A Biblical Critique of Candidates Answers
By David J. Vaughan
Consulting Editor, St. Louis MetroVoice
Candidates within the readership area of the MetroVoice
running for Missouri state level offices of Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary
of State, State Treasurer, 
Attorney
General, plus candidates in both Missouri and Illinois running for state Senate
and House of Representatives offices, were sent a questionnaire consisting of
10 topics. Under each topic we provided statements pertaining to the topic and
asked candidates to select one of the statements which best described his or
her position or came closest to their opinion on the topic.
Listed below are the 10 topics along with the statement that
we believe the candidate should have chosen from a Christian world-view. Justification
of our position from a biblical viewpoint follows each statement.
The MetroVoice highly recommends
that readers compare the candidate's responses to decide whether or not the
candidate responded from a biblical world-view perspective.
1. Legislative Philosophy
[c] All laws legislate morality. Since our nation was founded upon the
moral principles of the Christian belief system, those principles should be
our guide to the enactment of any legislation.
Commentary: According
to Romans chapter 13, God ordains human government as a means to curb
evil and reward good in this life. Government officials are here called the
“servants” of God. Government originates in the Divine will; therefore, God
desires that it conform to the Divine will or law.
Civil government is not, as some have taught, an evil institution.
It is a good institution designed to punish evil. The State is required by
God to keep law and order by protecting the law-abiding citizen and punishing
the law-breaking criminal. The State is, therefore, an agency of “wrath” or
“vengeance” against those who violate the law. To this end, God has given the
State the “sword,” which is a symbol of its power to inflict physical punishments
on criminals.
However, it is erroneous to assume, therefore, that because Church and State
are distinct institutions, that the State is a non-religious, or purely secular,
institution. Romans 13 teaches that civil government
has its origin in the Divine Will, thus it does not have a secular (non-religious)
foundation. Moreover, the duty of the State is to implement law, and law has
its foundation in religious belief. Law is inescapably moral, and morality
expresses notions of ultimate value or religious presupposition. In a sense,
law is the legal codification of a society’s religious values. For instance,
in our founding legal document, we are told that “men are endowed with certain
inalienable rights,” such as “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness;” and
that these rights are derived from “the laws of Nature and Nature’s God.” Here
we have a religious principle codified in a legal document. As a result, we
criminalize and punish murder. Yet, we do so because we believe that human
life is sacred. But our belief in the sanctity of human life is religiously
derived; it is an article of faith.
2. Health Care
[c] Missouri should not be in the health care business, whether it's paying
for medicines or subsidizing other medical expenses. It is not the state's responsibility
to pay for its citizen's medical care.
Commentary: The Bible recognizes three institutions or spheres
created by God to govern man: Family, Church and State. Of these three, the
Family is the institution entrusted with securing health and welfare. The Family
is to provide food, clothing, shelter, medicine (health care) and education.
The Church also has a role in both welfare and education, as is evident from
the many commands to care for the poor and to train disciples. Yet, nowhere
in the Bible are these activities delegated to the State. The only exception
is when Joseph provided for economic relief during a time of national crisis
(see Gen. 41 ff). The State as caregiver or nanny is foreign to the
biblical doctrine of civil government.
3. Discrimination
[b] No one should be discriminated against because of their race, nationality,
religion, sex, age or physical disabilities. However, special protections based
upon someone's sexual preference should not be legislated.
Commentary: The Bible does not encourage persecution against
persons because of race, religion, nationality, religion or gender. The modern
notion of “sexual preference” (originally a code word for homosexual) is foreign
to a biblical world-view. In the Bible, we are told that God created
“male and female” and commanded them to “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen.
1:27-28). Marriage was instituted to facilitate procreation and alleviate man’s
loneliness, requiring the “man to leave his mother and father, and cleave unto
his wife” (Gen. 2:18-25). Clearly, then, God’s created order for human
sexual expression is heterosexual monogamous marriage. All sexual activity
outside of the marriage institution is considered sinful. Therefore, the Scriptures
prohibit adultery (Ex. 20:14; Rom. 13:9); fornication (Dt.
22:28-29; Mk. 7:21); bestiality (Ex. 22:19; Lev. 20:15);
incest (Lev. 18:6-18; I Cor. 5:1), and
homosexuality (Lev. 18:22; Rom. 1:24f; I Tim 1:10). Since
the duty of the State is to punish evil and reward good, it has a legitimate
right (if not duty) to discourage or criminalize each of these activities, rather
than grant any of them a protected status.
4. Abortion
[e] Under no circumstances should abortions be allowed.
Commentary: The Christian view of abortion can only be understood in
the broader context of the Bible's overwhelmingly pro-life teaching.
The indisputable sanctity of human life is taught throughout the Scriptures.
From Genesis onward, for instance, the creation account states that men
and women are created in the very image of God (Gen.1:26-28). This simple
but profound fact gives human life a priceless value. Moreover, Genesis
also tells us that God commanded man to be fruitful and multiply, a command
that includes a moral judgment that human life is a positive good that should
be reproduced. In addition, God required that murder be punished by death because
man is made in the image of God (Gen. 9:5-6). Of course, the ultimate
statement on the value of innocent human life is the death of Christ for mankind.
How precious is a human soul for which Christ was willing to die?
