Christians Urged to Examine Candidates' Values, Voting Records
by Chad Groening
October 2, 2006
(AgapePress) - - The Republican candidate vying to unseat Florida Senator Bill Nelson says the Democratic incumbent claims to be a Christian but has a voting record that is completely contrary to what Christians believe.Katherine Harris, currently in her second term representing Florida's 13th District, is an unabashed born-again Christian who raised eyebrows in the mainstream media this summer when she told a Baptist publication that if Christians are not elected to office, politicians will legislate sin. Harris says because she was speaking with a Christian audience, she was trying to compare her values with those of her opponent.
"[I]n talking with the Baptists that time ... I was being specific in talking to them and differentiating myself from Bill Nelson, who claims to be a Christian and yet votes completely contrary to what we say we believe," the congresswoman explains.
Because "values voters" are critical to her candidacy, Harris wants her fellow Christians to be aware of those differences and to get involved in the political process -- and she cautions them not to pay attention to those who talk about the supposed "separation of church and state."
"The big fallacy among believers -- among Christians, actually; it doesn't exist in other venues -- is that they feel that there's a separation of church and state," she comments, "and so many times pastors believe that they shouldn't engage in the political process." And to that, she says: "There couldn't be anything more contrary to the truth."
Consequently, says Harris, her passion is to encourage everyone to vote and to be engaged in the political process -- "but even more so, those who are in churches who somehow are under the misconception that they should not be involved."
Christians, says the former Florida secretary of state, need to be discerning when examining candidates' voting records and make sure they vote for individuals who represent their Judeo-Christian ethics and values.
Chad Groening, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
