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PERSONAL OPINION
Stockwell Day

John H. Redekop

“I’ll vote for Stockwell Day. He’s a Christian, and that’s all I need to know.” Thus spoke a B.C. voter recently. Is such reasoning sound? After all, Mr. Day is clearly an outspoken and impressive Christian. Shouldn’t that be enough? Shouldn’t fellow believers support one another in the various arenas in which we work and witness?

The situation, I suggest, is more complex. There are, after all, outspoken Christians in all of the major political parties, even in positions of influence. Don’t they also deserve our support? If being Christian is the only criterion, should we not, in each election, automatically vote for the most outspoken Christian, no matter what that person’s views, party affiliation or past performance may be?

I doubt it. As important as Christian commitment is, it should never be a substitute for competence. In the case of political elections, it should not be our only consideration. We cannot simply ignore the ability, platform and record of both the candidate and his/her party.

Think of it this way. If a person is scheduled to have bypass heart surgery, is it more important that the surgeon be competent or that he or she be Christian? If your car needs a major repair job, would you choose to have the job done by a wonderful Christian brother who, unfortunately, has had great difficulty getting car repair jobs done right, or would you choose to go to an agnostic mechanic who has a well-deserved reputation for being the best mechanic in town?

In politics, as in heart surgery and auto mechanics, being a Christian, as highly desirable as that clearly is, may not be the most important qualification.

That said, I must say that I have been favourably impressed with Stockwell Day’s performance since he became Canadian Alliance Party leader in July. In particular, I congratulate him for being respectful of other politicians, gracious to those who lost out to him in the leadership race, polite toward even the cruelest of media critics, and well-mannered even when confronting pickets with insulting signs such as “Christian Bigot – Go Back to Alberta!”

It would appear that Mr. Day, probably the most outspoken Christian ever to lead a major party in Canada, will soon develop a major presence in the House of Commons as the Leader of the Official Opposition. Will he build on the reputation of Robert Thompson, Jake Epp and certain other evangelicals in Parliament and be a hard-hitting but thoroughly Christian gentleman? The Canadian public, but particularly his opponents and critics, are waiting to see.

So what should we expect of this modern Canadian version of William Jennings Bryan? Here are seven “great expectations” on my list. I address them to Mr. Day for his consideration.

Remain firm in your Christian beliefs and convictions. You will be pressured to make compromises and accommodations. In politics, these are required. But it is not required that one alter basic beliefs. You will receive much more respect, even from your opponents, if you remain unshaken in your fundamental religious convictions than if you appear to marginalize or compromise them. Practise tolerance; be fair to people of all faiths. You will be judged not by what you say about Christians or how you treat Christians but by what you say about non-Christians and how you treat them. Granted, in every country the dominant faith is given certain privileges (such as the recognition of major religious holidays), but in our great democracy adherents to minority faiths must have their rights and freedoms protected. Never call for the arm of the law to promote the church’s distinctive agenda. Clearly, some church goals are also society’s goals. I am not speaking about these overlapping agendas in areas such as health, education, civility, the rule of law and respect for human dignity. Rather, I speak of the fact that there must not be even the hint of coercion concerning the acceptance of the Christian faith and there ought not to be governmental promotion of Christianity. From governments, the Christian church asks freedom and fairness. Always be a Christian gentleman in Parliament. Most parliamentarians, including more than a few evangelical Christians and even some in your own party, would benefit from such an example by a party leader. Some of your opponents may be consumed by frustration if you continue to be a courteous and respectful Christian gentleman even in the most heated debates and Question Periods; take that as a sign of success. Please be cautious in your utilization of populistic democracy. It’s fine to stress the involvement of the grassroots. We common voters want to be heard and need to be heard. But remember that in the Christian view of the world, a perspective validated by history, majorities often tend to be wrong in moral judgements. Remember, also, that nowhere in the Bible do we read that a leader is excused for unchristian statements and actions (votes) on the basis that he is merely reflecting majority views in his political constituency. Make all political involvement, even national leadership, conditional and secondary. In politics, as in all other vocations and professions, a Christian participates only to the extent that Christian discipleship permits. There may come a time when your higher Kingdom commitment requires you to withdraw from certain types of earthly citizenship “requirements”, including those at the highest political levels. We trust that you will never bring embarrassment to the Christian cause. We do not assume that you will always please all evangelicals or even please most of us all of the time. There will be times when some Christians will be displeased with your views, and there will also be times when you will be disappointed in some Christians. That’s normal; it’s in the nature of politics. I speak here of something more fundamental. I have in mind the kind of moral or policy failure which could discredit the entire Christian community. I’m confident that you, a Christian under exceptional scrutiny, will be very careful.

Finally, I trust that the cause of the Kingdom, not only the well-being of this land, will be furthered by your involvement and that of all other Christians in whatever political party.

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Last modified September 18, 2000.

© 2000 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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