and McCain supporters can come together on. Evangelical, mainline, and Roman Catholic Christians can join forces in this too.
On the other issues of poverty, AIDS, the environment, and so on, these must be taken seriously in the same way, not waiting on government to act on them. The church has the opportunity to be a powerful force in the world yet, and I do not believe - under any means - that God is finished with our great nation yet.
I realize that, while you may like some of these ideas, you may not agree with me entirely, and I’m okay with that. I do think, however, that it’s crucial that we take real action and not just count on government to do so.
Whether we agree with all of his policies and ideas it or not (I don’t, and I disagreed with many of McCain’s ideas as well), Barack Obama is the new President-elect, and as such, he deserves our support and respect as Americans. History has certainly been made, and I think we owe it to our nation (and especially as Christ-followers) to pray for his protection and for wisdom in leading us through the difficult times ahead. We should pray that he would surround himself with wise council in facing the economic crisis that was placed before him and in dealing with the ongoing fight against terrorism. Pray that he would come to an understanding of our concerns regarding abortion rights.
For all I know, Obama may turn out to be a terrible President. He might worsen our economy rather than better it. Things may go terribly wrong. I pray this isn’t the case, but if it is, the beauty of democracy means that in four years, we can vote him out and place someone else in charge.
As you know - and I believe your viewership does, too - our faith as Christians is not in our economy, in our government, and even in our leaders. It should never be. Our faith is in God and God alone. If we believe God created all things, then we must believe that God’s creation is ongoing. Because of our faith in God, we can trust that we will always be provided for, and that we will be protected.
Again, Rev. Sheets, I pray you will take these words and ideas to heart, and I share a great passion for Christ with you. I wish you the best as you make disciples throughout your own ministry.
Godspeed,
Rev. Bryan Thompson
