We Endorse John McCain

It will surprise no one that Charisma is endorsing John
McCain for president of the United States. But what may surprise you is
why we chose him over the other candidate.

We understand why some like Barack Obama. He is young and
personable, and his call for change is something that resonates with
many Americans. He has reached out to the evangelical community as has
no other Democrat since Jimmy Carter. And he is clear when he
articulates his Christian faith, even though he has stated publicly
that Christianity is not the only road to heaven.

We applaud the fact that Obama is the first African-American to be
nominated by a major party. We believe it’s time America elected a
person of color as president.

But otherwise we can’t support him. One reason is his lack of
experience. He does not have one major accomplishment to his name in
his life as a public servant.

Another reason is his view on the sanctity of life. Even though he
told me in a meeting with Christian leaders in June that he does not
believe in abortion, he says the first thing he’ll do as president is
pass the Freedom of Choice Act, a law which would annihilate every
state law limiting or regulating abortion, including the federal ban on
partial birth abortion.

This nation is greatly divided on the issue of abortion. But most
evangelicals agree that abortion is wrong. I believe this issue alone
will cause many Americans who would otherwise vote for a likeable
candidate such as Obama to vote against him.

The third reason we cannot support Obama is his sympathy toward
those who are attempting to legitimize homosexuality. Since the
beginning of recorded history, marriage has been between men and women,
an institution designed by God for the primary purpose of bringing
children into the world and raising them in a family. But radicals in
our country now want to change the definition to include unions between
two people of the same sex.

Many of them are also pushing for the passage of legislation that
would give homosexuals special legal rights and that would protect them
from “hate speech,” loosely defined as language that criticizes them in
any way, even if it is based on biblical beliefs. We must not elect a
leader who will support this legislation or aid the homosexual agenda
in any way—because if same-sex marriage is ever legalized or protected
on a national level, there will be no turning back.

But the argument against Obama and for McCain goes beyond their
levels of experience and their stands on abortion and homosexuality.
There is a basic difference in their philosophies of government. McCain
is for limited government, and Obama sees government as the solution to
major problems in society.

As Marc Nuttle says in his book Moment of Truth, the
Democrats would take us down a dark path toward big government. Such a
government would limit our freedoms and increase oppressive control.
Picture France and Germany—and then contrast this image with that of
the America McCain would lead.

In an interview with Rick Warren at Saddleback Church in August,
McCain and Obama gave answers that were polar opposites. When asked
about evil, Obama mentioned Darfur and child abuse—both standard
liberal answers. But McCain didn’t hedge about evil in the world. He
said he’d stop at nothing to get Osama bin Laden. He wants to bring our
troops home from Iraq, but only “in victory and with honor,” while
Obama has said he’d be willing to negotiate with terrorist governments
such as Iran.

McCain would allow offshore drilling to solve the dependence on
Middle Eastern oil. Obama would oppose it. And they would each support
very different candidates for the Supreme Court.

In the Saddleback interview, McCain was strong, decisive and honest
about himself in a way that caught everyone by surprise. He is a true
American hero who has served this country well in Congress for nearly
25 years. He has a history of bipartisanship, yet he is definitely his
own man—something that comes through in his interview with me on page
34 of this issue.

To me, the choice is clear: Obama’s presidency would be a disaster
in many ways; McCain’s would move our country in the right direction.
We urge you to encourage everyone you know to back John McCain and vote
for him on November 4.

Stephen Strang, founder of
Charisma, invites you to read his blogs about the election in the
Strang Report at charismamag.com.