I’d appreciate your responses (be they simple yes or no answers or lengthy explanations) in the comments. Let me be clear. I am not asking if these organizations should take positions on issues. I am not asking if they should engage in healthy debate or try to advance a viewpoint they believe is Biblical. What I am asking is if these organizations should go so far as to actually say, “You should vote for Senator Bill Smith for President.”
My reason for asking is that I wonder if it doesn’t somehow muddy the Gospel when a Christ-centered organization supports a particular candidate or party. Does it imply that the organization believes Jesus supports that candidate/party. It’s one thing for a group that happens to be comprised of Christ-followers to endorse a candidate; it’s another for a group whose mission is explicitly centered around Jesus or the Gospel to endorse someone.
Like I said, I’m not talking about taking a position or having a debate about issues, although I would consider an “issue ad” that said “John McCain doesn’t care about the poor” or “Barack Obama kills babies” to be an endorsement and not honest debate.
And just so someone doesn’t pull the Hitler card, let me state for the record that in the case of someone like Hitler, yes, I do believe that the Church should speak out against that person. With this question, I’m more concerned about typical American elections than extreme scenarios.
Update: To clarify, I’m not talking about a legality issue. I’m not asking if these organizations should or should not be legally allowed to endorse a candidate. I’m questioning whether or not, as followers of Jesus running a Christ-centered organzation, the people who operate the organization should have the organization endorse a candidate (what they do individually is a different matter).
Update 2: Grammar/Style issues addressed.
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