American Conservatives world view: Vote for McCain

In his weekly mailing entitled "Ideas Personalities, and Morality: Making Voting Decisions" James Tonkowich, the president of Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) questions why Richard Cizik, Vice president of the National Association of Evangelicals would contemplate voting for Barack Obama as "misguided thinking." Tonkowich argues that any evangelical who like Cizik is thinking of voting for Obama is saying that "ideas do not matter." Saying that "I am a conservative", Jim argues is like saying that “I am a conservative” but the “conservative world view should not determine the way Cizik votes. This is the same as saying ideas do not matter- or at least that they do not matter much."

No one in his or her normal mind will dispute the fact that ideas do matter in deciding voting preferences. However, I have a problem with linking ideas with the world view. Jim wants to present the world view as something that cannot be challenged by new ideas. If that was the case, Hans Kuln's paradigm shift would not be possible.

One of the main reasons why we have generational gap has much to do with different world views. It is this reality that is now reflected in how young evangelicals relate to the Religious Right. To suggest that every evangelical should vote for a Republican candidate does not make sense. Young evangelicals are definitely conservative but their conservatism is not to be defined with traditional religious right. In other words, evangelicals do not share the same world view with people like Jim. In this respect, by voting outside the Republican base, they are not saying " ideas do not matter" rather that "ideas that matter are those that make sense to their world view.

Jim raises another fundamental issue that I have struggled with when it comes to neo-conservative reasoning. Jim seems to suggest that the world view is unchangeable. Does this mean that being evangelical means sharing Wesley or Luther's world view? I guess not. Evangelicals like Cizik have point; life is bigger than abortion or homosexuality. Limiting the value of life to one issue as Jim wants to do is ignoring the world in which we live. In addition, the protection of the "traditional family" which has become the center of conservative organizing efforts fails to address the fact like the world view, "values" change with time.

Jim's insistence on ignoring compassion and justice issues does not surprise me . IRD has always attacked mainline Churches for promoting compassion, international and religious freedom, social justice and civil rights issues as part of their social witness. Evangelicals, however, have realized that such issues are important and need to be addressed. Is Jim's letter meant to stop this new marriage between Evangelicals and mainline Churches? After all, behind the question of abortion is justice.

As a neo-conservative, Jim knows that the conservative world view did not accept women as equal to men. While some of them still hold such a view and do not admit women to Church Offices, this world view has shifted to an extent of having Gov. Sarah Palin on the Republican ticket. For better or worse, Jim's neo- conservative world view is slowly losing its grip on new generation of Christians.