With local, state and federal elections approaching amid a spate of congressional scandals in Washington, D.C., I offer this phrase regarding the nation's political future: character matters.

Don't just take my word for it. Wanting to see if Christian leaders involved in political circles had any words of wisdom on voting, I contacted two from opposite ends of the spectrum.

Richard Land leads the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is as conservative as they come. Jim Wallis, the author of "God's Politics,"  has led the charge to introduce a more moderate voice to the Christian spectrum. Some of his critics charge he is an ultra leftist.

However, both agree that integrity makes a difference.

Character should always be a consideration when choosing whom to vote for, Land says, recalling former President Harry Truman saying he would never knowingly vote for a man who cheated on his wife.

"As President Truman explained, a man who would lie to his wife would lie to the people, and a man who would break his marital oath of fidelity would break his oath of office," Land says.

"Conservative voters need to vote their values, their beliefs and their convictions. That would cover a whole host of issues, including votes of character and issues of honesty."

Likewise, Wallis agrees that effective public leadership cannot be severed from the trustworthiness of personal character. He says ethics and integrity matter—and not just superficially.

"Leaders need to be believed," Wallis says. "They have to engender trust not only in their policies but also in their judgment. They must create a climate of faithfulness to shared commitments among colleagues and supporters.

"Leadership derives credibility from example, and not simply from pronouncements. In times of crisis, people follow courage rather than charm. In the end, leaders lead by behavior and not just by skill."

As Wallis notes, people yearn for morally-seamless leaders, whose example walks their talk. In other words, "effective leadership is finally sustained not just by what people say but by who they are."

In the aftermath of the Mark Foley scandal, even conservative activist Dr. James Dobson commented that neither party has a cornerstone on morality. Likewise, despite the Armageddon-like prophecies from commentators on the right and left about the nation's demise if the "other side" wins Nov. 7, I think America will survive.

However, I hope the issues facing our world—everything from tax initiatives affecting your city to the threat of worldwide terrorism—will serve as a wake-up call to the seriousness of selecting forthright leaders.

In addition, we should remember the seriousness of praying for them afterwards.

Recently my pastor noted that after the Monica Lewinsky affair surfaced, God told him that if Christians had been as vocal about praying for President Bill Clinton as they had been in criticizing him, that scandal might never have happened.

Once Nov. 7 has passed, I pray that God's people will remember those words. Leadership is a challenging, often lonely and thankless task. When Paul told us to pray for those in authority, he didn't say to only intercede for those whom we admire.