The Politics of Jesus?

Last Tuesday, Republican State Senator Jim Holt won his party's nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas. Holt never misses a chance to note his faith in Jesus. When it was clear that he would not only get more votes than his competitors but also win a majority and thereby avoid a run-off, Holt said, "First off, of course, we want to give all the glory to Jesus Christ." His campaign signs prominently feature the Christian fish, and he speaks to religious groups whenever he can. His campaign, he tells us, is a values campaign. There is little doubt that Holt's faith is sincere; he has done nothing to indicate that he is a typical "say what will get you elected" politician. Even his detractors grant that he is true to his convictions.

As a Christian, I might be expected to think it a good thing that Holt has thrown his hat into the political ring. After all, how could a fellow believer object to a Christian candidate who is true to his convictions?

Easy enough, when the values of the politician are about as far removed from the Christ of the Gospels as one can imagine. Here is the primary platform on which Senator Holt is running: immigration reform (he wants our state to adopt a law that would make it illegal for for emergency room staff to perform even life-saving treatment for immigrants who don't have papers showing that they are in the country legally; Holt realizes that this would violate already existing federal law but he favors such a state restriction anyway because of the, ahem, moral message it would send), restricting the rights of gays, and the protection of property and gun possession rights. Oh, and when it comes to capital punishment, well, Holt's all for it even when the person to be killed is not mentally competent (http://www.jimholt.us/capitalpunishment.htm).

So, Mr. Holt's perspective is that true Christian values involve the rejection of all undocumented aliens (and their children) even unto death, the execution of the mentally incompetent, and the protection of firearms and citizens to do whatever they please with their property.

Maybe I'm naive but I don't see these values as fundamentally Christian. I'd expect a politician who believes in Jesus to value helping the underprivileged. I'd expect that even if the Christian politician believed that homosexual relationships are wrong, he or she would think that there are greater social issues that Christians should be concerned with, particularly in the state of Arkansas where there are so many who need so much. Holt's public values are those of the Pharisees--there is the sheen of faith on their surface that thinly disguises a soul-corrupting essence that is very far removed from the politics of Jesus.