David Sanders Rejects "Christian Conservative" Label

David Sanders has sort of unofficially served as the house "Christian Conservative" for Stephens News Bureau. He was the one who represented the perspective of this large Arkansas constituency. David, while not ceasing to identify as either a conservative or a Christian, has formally rejected the label "Christian Conservative" or "Religious Right" to describe himself in this article called "Confessions of a former religious-right Christian conservative".

I have a considerable amount of sympathy with those in David's position. David Sanders realizes that the policy positions advocated by "Christian Conservative" leaders like Mike Huckabee are not conservative. This leaves Sanders to advocate for a separation between Christianity and politics in order to retain conservatism in government whilst maintaining Christianity in his personal walk.

The good news I have for him and all in his place is that he needn't make such a choice. Instead of rejecting the label "Christian Conservative", I reject the idea that this label applies to the polices of those who claim it, such as George Bush and Mike Huckabee. This is not to say that these men are not Christians in their personal walk- I can't judge that. I can only judge their policies, and on this basis there can be no doubt that these men do not govern biblically. They only govern according to what the pop culture mistakenly thinks the Bible says about given issues.

The political leaders of the "Christian Right" have done to that term essentially the same thing that homosexual activists have done to the word "gay". I am not so invested in that latter term, so I won't bother correcting the record about what "gay" really meant. For the sake of the Lord and my fellow man, I am invested in what the terms "Christian" and "Conservative" mean so I will contest them on that one. I want to reclaim the term from those who use it falsely or ignorantly.

For example, Sanders fears that Christian's concern for the poor will lead them to support expensive nanny-state welfare polices such as those advocated by Mike Huckabee. But such policies are not biblical and in no way should they be a part of a "Christian" political movement, only a statist political movement which attempts to hijack the name "Christian" for its own gain.

Another example: Some have argued that the scriptures teach that we should treat illegal aliens to all the benefits that legal citizens have. Again, they apply the scripture either falsely or in ignorance of what it actually says, as this nine minute audio file makes clear.

The Bible simply says too much about government for a Christian to ignore it and separate their politics from their faith. The answer is not to separate the two, but harmonize them under God's Word rightly divined.