One Issue Voting

Sometimes those of us who are one issue or single issue voters get the reputation of being, well, too single-minded and narrow in our criteria for choosing which candidate to place in office. We even see this argument from among Christians.

Josh Harris, pastor of Covenant Life Church recently received a letter from a Christian couple who humbly took issue with a recent sermon preached that focused too much, in their opinion, on the issue of abortion as the principle issue in this election. You can read the whole letter here, as well as Josh's response. They wrote at one point in the letter:

While we do view abortion as an egregious sin, our experience is that such an unbalanced focus on abortion as a single hot button issue, especially within the church, not only does harm to our political process, but weakens the capacity of congregants to think for themselves about how to reflect the character and heart of God in the midst of a world that has far more going on than just abortion.

I tend to agree with Josh's response to this concern. Yes, there are certainly other issues in our world that we as Christians need to voice our position more frequently and more loudly. However, there is no issue that we should speak to more frequently or more loudly then the issue of protecting the life of the unborn. At one point, Josh responds in humble disagreement with this couple:

First, I agree that there are other important topics that Christians should consider. And I would even say that Robin could have done more to highlight these other issues. Neither I, nor Robin, would want to try and argue that it was the perfect message on this complicated topic. But what I would argue for is the view that few other issues in our generation rise to the same level of moral urgency as abortion. When we’re talking about millions of innocent lives being taken, and I’m just not aware of another issue where Scripture speaks so clearly. If this were an issue of a candidate supporting human trafficking or the sex trade, would we say that other issues were just as important?

The Bible speaks clearly on this issue, more clearly than on any other issue on the table during this election season. For that reason, I will always be a single issue voter in regards to seeing the day when the right to end the life of an unborn at any stage of pregnancy is no longer an option in this country. This one issue automatically disqualifies a man or woman from public office--murdering the life of the unborn.

Would we say that the support of slavery should not be a single issue through which we filter our vote for public office? Would we really think it ok to place a man or woman in office who supported the right of a person to buy and sell another human being and to rob them of their freedom? Why then do we think that it is acceptable to put a man or woman in office who supports a person's right to choose to end a human life?

When the issue is the life of the unborn, that is the only issue that matters above all the rest.