Christians, 'Values Voters' Reassured That Their Vote Is Critical
by Bill Fancher and Jody Brown
October 25, 2006
(AgapePress) - - Do the vote and voice of one Christian really make a difference? Spokesmen for three pro-family groups believe strongly that they do -- and one offers concrete examples of the positive change that can occur when thousands of those "single voices" band together to stand for what they believe in.
Dr. Kenyn Cureton serves as the vice president of church outreach for the Washington, DC-based Family Research Council. The family advocate believes it is time for those who are the Church to accept the challenge of the culture war in America and face up to their responsibility as believers. He advises, however, to do things in the proper sequence.
"We need to pray. We need to seek the face of God for our churches, for the government," says Cureton. "And I believe the people of God, like never before, need to get on their knees." And there is more to do after that, he says.
"After we're on our knees in prayer, we need to get up on our feet and take a stand," says Cureton. "We need to take a stand for the value of human life. We need to take a stand for the value of traditional marriage. And we need to take a stand for our religious freedom."
The FRC spokesman feels the upcoming election will be crucial to the direction America takes over the next decade. And for that reason, says another Washington, DC-based activist, individuals need to pay close attention to the value of their single vote. Mike Mears, director of state legislative relations for Concerned Women for America, says those who find themselves wondering if their one vote makes a difference need to change their perspective.
"Your one vote [by itself] may not matter," he says, "but other likeminded votes together matter a whole heck of a lot."
Mears says history has shown that every vote counts. "In 2004, there were a couple of races, one in South Dakota -- with John Thune barely beating Majority Leader Tom Daschle -- where it was less than 400 votes between them," he recalls. "So don't tell me that your vote doesn't matter."
And every vote cast in the upcoming midterm elections is crucial, he says. "The Senate races seem to be very, very close -- and, again, that's where one vote very well may matter," he urges. "We need every available values voter out there voting."
According to Mears, when all of the "individual" votes are cast, the agenda of the nation will be finalized. There is more to this election, he says, than just the candidates.
Band Together and They Will Listen
Tim Wildmon is one pro-family leader who can attest to the difference that Christians' votes and voices can make when it comes to social and moral issues. As president of the American Family Association, he has witnessed the enormous influence that thousands of unified voices can have on corporate conglomerates.
In a recent interview with Associated Press, Wildmon shared that, in his opinion, evangelical Christians can have enormous influence -- whether it be on political or moral matters.
"Christian conservatives are among the most committed in terms of their voting and in terms of their attention to the moral issues that they care about," says the AFA president, "and they will stop shopping with companies they feel like are violating their religious or moral sensibilities." And when hundreds of thousands of people join together, "then you can pack a punch," he says.
Wildmon knows of what he speaks. He believes that an AFA-initiated boycott by nearly 600,000 Christians has contributed to Ford Motor Company's financial crisis, and that an e-mail campaign in which 750,000 Christians responded helped convince NBC to cut Madonna's mock crucifixion scene from her upcoming TV special. He explains that the boycott against Ford centers around a moral issue.
"If Ford continues to support the gay causes, then we will continue to boycott and they'll continue to lose money -- it's as simple as that," he states, adding that the automaker is eventually going to have to make a decision. "We're not asking Ford to buy ads in Christianity Today or in the American Family Association Journal or to support Christian conservative causes," he says. "We're just asking them to be neutral in the culture war."
And in the case of the Madonna broadcast on Thanksgiving Eve, Wildmon says NBC has responded to Christian pressure. "They did remove the scene inside that concert special where she mocks the crucifixion of Jesus Christ," he says, "but ... only after we asked our supporters to send e-mails and also contact their local NBC affiliate."
In a similar fashion, the pro-family leader believes "values voters" will play a critical role in the outcome of the November 7 elections, in which traditional marriage (eight states) and an abortion ban (South Dakota) appear on voter ballots. Wildmon feels that despite recent media accounts of the conservative voting bloc being "discouraged," such issues will bring out the values voters.
"I kind of doubt that Christian conservative voters will sit out the election," he tells AP. "They may drop off some percentage, but I don't think [to] a large percentage because there's too much at stake in each election now in terms of the direction the country will take."
Associated Press contributed to this report.
