John Hayward Posted: 27 April 2010
Keywords: Christianity & Religion, Government & Foreign Affairs,
[Continues “Preparing to Vote: Christians and the Election”]
What standards should we use when choosing our leaders?
Height?!
23 They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others.
On Tuesday’s Today programme, a tongue-in-cheek emailer said that after having watched the first leaders’ debate, he’d decided to vote for Nick Clegg as he was the tallest of the three party leaders; this prompted Alex Salmond in the following interview to suggest perhaps he would go out and buy a pair of platform shoes. While we may joke about it, there was clearly a danger of a precedent being set, as when Samuel next has to choose a leader for the nation, in 1Samuel 16, and he sees David’s eldest brother, God warns him, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.”
Fine appearance?
Why not appearance more generally instead? After all, in 16:12 we are told that “[David] was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features.” But, no, we should beware being won over by someone who looks or sounds good: “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (16:7)
It is often said that all politicians sound alike, but compare the invitations of Wisdom and Folly in Proverbs 9: both appear to offer the same invitation: "Let all who are simple come in here!" Only on closer inspection do we find a difference in the content of what they offer: Wisdom offers her own food and wine she has mixed herself; Folly offers stolen water and food to be eaten in secret.
Substance / Policy
24 Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see the man the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people."
Then the people shouted, "Long live the king!"
25 Samuel explained to the people the regulations of the kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the LORD.
A highlight of New Word Alive for me was hearing Wayne Grudem on the sufficiency of Scripture – the Bible contains everything we need to know about how God wants us to think, act and live – both individually and collectively.
Now, someone might say, “What about values – surely we should ‘look at the heart’?” Let’s see what Samuel says when Saul is confirmed as king in 1Samuel 12:
14 If you fear the LORD and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God-good! 15 But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers.
23 I will teach you the way that is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.
If we are looking for someone who “fears the LORD,” our choice is between a “Son of the Manse” with a “moral compass”, someone who has “a fairly classic Church of England faith, a faith that grows hotter and colder by moments”, and a self-confessed atheist who recently claimed that Christian values are “central” to his policies.
But Samuel’s exhortations are not the same requirements laid out, for instance, in 1Timothy 3 as the qualifications for Church leadership. Our expectations for our political leaders should not be unduly high: they are not our spiritual guides. Even during this “golden age” for Israel, Saul was rejected by God (in 1Samuel 16:1) and David couldn’t manage his own passions or family, let alone the nation, which collapsed as soon as he passed away.
We are holding a local election meeting this coming Friday and will be sending people away with the question "If Jesus were registered to vote whose interests would he take into consideration when deciding who to vote for". We hope this will not only re-balance the self-interest motivation that surfaces at times of elections but also get the candidates thinking about who they are serving.
Peter Lacey 28 April 2010
Thanks for your helpful guidance. But by giving the examples in your penultimate paragraph of the three main party leaders, you fall into the media-inspired trap of assuming that we're voting for the party leaders in a presidential-style election, which we are not. We're voting for party policies & local constituency representation whilst no doubt taking some account of 'the cut of the leaders' jib'.
A second point concerning one of the leaders - I don't know if you heard the revealing interview of Nick Clegg by Eddie Mair on BBC Radio 4's 'PM' programme on Wednesday 28 April? It was clear from Clegg's response to Mair's penetrating questions that he is not, as you state, an atheist, but an agnostic with enough of an open mind not only to recognise the real impact of Christian faith in the lifes of close family and others, but also to indicate an openness to hope that he might find his own faith in the future.
David Henderson 30 April 2010