Today starts a series of posts excerpted from my book, With Christ in the Voting Booth. To begin, I am posting the complete Foreword written by Governor Mike Huckabee. Thank you governor for adding your kind words to the book.
Foreword by Mike Huckabee, Former Governor of Arkansas:
In polite company, one avoids discussing three highly controversial subjects. David Shedlock bluntly writes about two of them here: Religion and Politics. With Christ in the Voting Booth leaves no question he thinks religion, or specifically âfaith in Godâ, is the more important of the two. But heâs not afraid to mix it up. Utilizing the Bible, history, logic and lots of original sources, David is not so much interested in the religious character of the people of the U.S. (thatâs a given!), nor our Christian heritage, but rather emphasizes the need for ethical, truth-based politics and governance today.
When I began my service as the governor of Arkansas, some were skeptical that as a former Baptist pastor I could resist shoving my personal theology down everyoneâs throat. When I finished my terms 10Âœ years later, few people still held that fear. It can be done. In this book, David warns against two extremes every Christian voter and politician faces: putting too much faith in the government, and developing a rebellious attitude toward government, an institution ordained by God.
He writes:
Because we are sinners, we need government. But what kind of government is needed to restrain wicked men? … Government-too-big tends to dehumanize us, making us more like numbers to be counted than people to be served. Some people do not see the government as the God-ordained means for protecting society from those who would destroy it. On this basis, Ayn Rand libertarianism refuses to protect us against attacks on life and marriage; thus it is godless government, or government-too-small. Some detractors have frantically warned us that politicians like George W. Bush, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann are theocrats, people who believe that God will or should rule in the civil realm via the church or clergy. These naysayers are hyperventilating…. There is not one shred of evidence that any of the candidates listed above has ever been a theocrat or a theonomist.
With Christ in the Voting Booth is not a dated Voterâs Guide that promotes certain candidates and after the election becomes as useful as day-old toast. Instead, Shedlock has written a book that addresses issues that crop up in every election. What if the candidate isnât fully pro-life? What if he or she wants to raise my taxes? Does God care who wins the presidency and my local mayorâs race? Can I vote for a liberal candidate like Barack Obama? Should gender, race or religion enter my decision? What about third parties, or sitting it out altogether?
I have watched David regularly tackle tough issues like these in his blog posts at Caffeinated Thoughts. He does his homework and genuinely seeks to tell the truth. While I may not always agree with him, thoughtful Christians shouldnât ignore the advice he gives when they go to the ballot box or when they decide to run for office themselves. His strategy is simple: explain the principles, philosophy and process of politics from a Biblical perspective, and apply each of these elements to actual decisions voters make in the voting booth, and politicians must make every day in Washington, in state capitals all across the country, and in city halls everywhere.
Every primary season and general election is important. We ought to get it right this time.
