How Would Jesus Vote?: A Christian Perspective on the Issues

by D. James Kennedy, Jerry Newcombe

The 2008 election is shaping up to be one of the most important political contests in American history. In fact, Dr. D. James Kennedy believes it will be a watershed moment that could impact our very survival as a nation under God.

Values voters–people whose political views and votes are based on their faith in God–are being targeted as never before. As we move forward in the campaign season, the significant players will debate terrorism, radical Islam, nuclear threats, global warming, social issues, gay marriage, immigration, education, health care, and many other essential issues that can create sharp ideological divisions.

Into this overwhelmingly complex political situation, Dr. Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe bring a clear, compelling, and nonpartisan exploration of what God’s Word has to say on these critical matters. How Would Jesus Vote? isn’t intended to tell you which candidates to support; rather it offers you a Christ-centered understanding of the world to help you draw your own political conclusions.

This election, don’t cast an uninformed vote that fails to reflect your values. Instead, learn how to apply your faith and obedience to God to your ballot. This timely, helpful, and hopeful book will enable you to do just that.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Christian Living, God, Religion

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Dennis James Kennedy was an American Presbyterian pastor, evangelist, Christian broadcaster, and author. He was the senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from 1960 until his death in 2007. Kennedy also founded Evangelism Explosion International, Coral Ridge Ministries (now known as D. James Kennedy Ministries), the Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, the Knox Theological Seminary, radio station WAFG-FM, and the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ, a socially conservative political group.
In 1974, he began Coral Ridge Ministries, which produced his weekly religious television program, The Coral Ridge Hour, carried on various networks and syndicated on numerous other stations with a peak audience of three million viewers in 200 countries. He also had a daily radio program, Truths That Transform, from 1984 on. During his lifetime, Coral Ridge Ministries grew to a US$37-million-a-year non-profit corporation.
In 2005, the National Religious Broadcasters association inducted Kennedy into its Hall of Fame.

Reviews

[Laura Gayner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading for Christians

This book is not a rant but a planned, thought out historical guide and thought provoking opinions. Considering Kennedy died in 2006 it shows that he had tremendous insight as to where we were headed as a nation.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book faces head-on difficult issues confronting Christians today. It looks at these issues from a Christian perspective, looking at scripture to shape our stance on political issues. Even though this was written in 2008 and there are new developments in politics, the discussion is still refreshingly relevant. A few favorite quotes:

Pg 132-133

There are ominous signs that the Earth’s weather patterns have begun to change dramatically and that these changes may portend a drastic decline in food production – with serious political implications for just about every nation on Earth. …The evidence in support of these predictions has now begun to accumulate so massively that meteorologists are hard-pressed to keep up with it. … The longer the planners delay, the more difficult will they find it to cope with climatic change once the results become grim reality.

This dire prediction about the coming climate change is actually from a 1975 Newsweek article – when global cooling was supposedly the big environmental threat.


Pg 216:

Bill Federer compiled a classic one-volume encyclopedia of quotes from the settlers and founders of our nation, America’s God and Country. He noted:

Tolerance was an American Christian contribution to the world. Just as you drop a pebble in the pond, the ripples go out, there was tolerance first for Puritans and then Protestants, then Catholics, then liberal Christians, and then it went out completely to Jews. Then in the early 1900s, tolerance went out to anybody of any faith, monotheist or polytheist. Finally, within the last generation, tolerance went out to the atheist, the secular humanist and the antireligious. And the last ones in the boat decided it was too crowded and decided to push the first ones out. So now we have a unique situation in America, where everybody’s tolerated except the ones who came up with the idea. And so when people say Christians are intolerant, we really need to correct them and say, “No, we’re the ones who came up with the idea of tolerance.”

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a terrific read. Very insightful and interesting. Talks about most cultural, social, and moral issues of concern to Christians (and indeed, non-Christians). The authors do a great job of laying out their honest beliefs and heart-felt convictions all the while saying "we are not advocating a theocratic state or a national religion," rather they want Americans and in particular Christians to REMEMBER this country's Judeo-Christian past and how that has shaped our nation and gotten us to this present time. The authors argue that if we forget this past and if Christians stay on the sidelines and let the secular humanists slowly take Jesus out of our society and out of our past, then this will begin (or continue?!) the degredation of our country. Christians should STAND UP and actively get involved in the cultural issues of our time - and YES, this means getting involved in the political process! Christ and politics DO go together and as believers, we are called by Christ to get involved in our nation's government - lest we become a totally godless and morally abject society.

[Greg Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book that concisely sums up the Christian viewpoint on various political issues. My only objection is that I wish Dr. Kennedy would have used the Scripture more to back up his points. There are many parts in the book where he appeals to reason and common sense over Scripture. Scripture has much to say in the realm of politics and I wished he had used it more. However, this book did cause me to reflect on these political issues and to do my own searching in Scripture.

[Jeff McCormack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book for sharing principals that Christians should be looking for in candidates. It examines many of the hot issues in politics today, such as abortion, stem cells, the death penalty, war, education, health-care, the environment, immigration, marriage, and judicial activism, and gives solid advice for where we should stand biblically on these issues.

[John Rabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Dr. Kennedy's best-ever book. And I'm sure I'd still think that even if I weren't in it. In the acknowledgements and on p. 132.

[Mr. Pe Mr. Pe]

this is a great book and i recommend it to everyone