Senator Kerry, May I Have a Word with You?

Dear Sir:
Throughout this presidential election cycle, I've expressed my displeasure with the ways in which President Bush's campaign has used the church for political purposes and the manner in which it has attempted to sell the notion that Republican-ness is close to godliness. (Please see here, here, and an open letter I sent to the President which can be found on this page.)

Now I see that you and your campaign are attempting to do similar things for your cause. This morning's Cincinnati Enquirer carried an account of your appearance at an Ohio congregation's Sunday morning worship service.

Although I know that such appearances by candidates have become common practice, I believe that they're inappropriate.

I don't believe that the pastor and congregation in question should have allowed your appearance to happen during a time set aside to worship God, hear His Word, and perhaps, share in Holy Communion. The New Testament says that the Church is to "proclaim Christ crucified." Worship is a time when, except for announcements necessary for the functioning of congregation and parish, whatever is spoken should point us to the crucified and risen Jesus Christ. A partisan political speech has no place in a worship celebration! Allowing it to happen finds the congregational leaders and pastor effectively saying that God is voting for John Kerry this year. I don't believe that anybody has the authority to say that.

I also think it's inappropriate for a presidential candidate--or any political candidate--to ply his or her platforms and credentials, in essence glorifying themselves and their parties when God alone is to be glorified. Again, I know that this has become common practice and that you may have been invited by the church and pastor in question. But as a Christian, I believe that you should have refused the invitation, choosing to honor God instead.

You're not alone in misusing Christian faith or in attempting to subordinate Jesus Christ to your political ambitions, of course. The President's campaign has been repeatedly guilty of this throughout the 2004 election process. But it is still disturbing.

I'm a pastor and I ran for the Ohio House of Representatives earlier this year; but I refused to do anything that even appeared like campaigning during worship at the congregation where I serve and forbade anyone else from doing the same. I can't say for certain that my political views are the ones favored by heaven and I donn't dare create the impression that I think they are.

To me, it's fine if you want to speak to the role your faith in Christ plays in your daily living and in your political decision-making. Furthermore, churches may decide to open their buildings up to political parties and campaigns wishing to use their facilities. They may even appropriately decide to house candidate fora to which representatives of various political parties might be invited.

But I hope that both you and the President will refrain from using the church for partisan political ends as you did yesterday.

One of my favorite books is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. In it, children from our world magically enter an alternative universe and encounter a Christ-figure, a lion named Aslan. When the children are first told about Aslan, they seek assurances that he is tame. "Of course, he isn't tame," they're told, "but he is good." So it is with Jesus Christ. He is, as the Bible describes Him, "the lion of Judah," greater than us all, in susceptible to capture by our intellects or our humanly-derived philosophies, and worthy of our respect, honor, and glory. He's God-in-the-flesh. He isn't to be trifled with or whittled down to the size of some petty ward-heeler looking for votes for his particular -ism or partisan political advantage.

Let me hasten to add that I'm an imperfect sinner. I have a full complement of faults and shortcomings. My hope in this life and for the next one have nothing to do with any goodness I possess. I am completely dependent on Jesus Christ and my faith in Him (John 3:16-18; Romans 3:21-26; Ephesians 2:8-10).

Unlike you, I don't live my life in a glaring spotlight where everyone can count my warts. I couldn't stand up to such scrutiny, I'm sure. So, I'm not throwing stones in this letter.

I believe that both you and the President are fundamentally decent men. But ambition and competition sometimes warps judgment. If you and the President are going to dishonor God by invoking him as your own personal possession, it would be best for you not to mention God at all.

I pray for you, Mr. Kerry, asking God to give you safety, wisdom, and guidance. You may very well become our next President. If you do, you will need all these assets to function effectively and well. I promise that should you be elected, you will continue to be the subject of my prayers, just as the President has been the past four years.

Blessings in Christ,
Mark Daniels