No. It’s not because Romney’s Mormon and Huckabee’s Baptist. I contend Huckabee’s evangelical support goes deeper than that. The roots of his support are grounded in concepts the political punditry and main-stream media can’t seem to comprehend.
Evangelicals are a multi-faceted bunch. We are controlled by a Scriptural, and highly moral ethic. And politics is just a side-focus to us. We’re mainly about the Gospel and Jesus, and so political ties are held somewhat tenuously. It’s not enough to just slap “pro-life” on your chest, evangelicals do care about the whole package that comes with that.
I recently stumbled across a post by Josh Reighley which sums up this point very well:
Huckabee’s primary support has come from Evangelical Christians. In the past, we have voted for candidates based on one or two issues. Knowing this, the Republican party has outright pandered to us on these two issues, and earned a lot of support. We care about a lot more issues, and the Republican party largely ignores them.
There is a biblical mandate to protect life. The GOP attempts to do this, but they tend to do it in a cold and heartless way, causing the country to look at the proponents of life as theocratic tyrants.
There is also a biblical mandate to protect the poor. There is a biblical mandate to be good stewards of the environment. There is a biblical mandate to fight greed and corruption. These are part of the true evangelical heart.
He goes on to claim that Romney is a “plastic candidate” blatantly pandering to Evangelicals based on his pro-life and pro-family stance. I totally agree. Josh goes on to explain just why Huckabee appeals so much to us Evangelicals.
We don’t have to choose from the lesser of two evils. We have a very articulate, warm hearted evangelical who cares about the same things that we care about and doesn’t have to pander to anybody. He cares about the environment. He cares about the poor. He is not beholden to corporate interests or to political interests. He knows the struggles of the everyday American family, and he wants to make their life better.
This is why I and others I know support Huckabee. And this train of thought is why several prominent Christian bloggers do as well: Justin Taylor, Matthew Anderson, Joe Carter — (see joint endorsement here) and Randy Alcorn.
Alcorn in particular illustrates the Biblical mindset that favors a candidate like Huckabee:
Today, I am less enthusiastic about political parties than I’ve ever been. I’m a Republican largely because I adamantly oppose abortion. But my concern for the poor, racial justice and the environment””all of which have a strong biblical basis””make me sometimes identify more with the concerns of Democrats (though I don’t always agree on their proposed solutions). But I could never be a Democrat as long as that party remains hostile toward the rights of unborn children. Yes, there are prolife Democrats, but they are a small minority. And by the way, if I had a choice between voting for a prolife Democrat and a prochoice Republican, I’d vote for the Democrat in a heartbeat….
In my opinion, Huckabee doesn’t just know the words; he knows the music. You can see the authenticity in him. I heard him say, “I do not spell G-O-D G.O.P.” That means he’s a follower of Christ before he’s a follower of the Republican party. He’s not overbearing in his spiritual beliefs, but he never apologizes for them. He’s humble and self-effacing. He’s not in your face, yet he’s firm in conviction. I actually think this guy says what he believes and believes what he says. And I have to say, I don’t think that about most politicians. He says some things that are unpopular and will lose him votes and he says them anyway””I love the courage that reflects….
And evangelicals shouldn’t be afraid to support Huckabee. The political pundits are wrong: Huckabee is McCain’s toughest competition–and Romney is just siphoning votes away from him. (You’ve got to read Joe Carter’s excellent post on pundit-based reality vs. voter-based reality.)
Personally, I’d much rather cast a vote for McCain than for Romney– because McCain at least has integrity and is honorable. So chalk me up for one who wouldn’t mind a McCain-Huckabee ticket. I just wish Huckabee was on the top of that ticket!
Bonus: for an explanation of why I think Romney is untrustworthy, check this older post, or Joe Carter’s recent one here.
Let me preface this by saying that I don’t support McCain, Romney, or Huckabee, and my candidate (Ron Paul) is pro-life.
But I think we really need to get used to the fact that abortion is legal in this country, and it will always be legal. Let’s assume for a minute that Huckabee gets elected. What can he do about abortion? Appoint conservative, pro-life judges … sure.
Let’s assume that he appoints a pro-life judge. Let’s also assume that the democrat led congress approves this judge. Let’s also assume that a case is brought before the supreme court where Roe v. Wade can be overturned, and let’s also assume the court actually does overturn Roe v. Wade.
All that actually means is that the abortion issue goes to the states. Overwhelmingly, most of the states will make laws prohibiting abortions.
BUT, there are always those pesky 5-10 states that will keep it legal. If a woman wants an abortion, all this theoretical hubbub doesn’t amount to much more than making her travel a little bit further to get her abortion.
Abortion is legal in this country, and it will always be legal in one way or another. I’m not trying to be a fatalist … I’m pro-life too, but I’m done voting for or against a candidate all because of this one completely unresolvable issue.
Just my .02 centes
Pragmatically, you’re correct. But there’s a good Scriptural argument for continuing to stand against abortion.
