Dear Senator McCain: An Evangelical Message

DearSenatorMcCain:AnEvangelicalMessage by Tony Campolo I am part of that Evangelical community that will provide massive support for your candidacy as theNovemberelectionapproaches. WhatIhopeyoudoisrecognizethatourcommitmentsasEvangelicalsgo beyondthetwohot-buttonissuesofgaymarriageandabortion. A growing number of us have broadened our agenda to include concerns about the environment, a desire to see the war in Iraq brought to an end in the immediate future, a commitment to help those who are suffering fromAIDSinAfricaandotherThirdWorldcountriesand,mostofall,adesiretoaddresstheneedsofthepoor. Wehavebeenproddedintoanawarenessofbiblicalimperativestoaddresstheneedsofthepoor.Ourpreachersand teachershavetoldusthattherearemorethan2,000versesofscriptureinwhichGodrequirespeopleoffaithtocorrect theinjusticesthatcreatepoverty. Presently,ournationassignslessthanfour-tenthsofonepercentofourfederalbudgettoaddressthepovertyneedsoftheThirdWorld .Thoseorganizations, andespeciallytheUnitedNations,thataretryingtoaddresstheissueof poverty have asked that the developed nations assign seven-tenths of one percent of their federal budgets to ending poverty. We can do it! What’smore—wemustdoit! Intheend,oursecurityasanationismore dependentonthefriendsthatwemakethanonthearmieswedeploy. Should you be elected, I hope that you will join Gordon Brown, the PrimeMinisteroftheUnitedKingdom,inestablishingsomethingakin to the Marshall Plan that would address, in a comprehensive fashion, thepovertythatexistsintheworldtoday. Evangelical Christians, as well as people of other faiths, affirm the GoldenRule. WedonotbelievethattheGoldenRuleappliesjusttopersonal morality, but that it also encompasses national morality. On this basis,Ihopethatyouwouldbringanendtotheuseoftortureininterrogating prisoners. The spiritual values of America are eroded when we resort to torture, and even if we call it by other names, the world knows whatitis,andyouknowwhatitis,havinghadtoenduretortureyourself. Lastly, I would ask you to develop a Middle East policy that not only guarantees safety and security for the Israeli people, but also provides the same for the Palestinian people. So many Christian Zionists within theEvangelicalcommunityareanti-Palestinianintheirdesiretoseethe fulfillmentofwhattheybelievetobebiblicalprophecies.Pleasenotethat an overwhelming majority of us believe that God loves the Palestinian peopleeverybitasmuchasHelovestheJewishpeople. GiventhatconvictionwehopeyoumakesurethattheillegalsettlementsonPalestinian landaredismantledandthatbothIsraelisandPalestinianshavenations withsecurebordersandself-government. Ihopeyoubelievethatjustice for both Jews and Palestinians is God’s will. That is something which is at the core of the beliefs of not only the overwhelming number of Evangelicals ,butofourJewishandMuslimbrothersandsisters. YoushouldknowthatevenasIhaveputtogetherthisletter,Idosowithacommitmenttoprayforyou,hopingthat you will live out the high principles that you have ably articulated; and that you will seek to do the will of God in all of yourpoliticalactivities.■ Rev.TonyCampoloisPresidentoftheEvangelicalAssociationforthePromotionofEducation. LETTERS TOTHECANDIDATES 38 T I K K U N W W W. T I K K U N . O R G S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 8 McCain, himself a victim of torture, had been a leaderinopposingthemilitaryuseoftroture,and inbanningwaterboarding(whichwithvividbody language he describes here, during the primaries, while explaining why three of his GOP opponents lack the military experience to oppose it)... Until thisyear,wheninanapparentmovetoappeasethe right wing he voted against the Feinstein Amendment of 2/13/08 that would have banned various torturetechniques,includingwaterboarding. AP PHOTO/MATTHEW PUTNEY Politics_3.qxd:Politics 8/10/08 1:39 PM Page 38 ...