Want To Know How To Evaluate The Candidates?

Here's how you can Understand the Issues ~ Evaluate the Candidates.

How To Gather Information About Candidates?

~ Campaign websites and social media
~ Campaign literature
~ Press releases
~ Radio and television ads
~ Candidates’ speeches
~ Candidate debates

Some people wonder, "Since you are a pastor, why are talking about politics? Should you not focus on your ministry instead?"

Here's my take on that concern.

HOW TO CHOOSE A CANDIDATE?

God puts a high value on CHARACTER.
Wise policies and actions flow out of strong character.

There are many dimensions of character—honesty, integrity, courage, fairness, humility, compassion, righteousness.

Candidates can be judged in two ways:
1. the positions they take on issues
2. the leadership qualities and experience they would bring to the office.
Both are important.

Your first step is to decide which ISSUES YOU CARE ABOUT and the QUALITIES YOU WANT IN A LEADER.

When you consider issues, think about community, city and national problems that you want people in government to address.
When you consider leadership qualities, think about the characteristics you believe an effective leader would have.
Do you look for intelligence, honesty, an ability to communicate, organize, execute strategies, etc.?

Justice.

We believe it is clear from Romans 13 that a fundamental purpose of government is to administer justice. Promoting justice includes, in part, making sure that wrong-doers are restrained and punished, that laws of the land are applied to all citizens equally and fairly, to make sure all citizens have access to legal recourse, etc.

Question: Which political candidates hold the greatest promise of administering justice?

Protection
A fundamental purpose of government is to protect its people from threats, both internal and external; to ensure peace and physical safety, and well-being. Leaders who through inaction or misguided actions threaten our safety and security are not fulfilling their biblical mandate.

Question: Which political candidates can best protect their citizens from internal and external threats?

In Genesis 1 and 2 we read that God created all things and entrusted to people the management of the rest of creation.

God is the owner and has appointed us as His managers or stewards.

Question: Which political candidates appear best capable of managing God’s creation?

But we believe stewardship extends to more than the physical world God has created—it extends to every area of life—our finances, our time, our abilities, the people we lead, etc.

Question: Which candidates create an environment for us to exercise personal stewardship in all of life?