The same argument could have been made about slavery years ago. Thankfully, people didn’t give up. Why outlaw the trade in England when it would be legal elsewhere and people could still get their slaves?
May Wilberforce’s fight against the slave trade, which ultimately was blessed with a nearly unanimous world-wide disdain for slavery, be a hope for us in our present fight. May God so bless the world through the Gospel, that one day abortion will be thought as heinous as slavery.
It might never happen. But with God all things are possible.
My 2 cents back!
Seriously, though, thanks for sharing your views. I understand where you’re coming from.
Blessings in Christ,
Bob Hayton
I tend to agree that our goal should not be to legislate or litigate abortion out of existence. Forced repentance isn’t really repentance.
Many however believe that the government should subsidize abortion and make it readily available. We should stand up against this reprehensible use of tax money. Romney’s Health made sure that abortion was available for 50 bucks. In my mind this is an example of the state encouraging abortion.
What really needs to happen is for people to see abortion for what it is. It needs to be de-sterilized. People need to understand how violent and brutal it really is. Once they understand this, most will be disgusted, and will not consider it. Someday it will be as reprehensible as slavery is.
If I have the opportunity to vote for Huckabee, I certainly will. I don’t agree with him on every issue, but he’s probably the best of those remaining. Unfortunately, here in Indiana, our primary is held in May, and the nomination more often than not is already determined by the time we get to vote. But we’ll see…
You’re right that there is more to the evangelical voter than most politicians realize or perhaps want to admit. We’re certainly not a two-issue group, though I would say that those two issues are still the most important, at least to me personally.
In any event, it may not matter because I think the Republican ticket is in trouble come November anyway. While it certainly is no guarantee of what will happen in the general election, I did a quick tally on the voter turnout in the primaries, and there were unfortunately many more Democrats voters in most states. It may even be more lopsided, because I can assure you that if McCain gets the nomination, he will not draw the very conservative vote, which means the Republicans lose.
But… we must remember, our hope is not in man (or woman!), but is in the LORD. (Psa. 31:24)
Josh, you say, “Our goal should not be to legislate or litigate abortion out of existence.”
One question for you: Is abortion MURDER?
Scott,
Don’t get me wrong… Yes, it is murder. it is wrong. I would like to see it abolished..
I just think that our focus needs to be fought at the one heart at a time. The GOP has been pushing the top down approach with very little results. What really needs to happen is a bottom up approach. Women for example who receive ultrasounds before abortions have their hearts changed most of the time.
When it comes right down to it, Abortion is just like sacrificing children on the altar of Pride, Prosperity, or Sexual freedom. America needs a prophetic voice teaching this message. Until the people understand it, a government by the people for the people and of the people will not intervene successfully
Well, Romney just dropped out of the race.
And then there were two.
Wonderfully said.
Not only is there a good scriptural reason to stand against it … Roe v. Wade is just bad law! The fact that the Federal government stepped in and told the states that they didn’t have the right to outlaw abortion is absurd!
But take a look at where all our fanaticism over abortion has gotten us. The government has double in size in just 10 short years (most of which was under a Republican President and Congress). We’re handing over our liberties hand over foot … but hey … at least we stood against abortion.
I’d love to see the day where abortion is no longer legalized at the federal level … but in my mind I hope almost as much for the day where we stop sacrificing the thousands of other horrible things the government does on the altar of anti-abortion.
All I’m saying is that when we target focus on one issue (family values) at the expense of all others, we all lose.
The government sacrifices “thousands of other horrible things…on the altar of anti-abortion”? With all due respect, that’s a straw man, Nathan. There is NO direct relationship between “fanaticism over abortion” and the doubling of the size of our government in 10 years. Sorry, but that is a completely illogical argument. Believe me, I am as irritated as you are with our bloated, intrusive government and the subsequent erosion of our liberties, but these issues are by no means due to a focus on fighting abortion! Far from it.
And frankly, some things are MORE important than others and deserve MORE of a focus. With abortion, we are talking about the MURDER of innocent human beings who get no opportunity to speak or defend themselves. Would you feel differently about a situation where our country was running more than a million unwanted or unproductive elderly through a euthanasia center each year? Or would you consider a focus on ending such activity merely as “fanaticism over euthenasia” that might double the size of our government?
Good thoughts here everyone. And I’m surprised and glad to see Romney out of the race. Not sure, however, if the rest of the Republican Party will give Huckabee a chance, it seems they want to rally (as much as they can) around McCain. We’ll see, because the voters have the say.
Perhaps, Nathan’s point, Scott, is that many of us have turned a blind-eye to Bush’s expansion of federal and executive powers and other problems, because we’re smug that he’s “one of us” when it comes to abortion. All Bush has to do is veto embryonic stem cell research, and the evangelicals stop looking closely at what he’s doing. That is lamentable.
Still, abortion is a key issue, and you are right. It is murder.
Thanks again for all the conversation.
