KARRIS GOLDEN | Posted: Monday, June 9, 2008 12:00 am
If you're of the opinion there is nothing new to add to the 2008 U.S. Presidential election race, you probably haven't heard of "How Would Jesus Vote? A Christian Perspective on the Issues."
Jerry Newcombe and the late D. James Kennedy wrote the book to address Christian perspectives on politics. In it they ask, "Does God care how we cast our ballot?"
Their answer is a wholehearted "yes."
"For many years Christians have abstained from politics, and now they are shocked that the culture around them has deteriorated," they write. "Certainly, we should not rely solely on political power to right the world's wrongs. All politicians are human. Even the best of them will disappoint. Yet how would Jesus have us vote? When Jesus was on Earth, he did not reside in a democratic republic and had no opportunity to cast a ballot. Meanwhile, those of us who make following him our first priority believe he has spoken through his word and given us principles that can inform us on how to vote on many issues."
Newcombe will appear on C-SPAN 2's "Book TV" and present a program based on "How Would Jesus Vote" at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. He will discuss his book and answer viewer questions. (This program was previously recorded.)
The book and program do not endorse a specific candidate, nor do they intend to.
"What side is God on?" they ask in the book. "People have wanted to know that since the beginning of warfare. During the Civil War, people wondered which side God was on. Initially, many pastors and their congregations were duped by Adolf Hitler. … Surely, God did not approve of Hitler's anti-Jewish, anti-Christian, anti-freedom regime.
"We want to vote 'correctly,' but how do we know the right way to vote -- the Christian way to vote?"
Through the book, Newcombe and Kennedy share their interpretation of socially conservative Christianity and relate its principles to issues like abortion and the death penalty.
Chapter one is titled "Do Jesus and Politics Mix?" While they say Jesus is "certainly above politics," they point out that Jesus and his followers could have an impact that politics can't.
"The objective of … Chicken Little squawking is to convince us that the Constitution is falling - that conservative Christians intend to abolish the Bill of Rights, outlaw sin and replace democracy with a theocratic state that will make Calvin's Geneva look like Hugh Hefner's bachelor party."
Together Kennedy and Newcombe wrote several books, such as "What if Jesus Had Never Been Born?" and "What if the Bible Had Never Been Written?" Newcombe is also senior producer of the weekly syndicated TV show "The Coral Ridge Hour," and he has produced and co-produced more than 50 documentaries and hosts two weekly radio programs. Most recently, he served as host for the DVD "Pastors, Pulpits and Politics: Christian Rules of Engagement."
Newcombe has a bachelor's degree in history from Tulane University and a master's in communications from Wheaton Graduate School.