In light of this biblical testimony, we must answer the question of the
“hard cases” – rape and incest? According to the Bible, only those should
be punished who commit a crime. Thus, the offending
party, the rapist or incestuous perpetrator should suffer, not the unborn child
who is the innocent party. For many Christians the most difficult case is when
a mother's life is in danger from childbirth. However, the same Christ who
laid down his life for us has told us to lay down our lives for others. This
is not mere cant; it is a literal command. When necessary, we are to follow
Christ's example and die that others may live. A Christian
mother, who risks her life that her child might live, is exemplifying Christian
love of the highest order.
5. Gaming
[c] Gambling has proven itself to be a social
and economic liability for our state and should be abolished.
Commentary: That gambling has proven detrimental to society is evident
from all the studies that have been conducted: it drains investment away from
business, increases addiction, lowers property values, and strengthens organized
crime.
From a biblical perspective, Christians must avoid any activity that causes
illegitimate harm to society. Thus, the second great commandment to “love your
neighbor as yourself” is sufficient reason for Christians to oppose gambling.
Moreover, gambling wastes one’s time; estranges the heart from God; seduces
to love of the world; breeds laziness; inspires discontent; and is a
contempt of God’s providence – all further reasons for Christians to
support the abolition of State gambling.
6. The U.S. Constitution
[b] I view the U.S. Constitution as one of the primary founding
documents of our country. It should never be interpreted without first considering
the intent of our founding fathers when it was written. I recognize that it
can only be changed through a properly enacted amendment after careful consideration
and public debate.
Commentary: The Bible does not directly address the question
of Constitutional interpretation. However, it does address the issue of truth
telling. In the Ninth Commandment, we are told not to bear false witness; this
requires not only that we tell the truth, but also that we accurately represent
the words and actions of others. Misrepresentation of someone else’s words
is a distortion or perversion of meaning. It is a form of lying. This is forbidden
by Scripture, and is the biblical basis for a strict interpretation of the Constitution
– indeed, of any written document. To read the Constitution contrary
to the meaning of the drafters is to falsify their meaning, which the Bible
forbids. Those who argue that the Constitution is a “living, breathing
document” generally attempt to change the plain meaning of the text to fit a
modern politically-correct agenda.
7. Education
[c] Education of children should be left in the hands of parents without
federal or state control.
Commentary: The Bible recognizes at least three “orders” or “institutions”
ordained by God to administer His authority: the State, the Church and the Family.
These three are institutionally separate, with different duties and rights.
The State is to administer civil justice as defined by God: its symbol is the
sword. The Church is to administer grace through the Gospel, the sacraments
and charity: its symbol is the keys. The Family is to administer nurture, instruction
and welfare: its symbol is the rod. Thus, there is no biblical mandate for
State involvement in education, while there is a clear and forceful mandate
to the Family (the parents) to train and educate children (See Dt.
4:9; 6:3-9, 20-25; Pr. 1: 8-9; 22:6; Eph. 6:1-4). A biblical
approach to education, therefore, will limit the involvement of civil government
while simultaneously encouraging parents to assume full responsibility for their
children’s education.
8. Second Amendment
[c] The Second Amendment broadly protects the rights of individual Americans
to keep and bear arms. Gun control infringes upon those rights and violates
the original intent of the Second Amendment.
Commentary: Although the Bible does not directly speak to the
issues of gun control or the “right to bear arms” as we understand them, it
does teach that self-defense is permissible; thus the “means” of defense, or
the right to bear arms is assumed. The Bible gives us a specific law
that teaches the right of self- defense. Ex. 22: 2 reads: “If the thief
is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt
for his bloodshed.” Commenting on this verse, Old Testament scholar
Walter Kaiser says, “the thief was exposed to the loss
of his life as the householder defended himself, his family, and his home by
delivering a lethal blow. This was especially true at night when the thief’s
intentions (whether to steal, kill or both) could not be easily and quickly
determined.”
Because the Bible recognizes the right to private property, as well
as the sanctity of marriage, a man has the right to defend both his property
and family from violent criminal action. The right to self-defense would be
useless, of course, if law-abiding citizens did not
have the appropriate means to halt aggressive criminals. Thus, self-defense
assumes and requires the right to bear arms. A disarmed citizen is a defenseless
citizen, regardless of his supposed “rights.” This was surely the view of our
nation's Founders who drafted and ratified the Second Amendment
9. Stem Cell Research
[b] Stem cell research should proceed according to the highest ethical
standards for human experimentation. Avenues such as adult stem cell research
which requires no destruction of human life should be pursued. Taxpayer funds
should not be used to produce (clone) and destroy human embryos.
Commentary: The debate over stem cell research revolves around the use
of “embryonic” stem cells versus “adult” stem cells. In the process of manipulating
embryonic stem cells, the embryo is destroyed – it dies. Thus, if the embryo
is a human person, then embryonic stem cell research requires the destruction
of innocent human life. This is the basis for Christian opposition to the practice.
Therefore, the arguments against abortion are equally valid here (See Question
4).
10. Private Property
[b] Private property is fundamental to freedom and prosperity and should
not be subject to external controls.
Commentary: The Bible recognizes
the right of private property (Ex. 2:22 and elsewhere). Therefore, environmental
legislation that will encroach upon private property must be subject to citizen
approval. In other words, the Bible makes no provision for the involuntary
relinquishment of property, except in cases of restitution for a crime. When
a government arbitrarily takes ownership of private property, regardless of
the rationale, it is guilty of theft. All legislation affecting ownership of
property should be subject to a vote by the citizenry.