Blessings to all,
Bob
“Perhaps, Nathan’s point, Scott, is that many of us have turned a blind-eye to Bush’s expansion of federal and executive powers and other problems”
That’s exactly what I’m saying. We’ve let republicans get by with so much, but have shrugged if off because at least we got embryonic stem cell research and partial birth abortion banned.
I’m not saying that those are bad things … they’re great! But For too long we’ve been voting for 1 issues, and doing that is really dangerous.
It seems that politicians can get away with just about anything as long as they’re pro-life and talk about patriotism a lot … and it doesn’t hurt to be a former Baptist minister 😉
Josh,
I couldn’t agree more that changing hearts (via the Gospel) is the only real solution to the evils of our society. And that is what we should strive toward through prayer and the preaching of the Word.
In the meantime, however, we are remiss if we neglect to do all we can (through legislation or other means) to stop the slaughter of the unborn and to protect the sanctity of Biblical marriage. These issues do deserve our utmost focus, while at the same time we petition God to change the hearts of the men and women of our country.
Nathan, I agree we shouldn’t be giving politicians (even self-professing Christian Republicans) a free pass on anything. We need to hold them to the fire on an issue by issue basis.
What I am saying, though, is that for a Christian, SOME issues should be considered more important than others. I believe the abortion issue is much more important, for instance, than taxes, gun control, the environmental and a host of other issues. The sanctity of human life is near and dear to God’s heart because He made man in His own image. Thus it SHOULD always be given a higher priority than these other things, in my opinion.
By the way, I saw on another post that you are a Paul supporter. I really prefer Paul to Huckabee also. It’s unfortunate that he never got enough momentum to be viable.
Scott,
I think my point is this: You have to use both approaches. Republicans have been pushing to legislate and litigate against abortion for 35 years or so… But they have stunk loving the people facing the decisions.
Most women who abort their children are victims. They are victims of men who take advantage of them and make no commitment. They are victims of a false Gospel of one flavor or another telling them that they will be happy and fullfilled if they have money, status, freedom etc.
When we the pandering secular Republicans legislate against abortion they make these women out to be villains of one nature or another. I believe that many of them really don’t understand the issues, they just want to get the evangelical vote next time around, and they know that a high rating from the pro-life lobby helps.
I don’t think this the heart of the evangelical movement. A candidate like Huckabee really does care about life issues. He can explain his position, and speak sincerely and lovingly to the women who are considering abortion. He doesn’t come across as a heartless tyrant looking down his nose at somebody less than him, but as somebody who has loving wisdom.
Legislation will fail until we get the message right. That message has to have both love and repentance. Pandering secular candidates are incapable of getting the message right. Even worse, they smear the message, and destroy the credibility of a lot of loving and caring people. We need to elect leaders who can deliver the full message. Anything less does more harm than good to the cause.
Josh, I agree that both approaches are important (though in your earlier response you said it shouldn’t be our goal to legislate against abortion/murder).
Indeed, the ideal solution begins when people’s hearts are changed by the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and they decide against abortion because it is against God’s law (not simply because it is a disgusting practice). But in the meantime, we need to push as hard as we can for a reversal of Roe vs. Wade in order to protect the millions of unborn babies that get murdered every year in this country. That is our duty every bit as much as loving those who are involved in such terrible acts.
What about Evangelicals like me who support McCain?
Personally, I would vote for McCain if he wins the nomination.
I know my motivation is similar to that of many other Evangelicals supporting Huckabee. I’m sure others have other motivations, though.
What’s yours for supporting McCain?
It is our duty as free-born Americans to vote every time we are given the opportunity. Though I am wary of McCain, I would vote for him against either Hillary or Obama.
Huckabee looks to have won at least 2 of the 3 available states today, so the fat lady hasn’t sung quite yet.
I concur, Scott. Thanks.
FR,
Well, likewise, I would vote for Huckabee if he were to secure the nomination.
But I’ve admired McCain for many years now. I believe he’s very pro-life. I believe he’s strong on national security. I believe he will always put the best interests of this country above mere party politics or the “establishment”. I believe that no one is in his back pocket including special interests or lobbyists. I believe he is a person of faith, principled, and has a strong moral compass. I believe he will continue to get Democrats to side with Republicans on important issues. I believe his immigration approach comes from a thoughtful human rights-based stance. I believe he will cut the tremendous wasteful spending that we’ve become accustomed to over the last eight years. I believe McCain will work to make taxes low. I believe he can beat Hillary or Obama. I believe McCain will continue to work to put good judges in the Federal courts just as he voted for Bork, Thomas, Scalia, Roberts, Alito, Brown, Owens, and Pryor.
I haven’t found a good reason not to like McCain.
And while I like Huck, he simply does not compare to McCain on international affairs and national security. On other issues they’re about the same I guess.
So those are thoughts and reasons that come to mind.
Thanks Jay. I agree that basically McCain seems pretty good. I disagreed with McCain-Feingold, but the principle behind it was good. Likewise I think his approach to immigration is kinder and more realistic.