"FIRM...but fair" with Jeffery A. Faulkerson  

The personal attacks that Arizona Senator John McCain and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin have made on Illinois Senator Barack Obama may be a sign of fear and desperation, but they are also demonstrative of a Republican Party that has lost its religion.   

For decades now, the Republican Party has been framing itself as one that should be endeared by modern-day Christians.  But if you take away their positions on abortion and homosexuality, which mirror my own Christian values and beliefs, they would be forced to deal with what Jesus Christ himself admonished them to do: "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." 

McCain and Palin have both had the audacity to stand before modest crowds and call Barack Obama a socialist.  They are trying to place this label on Obama because Obama wants to "spread the wealth" by providing tax relief to middle-class Americans, or those making less than $250,000 a year.  Obama recognizes that the wealthiest five percent of Americans have been running roughshod over middle-class Americans, and he is intent on making sure that these same middle-class Americans get their due.

Moreover, if Jesus Christ were living today, he wouldn’t be considered a conservative; he would be considered a liberal.  Christ wasn’t the type of person who spent his life pursing material wealth and possessions.  He was all about fulfilling his purpose, which equated to dying on Calvary’s cross for our sins, our selfishness.  He didn’t favor the rich over the poor, the well over the sick, the righteous over the unrighteous.  He loved everyone.  It was from these core set of values that members of the early Christian church distributed their wealth and possessions among the body of believers.

That being said, one has to wonder if Barack Obama's campaign is more righteous than John McCain's.  I would have to say it is.  Obama, a Christian just like me, is driven by a higher purpose, one that was undoubtedly placed on his heart following his acceptance of Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.  He has the kind of background that most Americans can identify with.  And his policies on everything from health care to the economy are shaped by an abiding love for his neighbors.

I'm not questioning John McCain or Sarah Palin's love of God.  What I question is their love of neighbor.  Their attacks on Obama the person are increasingly becoming a source of division, not unity, and that scares me.  If they are Christians, their love for God and neighbor should be motivating them to maintain the bond of peace, or, in this case, take the higher ground.  But they have yet to do so, allowing lewd remarks about Obama to be voiced during their rallies.  Additionally, they are encouraging their supporters to become more selfish rather than selfless by pushing an economic policy that favors the wealthiest Americans, not middle-class ones.

All I can say is, “Shame, shame, shame, John McCain!”