Yeah! What Slu Said!

I don’t have anything to add to Slublog’s post over at Ace about why he can’t support Mike Huckabee for President, but I will second it. I have several friends who say Huck is the only candidate Christians can vote for with a clear conscience. I think that’s ridiculous. Slu addresses Huckabee’s fiscal record, view of government power, and political temperament, and perfectly frames the concerns many of us have. (emphasis added)

Gov. Mike Huckabee Thursday denounced a bill by Sen. Jim Holt that would deny state benefits to illegal immigrants as un-Christian, un-American, irresponsible and anti-life.

I find that bothersome. Consider what he did there: Huckabee made agreement with him on a particular policy a litmus test for what constitutes a good or a bad Christian. This offends me because my faith is more than a set of political yardsticks or a way to institute “social justice.”

Faith should not be a bludgeon used to beat your political opponents into silence. Huckabee’s willingness to use it as such is disturbing. Disagreement does not equal heresy – accusing those who disagree with us of being less devoted to Christ is wrong. Simply wrong. Political issues are not theological ones.

This is an important point. Jesus told us to take care of the poor, not the government. Christians are not called to save the culture, but to point people in a culture to Christ. Our call is not political. This doesn’t mean we should stay out of politics entirely, but I believe it does mean that we shouldn’t allow politics to obscure the most important mission we’ve been given – to tell people about Christ. (Bet you never thought you’d see those words at this blog, huh?)

Go read it all. (And, no, that last paragraph is not something I ever expected to read at AOSHQ. )