Health Care
ARIZONA COMMUNITY PHYSICIANS
LAB MANAGER Health Care
CHILDREN'S CLINICS
MEDICAL RECORDS SUPERVISOR Health Care
CHILDREN'S CLINICS
MEDICDAL ASSISTANT Health Care
Casa de la Luz Hospice
RN Residential Hospice House Manager Administrative & Professional
NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY
PROJECT DIRECTOR Health Care
Fort Bayard Medical Center
Occupational Therapist Health Care
Santa Rosa Care Center
LPN, CNA, Unit Manager

Not too long ago a trio of women from the neighborhood stopped by the church office where I serve as pastor. After friendly introductions, they shared the purpose of their visit with me. They were supporting a particular candidate for state government in the primary election.

I glanced at the materials they shared, and thanked them for taking the time to do this, but added that because of professional ethics I could do nothing to further their candidate — or any other candidate — in my role as pastor.

My visitors assured me that this was not the reason for their visit. They understood the risk of nonprofits losing tax-exempt status for endorsements of political candidates, but then their spokesperson added: "We just wanted you to know this candidate supports the Christian values we all share."

I looked again at the campaign literature in my hand outlining their candidate's platform. In honesty, there was not one position with which I agreed.

So I asked: "What if my Christian values find the war in Iraq, which your candidate obviously supports, immoral? Or, what if my Christian values support stricter gun-control laws? What if how I read the Scriptures leads me to a different conclusion on immigration issues?"

After exchanging some surprised glances among themselves, our conversation concluded somewhat awkwardly as I thanked them, but suggested that "Christian values" may look much different to different Christians. Our background and history, how we have been taught to read and interpret the Bible, and many other factors will influence these values, providing hues of different shading to what they offered as a common bedrock of values.

While I admired my guests for their civic initiative, I was troubled by their underlying assumption — because they were on the property of a Christian church, and in the presence of a Christian minister, why of course our "Christian values" would be the same.

Matters of faith are important to us, and I am not suggesting we are to be silent in expressing what we believe. My most recent constituent letter to Sen. John McCain concerned the use of U.S.-supplied cluster bombs in civilian areas during the Israel-Hezbollah war, and spoke of convictions flowing directly from my Christian values.

Sharing our faith story is something I encourage congregants to do throughout the week. But attempting to draw political lines that correspond neatly and precisely to a particular religious belief system is dangerous.

To assume that politically "one Christian size fits all" belittles the rich variety of this religious heritage.

It is wonderful to see Christian women and men stepping into the political arena. It is also wonderful to see Jews and Muslims there, and those who might be Buddhist or Hindu, or those of no religious persuasion at all.

Remember that the values uniting us as citizens are constitutional, not Christian, Muslim or Jewish. Don't put Christian values on display for political purposes, or in a box with your candidate.