Brian Castelli – With His Heart

During the recent political campaign season, we were deluged by uncounted political advertisements. If you are anything like me you found it hard to get facts and clarity about the candidates, especially about the presidential candidates. The talking heads on the news channels seemed to care more about who said the right thing to which group and whether they handled the debate well. The uproar of the campaign caused my internal defense mechanisms to kick in. I focused hard on just a few issues in an attempt to maintain my sanity. It mostly worked.

One down side to my focus, however, is that I totally missed an issue. When I saw the Obama’s standing together at the inauguration–Barak, Michelle, Malia and Sasha–it hit me: We have a role-model family in the White House.

It’s been since the 1960’s that we’ve had small children in the White House. At this time in our history when the nation is reeling from divorce, single parenthood, and children growing up in poverty, we have an intact family with small children to identify with.

I hope and pray that the family of the Obama presidency will be a source of inspiration to millions of Americans to get married, stay married, and raise well-loved, well-adjusted children.

(Originally published in May of 2007)

I believe that many Christians are making a very big mistake. Standing in opposition to presidential hopeful Governor Mitt Romney on faith grounds sets a very dangerous precedent. Christians and others should be very wary of introducing a kind of spiritual litmus test for candidates.

Here are the problems that I predict. There may be more:

1. If Christians insist on making Romney’s Mormon faith an issue, the issue will be defined in the media by people who are ill-equipped to argue any side. The result will be that the most extreme views will be the ones that make the evening news, and the country will react with horror at the intolerance of Christians. All Christians. As usual, a few extremists will give the rest of us a bad name.
2. If faith becomes a central issue in the coming election, let’s take the issue to it’s logical, extreme conclusion. A nation that is becoming increasingly hostile toward religion might soon decide that no faith (that is, faith that there is nothing out there) is the only faith that can be allowed, and spiritual matters will be excluded from the public square.
3. I don’t think you can really claim that the way people choose to vote is unconstitutional, but I dare say that it is quite contrary to the establishment clause in the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. As much as I disagree with Mormonism, Governor Romney has a constitutionally-guaranteed right to follow the religion that he chooses. I will not convert to his faith, but I will defend his right to follow it. (I might try to talk him out of it, but that’s another matter…)

The Constitution lists the qualifications for becoming President of the United States of America. I didn’t see faith listed there.

In the same way that I defend Governor Romney’s right to follow the faith of his own choosing, I also defend the right of all citizens to vote their conscience. The place where there needs to be caution is in the media debate about his faith. We Christians should lead by example, not by political boycott.

I am saddened by the reaction of many of my fellow Christians to the election of Barak Obama as the next President of the United States. It’s not that I am an Obama supporter – I’m really not. It’s just that I am a God supporter. The Bible tells us very clearly that no one comes to power and authority without God allowing it. President-elect Obama is no different. If it wasn’t part of God’s plan, he wouldn’t be planning to take the Oath of Office in January.

I think the response of my fellow Chrisitians ought to be that they will be praying for President-Elect Obama in the coming days, months and years. Pray that he has a steady hand and a clear mind. Pray that he comes to understand (if he doesn’t already) that it it God, not him, who rules.

I pray that God will bless President-Elect Obama and the United States of America.