Can a born again, bible believing Christian be a Republican?  Can a born again, bible believing Christian be a Democrat?  Can such a Christian be a Socialist, …or believe in the divine right of Kings.  The truth is born again, bible believing Christians have been all of the above.

Can a born again, bible believing Christian oppose abortion?  Can a born again, bible believing Christian support abortion?  The question is the same on birth control, stem cell research, government provided medical care, the war in Iraq, and most of the issues addressed in current political debates. Again, the truth is, on both sides of each issue you will find sincere, bible believing, born again Christians.

I raise these questions because respected conservative religious leaders are claiming God has only one party, the Republican, and their position on all issues under debate are the only correct position because “God has told them so.”  Furthermore, they claim that anyone who does not agree with them is a pseudo Christian.  They are effectually dividing the body of Christ and, because of their claim to infallibility, the whole nation.

This has been going on for some time.  A decade ago I was in a local ministers meeting when one of the brothers came to the front with a guest to introduce.  His guest was the local Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives.  His introduction was along this line, “This is our man for congress.  If you are a true Christian and Baptist, you will not only vote for him, you will help get out the vote to get him elected.”

As a born again, bible believing Christian, I tend to ignore party labels.  I also ignore the God talk in politics.  Just because a party or politician invokes the name of God or Jesus, or talks of how God leads in their decisions and actions, doesn’t mean they act like followers of Jesus.  I would paraphrase the words of James in his letter (James 1:22) “Be doers of the word, and not (repeaters) only, deceiving your own selves.”  I’m not much impressed by God talk if it isn’t backed up by doing what he wants.  And bible believing Christian politicians have a guide as to what he wants, the New Testament, particularly the words of Jesus in the gospels.

I’ve heard the question “Which party would Jesus join?”  The answer is easy, neither.  In the first century a hot button political question for Jews was whether they should pay taxes to the heathen Roman empire.  It was a black or white issue, either “Yes” or “No.”  The enemies of Jesus tried to trap him with that question.  If he answered “Yes” he would lose favor with the people, if he answered “No” they could report him to the Roman officials.  He called for a coin and asked whose image was on it.  When his questioners answered “Caesar’s,” Jesus replied, “Give to Caesar the things which belong to Caesar and to God the things which belong to God.”  In his answer Jesus declared that our religion and statesmanship are two different realms.  Our religious convictions should influence our politics, but we must never confuse the two. God will use whichever party or person he can to accomplish his purpose and do his bidding.  But He only will judge who they are, no matter what they claim for themselves.

When we go to the polls, it would be well for us born again, bible believing Christians to favor the persons and parties who seem to best model the values of Jesus. As I read his words I pick up on things like peacemaking and concern for the poor, the sick, the disfranchised.