Vox Pop

The voice of the people—Vox Pop—has spoken. The recent so-called off-year elections were anything but ho-hum. A remarkable shift has occurred in how Americans view their government and how the two major political parties function.

It’s not unusual for a sitting president to lose Congress in the last two years of his 2nd term. It happened to Truman. It happened to Eisenhower. Truman worked well with an opposing party congress. Eisenhower was severely restricted by opposing congress. President Clinton lost the House in 94 and the Senate in 98. The question will be whether George W. Bush will be able to work with the opposing majority in control of Congress. And whether Nancy Polosi, the new Speaker of the House will indeed seek partnership not partisanship, as she committed to do.

Clearly Americans expressed their disapproval over Iraq. And their dismay over the moral scandal within the Republican Party.

But there’s something deeper than just a divided executive and legislative branch. There’s a shift taking place within the democratic and Republican parties…and a shift in the way Americans think.

The Democrats appear to have moved more centrist. The candidates who won are either people of faith or faith-friendly. Many are pro-life. At the same time, evangelicals didn’t turn out for the Republican Party. 1/3 of evangelicals voted Democratic.

Democrats presented candidates more socially and religiously moderate in several Tennessee and Pennsylvania, conservative Republicans faced Democrats who spoke the language of faith. Senator Barack Obama has impressed many with his ability to speak affirmingly and fluently about the importance of morality and faith to democratic life

The evangelical movement may be more diverse than we thought. I hear it all the time from listeners to Moody Radio. Even Dr. James Dobson recently expressed his disillusionment with the current party in power.

A more centrist voice could help both parties. California Governor Schwarzenegger was obviously helped in his bid for reelection by moving to a more moderate stand on key issues. Democrats could help their cause by supporting parental notification on abortion, or programs promoting abstinence and marital fidelity. And evangelicals in the Democratic Party are still a minority. However, men and women of strong moral values and Biblical ethics should not abandon the Democratic Party. And as Christ’s followers we should love people in both political parties equally


George Hunter III, writing in Christianity Today stated:
Some evangelicals have been strangely mute on the social ethic of God's kingdom; the world might not even know, from us, what it would look like if the will of God were done "on earth, as in heaven."

Bottom line, we as Christians, as evangelicals must recover key Biblical ethics in our politics. That goes beyond the hot-button issues of abortion, gay marriage and prayer in schools to weightier matters of justice, poverty, peace, health, the environment. We also need to apply Biblical world views on war, violence, economics, health care, AIDS, Let the voice of the people, especially from the people of God in both parties speak the voice of our God to a needy society. And may God truly bless America.