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I have been planning for some time to officially endorse Barack Obama on this blog. When trying to put my thoughts into words over this past weekend, however, I felt oddly stymied.  In my first draft of this endorsement I began by listing all the issues on which I believe Obama has a better plan for the United States than McCain does — issues like taxes and health care and foreign policy, and so forth.  While I believe Obama is superior on many of the issues, I also know that in my core I am not voting on the issues.  There is something else going on.

In 2000 many people voted for George Bush because he was a person of faith.  He listed Jesus Christ as his favorite political philosopher and the story of his faith helping him overcome alcoholism was widely cited.  But something has always bothered me about Bush’s Christianity.  It is not that I don’t think he is sincere – it has more to do with the fact that it was cited as a reason to vote for him.

Now here’s a rule of thumb: Whenever a person or group’s Christianity is cited as a reason to do something or buy something, beware.  Be very ware.

Let me give you a recent example from my own life.  This past Saturday I was encouraged to go to a documentary on Bob Dylan’s gospel period.  The movie was sold to me as something I should support because it was created by Christians.  I fell for it and… it was atrocious.  It was unprofessional, boring, included no Dylan music, and was all-around terrible.  I felt duped.  This is not the first time this has happened, incidentally.  I have been encouraged to see terrible bands because they are Christian. I have been encouraged to read terrible books because they are Christian. I have had dubious lawyers recommended to me because they are Christian. And so on. Invariably it is bad news.

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A movie should succeed on its own merits.  A band should make engaging music.  A politician should have brilliant ideas and posses leadership qualities.  These are the reasons they should succeed.  Being a Christian does not make you a good musician, a good writer, a good businessman, a good politician, or, to be frank, a good anything at all.  It has to do with your personal salvation.  The fact that you are a Christian does not mean that I should patronize your business, listen to your music, or vote for you.  Moreover, those who resort to touting the Christianity in order to find patrons often seem to do so because they would not be able to find patrons on the merits.

But what of Obama’s Christianity?  It is true that Obama is a Christian and he would like people to know this.  Obama is not using Christianity as a reason to vote for him, however.  Rather, he is emphasizing his Christianity to make it clear that he is not a Muslim, which many people still seem to think he is.  In fact it is Sarah Palin who was put on the Republican ticket in order to excite evangelicals.  David Brody at the Christian Broadcasting Network ran a story on August 29th, the day of her selection, headlined “Palin Pick Causes ‘Elation’ among Evangelical Leaders”.  Here is a telling passage from that article:

What John McCain has now done is reinvigorate the Evangelical base. It appears from those I am talking to that Palin is a great choice because she is a woman of faith who believes deeply in the life issue.

Notice the line “Palin is a great choice because she is a woman of faith.”  That should set off alarm bells.  Being a person of faith does not imply any special abilities or talents in a person.  It does not magically transform you into a person who is capable of being president.

When thinking about why I am so impressed with Barack Obama it never occurred to me that his Christian faith had anything to do with it.  On further reflection, however, I realized that while Obama does not trumpet his Christianity as a reason to vote for him, he does posses the Fruit of the Spirit.  In case you aren’t up on the New Testament, the Fruit of the Spirit are described in Galations chapter five and are the attributes that a mature Christian is supposed to display.  They are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

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This is what I see in Obama.  His patience and self-control are becoming legendary.  He simply never loses his cool.  His faithfulness is nicely contrasted with McCain, who left his wife for a much younger woman after she became disfigured in a car accident.  His peace is evident in his self-assurance — I believe you simply cannot be as relaxed and self-assured as Obama always seems to be unless you are fundamentally at peace with your life.

I’m not sure, frankly, that I can make a strong case for Obama’s possession of every last one of the Fruit of the Spirit.  One would have to know someone personally for quite some time to ascertain their level of kindness and gentleness, for instance.  What I do know, however, is that Obama is a remarkably mature man.  He has balance and he is happy.  So in terms of his personal character Obama strikes me as further along the path toward maturity that McCain, Bush, Clinton (either one), Palin, or, really, any political figure I can think of.

Aside from his character and disposition, which are pure gold, Obama also possesses the actual talents that one would want in a president.  He is profoundly intelligent, he is a fantastic communicator, he is widely read and has a top-notch and highly relevant education, and he inspires people.

What remains are the issues.  I won’t concern myself here with most of the issues.  Rather, I will just focus on the one issue that is of prime concern for people in the Evangelical community: Abortion.   Yes, it is true that Obama is pro-choice. He has made no secret of this.  Many Christians would like to see the next president appoint justices to the supreme court who will over turn Roe vs. Wade.  What those in the pro-life community often don’t understand, however, is that overturning Roe vs. Wade will not result in abortion becoming illegal.  This fact is so poorly understood that I will repeat it, this time in a paragraph of its own:

Overturning Roe vs. Wade will not result in abortion becoming illegal.

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The reason for this is that the decision in Roe vs. Wade struck down a Texas law that made abortion illegal.  Basically, it made it illegal to make abortion illegal.  If Roe vs. Wade is overturned, it will again become legal for a state to pass a law making abortion illegal.  But most states will not pass laws making abortion illegal. Perhaps Utah, Idaho, and Texas will pass laws against abortion, but California and New York will not. Florida won’t.  The net result is that women who want abortions will be able to get them.  The only difference is that some women will now have to drive a few hours first.   Let’s say you live in Salt Lake City, Utah and you want an abortion but a law has been passed making abortion illegal in Utah. What are you going to do?  Well, you’ll just drive three hours to Elko, Nevada.

So if you think that voting for John McCain may result in abortion becoming illegal, you are mistaken.  If that is the major issue holding you back from voting for Barack Obama, then it is important that you realize that abortion will remain legal in the United States even if John McCain is elected and appoints several justices to the supreme court.

So let me sum up the reasons to vote for Obama: In his character he displays the Fruit of the Spirit; In his abilities he displays the qualities we need in a president; On the issue of abortion it will make no difference whether Obama or McCain is elected because overturning Roe vs. Wade will not make abortion illegal.

There you have it.  Know Hope!