Christian Voting Made a Difference

            The voting had scarcely been called for George Bush in Ohio before I was talking with a Christian friend in Montana via the Internet. She told me the media in her part of the country was already saying Christians were having a big impact on the election. Oftentimes reports of Christian impact on the numbers have been as much accusatory as factual. The media does not believe Christians should have a voice in the way this country goes. People of a saner perspective recognize that the moral values Christianity represents may be the only thread still holding the fabric of the nation together.

            Some pundits proclaimed conservative Christians, and Catholics, were the key voting blocks Bush courted and Kerry dismissed. This is not true. While they are the voting blocks Bush’s positions and character appeal to, it is not simply Kerry’s qualities do not attract. Many felt a decided reaction against the Kerry camp because they tried to intimidate churches through threatening a loss of non-profit status. They saw it was fine for a liberal congregation to endorse Kerry but it was unacceptable for Bible believers to endorse Bush. The problem for the Kerry camp was the Christians did not cave in to intimidation.

            Some claim Christians failing to vote had allowed George senior to lose his bid for a second term. This could be true in part, but many rejected him for waffling on tax relief and voted for a wolf in sheep’s clothing. People believe in the faith of George W. Bush even when they do not agree with all he does. They did not believe in John Kerry whose positions do not even agree with the teachings of his own church. Conservative Christians in particular do not accept that a person’s conduct, even in public office, can be separate from the positions he takes.

            You can expect that the liberals will learn from this experience. They will continue to do what they can to separate Christian life and influence from the functioning of America in the future through their supposedly unbiased secularizing institutions such as the ACLU and NEA. Liberals still in Congress will introduce riders to bills designed to disenfranchise Christians. Vigilance! Vigilance! Liberals are working on 2008 already.