What would you ask a Presidential Candidate?

These questions have nothing to do with being the President of the United States!

 

Terry, I disagree! These should be important qualifications for Christians to ascertain about those they choose to be our leaders. There's a good point in this list of items.

Certainly, we'd be better served by having a Christian President - or any other leader - than a non-Christian. That doesn't discount the need for the person to have job specific qualifications. In fact, I wonder if being a career politician or any number of other typical backgrounds are qualifications at all. Regardless, being a Christian sure doesn't mean the person would become everyone's or even anyone's religious leader. It doesn't mean they shouldn't or wouldn't administer their duties in an impartial manner with respect to specific religious beliefs of the public. It doesn't conflict with any Constitutional requirements. It just means we'd be better served by a person lead by God because that person's character and thereby their actions would be based in the highest truth and justice.

There has developed an idea that religious matters and secular matters can not mix and are separate. I disagree with this completely![SIZE=+1] I expect it is, in part, an extension of the "separation of church and state" idea. Those protections were originally designed merely to protect the church from the state - a very good thing - but certainly not to prevent members of the Lord's church from having leadership roles in the state or for establishing state principles and practices of justice and morality based upon the Lord's teaching. God's instructions don't end when we walk out of church into the "secular" world. In fact, that's where the test really begins doesn't it? There's really no such thing for a Christian as "secular" activities because everything we do should be done according to His will and to bring glory and honor to Him.

Perhaps part of the problems we face today - no specific individuals are implied - is a general decline among our leaders of the foundation of their integrity, ethics, values, morals, and judgment. Those aren't qualities aren't learned in business or law school. Those are very weak foundations! They are learned through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the reading of the word of God by persons whom the Lord has chosen to save from their duly deserved punishment. That foundation is a solid "rock"! Those are the very type of leaders we need today and tomorrow in the Congress, in the Supreme Court, and in the President's office - again, no specific individuals presently serving implied to be pro or con as that is not the point of my comments.
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I would also ask him or her if they would govern this nation according to the U S Constitution, and abide by it principles unlike Bush and Clinton. It would also be good to know if he was really concerned with the welfare of the American people, or power for himself and his buddies in high places.

 

I voted for all the questions . The real test will be as to how such a potential candidate has llived his life according to God's will. Endorsements from Leaders of the Christian faith is meaningless, they are just as fallible to fall for a phoney pitch as anybody else. Having a book written about a canditates faith months before an election has become nothing but a PR ploy.Attending Church is just for show and is empty unless one applies themselves to living the Word.

 

But look at what we got when we "elected" a self-professing Christian in the last two elections. I fully support having a true Christian like Jimmy Carter as President but he didn't seem to be supported most on this board because he was a (gulp) Democrat.

 

It is good that we not measure the Lord Jesus Christ by His followers because Christians are merely saved sinners who, hopefully, seek to follow Him but so frequently and shamefully continue to fail. It is also good that we not measure Christianity by any example of fallable mankind among us but, rather, against the ideal which they should be. Some will come closer than others at varying times but all will fall short.

Not all who profess to be Christians - members of a church - are such and all among us who truly are just don't always act as they should. We will never find a perfect man - except the Lord Jesus Christ who walked this earth as a man - but we can set a very high standard for those we choose to be our leaders. There is no better standard than the values our Lord gave us to follow. If a person is a true Christian - constantly seeking the Lord to lead them in their decisions - then the chances of better decisions being made by them are greatly enhanced. Those who put their hope in mankind's abilities will surely be disappointed.

I don't want to drag my part of this dicussion down to a critique of the individuals - various Presidents - who've been named as examples either good or bad because I know we all fall very short of the ideal. That still doesn't negate the importance of seeking the best leaders we can find and, surely, being a Christian - a true Christian - would be a very big plus over being a non-Christian whether professed or not.

 

I wonder if his home church has ever considered bringing him up on charges for committing adultery.

Is he even a member of a church, or does he just claim the beliefs of the SBC?

 

Ask em whatever you like, you'll probably get just the answer you want to hear.

 

:thumbs: Exactly right.

 

Clinton is a CFB and the new Alliance of Baptists group, not SB.

Jimmy Carter was supported vehemently because of his claim to be "born again" by prominent Baptists. When his positions became known, that support shrunk.