When it comes to faith and presidential politics, there is no shortage of books, television broadcasts, video clips, downloads and blogs dissecting the candidates’ religious views and how they would affect public policy.

On the publishing front, there is the “The Faith of Barack Obama,” written by the same author (Stephen Mansfield) who penned a bestseller about the faith of President George Bush. The book was released in August by Thomas Nelson Publishers, the largest house in the Christian market.

Not to be outdone, this week another Christian powerhouse (Zondervan) is releasing “Sarah Palin: A New Kind of Leader,” a rushed-to- market biography of the Republican vice presidential hopeful. Electronic and audio editions will follow before the month ends.

Saddleback Church set the stage in mid-August, when Pastor Rick Warren quizzed Democrat Obama and Republican John McCain about their views on poverty, the right to life and other issues of interest to the Christian community.

Embracing faith's values

Should the Church be pleased that some of its deeply-held beliefs are the subject of widespread discussion, exploration and embrace by the nation’s highest political leaders?

Many aren’t: a recent survey showed that 52 percent of Americans say churches should stay out of politics.

Adam Hamilton agrees with that view. One reason lies in history, says Hamilton, pastor of a United Methodist church in suburban Kansas City. The most outrageous case he cites is Adolph Hitler, who in 1922 cited his Christian beliefs with bolstering his conviction that his Lord is a warrior and wanted him to battle the Jews.

“And he’s giving these speeches before he’s even come into power,” says Hamilton, who addresses politics in his book, “Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White.” “He’s talking about himself as a Christian and he’s cloaking his policies in gospel language.

“So the danger (with preaching about politics) is we have to be really careful.

A second danger is over-simplifying politics. As people of faith we tend to over-simplify and then we’re polarized and absolutely certain what God’s view is.”

Hamilton points to a classical definition of politics used in academia, which says that politics is the mechanism for determining who gets what, when and how. Such a reality means that politics involves fairness, justice and morality, issues every believer ought to care about, he adds.

Still, in reasoning through the implications of public policy, Hamilton says Christians must avoid thinking they know how those decisions line up with God’s intentions.

“We can know something about them, but they better be rooted and grounded in the Bible, not just our own values,” the megachurch pastor says.

Avoiding political endorsements

One pastor from northern Minnesota attracted attention earlier this year when he preached a message against both Democrats running for the presidential nomination because of their position on abortion—then challenged the Americans United for Separation of Church and State to do something about it.

Though that pastor was a delegate to last month’s Republican National Convention in St. Paul, another church leader in neighboring Minneapolis doesn’t share his enthusiasm for blatant attacks on—or support of—any political leader.

Efrem Smith, senior pastor of Sanctuary Covenant Church, says endorsements of any political leader in sermons aren’t wise. Smith believes public policies should only be discussed as they arise during an exploration of scripture.

A firm believer in expository preaching, Smith also avoids overt political discussions because to espouse certain political beliefs would likely divide his urban, multi-racial, multi-ethnic church.

Despite not wanting to stir up such passions, the evangelical pastor thinks people of faith have a place in politics. Yet he wonders if political parties often have more influence on the Church than vice versa.

As a Methodist youth pastor in the past, he observed how that system embraced social justice and social policy concerns as the main goal of politics. Now in the evangelical world, he sees his brethren overly focused on personal responsibility.

“I think political parties are playing a significant part in the theological polarizing that exists in the church,” Smith says. “I don’t think the church on its own has fully created this construct.

“In scripture we can find that…from the focus of salvation, conversion and discipleship there are personal responsibility issues. And corporately, societal issues that the church is to work in, with the primary goal to advance the kingdom of God.”

Exercising voting rights

Because God’s people should be advancing his kingdom, Smith counsels his people to not exercise their voting rights as an isolated compartment of their lives. He points to the Civil Rights movement as something a large segment of the Church was involved in, lending a theological base to its success.

The pastor also encourages parishioners to exercise their rights as citizens of the U.S., utilizing the freedoms, gifts and privileges afforded them.

As for his fellow pastors, Smith advises them to remember that politicians need God’s guidance and insights as much as anyone in their pews.

“There are politicians who are hungry for answers, that they can’t find in their own power,” he says. “Political leaders at the local, state and national level are looking for solutions to complex issues.

“I’ve sat down with very conservative politicians in Minnesota and very liberal ones. What I’ve found with both of them is they sure appreciate me sitting with them and praying for them.”