Well, in his recent address at the 2008 Republican National Convention, the former New York Mayor, Rudy Giuliani threw down the gauntlet, and even though Giuliani wasn’t addressing me, I’ve taken up his challenge. Giuliani said, “How dare they question whether Sarah Palin has enough time to spend with her children and be vice president. How dare they do that.”
Mr. Giuliani, I dare.
(left to right) Palin's husband, Palin, Palin's running mate
Ever since I heard the news that Senator John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running-mate, I’ve been shaking my head and saying, “That’s insane!” Palin is the mother of five, the youngest of which is only about five months old and has special needs, no less. Before I go further, I must clarify some things. I do not by any means support John McCain. McCain does not represent me in my convictions on political, social, or moral issues, and I am not going to vote for him in November. I know I am not alone on this; countless other conservative Christians have voiced similar sentiments, but ever since Palin came on the scene, Christians have begun to flap in the breeze.
But let’s face the issue head on, “If Sarah Palin does become the Vice President of the United States, will she have enough time to spend with her children?”
No.
Now, I don’t think you can put a qualitative figure or ratio on how much time a woman must be in the home with her children; to do so would be foolhardy. The Holy Scriptures, however, are very clear that a woman’s sphere of influence and vocation is her home (Titus 2:4-5). Indeed, the whole of the Bible is based on the affirmation, assumption, and exhortation that a woman is to be the help meet to her husband and the keeper of her home (children included).
The List
While I dare to question Palin’s eligibility to be the Vice President based on her status as a mother (especially of young children), I also question Palin’s eligibility based on many other factors. But I don’t have the time or the expertize to proffer arguments on all of these other fronts. Therefore, I invite you to check out Doug Philips’
blog, and see what some other conservative Christians are thinking about Sarah Palin. Doug Philips has not only put together a list of other bloggers, but he has done so in the form of quotes and links; in this way, you can peruse these quotations or get more involved as you have time and interest.
Join me in the discussion. Is Palin eligible?
6 Comments
September 16, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Thank you for daring, Stephen. I’m excited to find another conservative Christian who won’t be voting for McCain. I don’t think “eligible” is the right word to describe what Palin isn’t; “unqualified” describes my opinion of her more precisely.
Who are you planning to vote for?
September 17, 2008 at 9:06 am
I think choosing Palin was one of the boldest and most brilliant political moves in history! So, from a political standpoint I’m thrilled. I’m thrilled that the ultra-liberal Obama is now on the run, and his chances of gaining the presidency are seriously threatened. But politics is only one small part of the issue, and there are other more important things to consider.
You have mentioned the family issue and a mother’s responsibility to her family. If Palin can somehow keep her family as her primary focus, there is no reason for her not to be Vice President, or President for that matter. I’m doubtful that anyone can do this, be they man or woman. On one hand, a president with no family would be ideal. But on the other hand a president or VP with a family has much more sympathy (and empathy) on family issues.
What concerns me most is the sociological ramifications. Palin’s candidacy cements the drift of our society away from the Biblical family and toward the postmodern “family” where women are basically men with different parts. It makes sense for Hillary to aspire to this. But for a professing Christian to do it sends shivers down my spine. I’m more concerned than ever for our nation as we cross this line once and for all.
Is Palin qualified? That remains to be seen. She’s far more qualified than Obama. Personally, I support McCain and Palin for one reason only: they are the only realistic alternative to Obama and Biden. But with the addition of Palin to the McCain ticket, keeping Obama out comes at a high cost and breaks my heart. I will probably cry when I cast that vote, if I vote at all.
September 19, 2008 at 11:01 am
Hello! This is to Heather… I wanted to say hello to you and thank you for commenting on GraceNotes. :) It was good to hear from you! Things are going great here and I love it… can’t wait to catch up with you when I’m home. God bless! ~Danielle
September 19, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Thanks for the comments, Laedelas and Derek (and Danielle— though you could stick to the topic— [Grin; you know I am joking]; I passed your greeting on to Heather; it is a pleasure to hear from you; may God continue to bless and prosper your work overseas)
Laedelas, qualified would probably be the better term— hey, at least I hit a synonym!
Derek, I feel you, man! I think we are all in this quandary together, but at least this is making us think. I only wrote on the issue of Palin being a mother, and I did this because I couldn’t find a way to do otherwise without devoting several more hours and several thousand more words to my blogpost. That’s why I linked to Doug Phillips’ blog, where he in turn has posted some very helpful, Bible-base, and thought-provoking quotes and links from other conservative Christians. I didn’t mention it in my post, but I think that it would also be very difficult for a father of young children to be president— but even this is still different than it is for a woman. From the very beginning, God gave man an outward focus, duty, and domain— tending the garden— and from the beginning, God gave Eve a supportive role— helping her husband (not another man, nor the President)— this is a principle of nature that is being violated.
To answer your direct question, Laedelas, and your indirect query, Derek, I plan to vote third party this election. Yes, I’ve heard it all— and I don’t buy it. For me, voting third party is not throwing away my vote because I cannot in good conscience and in according to my understanding of the Scriptures vote for even the “lesser of two evils”. One thing that bugs me, as if you really cared, is that people seem to always answer with that quip, “that’s just throwing away your vote”; you know, that really gets under my skin because it seems to presuppose that my vote belongs to someone else. I’ll say it loud and clear, “MY VOTE DOES NOT BELONG TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY!” I am a follower of Christ, and as such, I will vote, to the best of my ability, for men whom I perceive to be qualified by terms of biblical principles and standards. Voting year after year for the “lesser of two evils” only slows our nation’s ride to moral bankruptcy. This year the political boogie man is Obama, last year it was Kerry, the year before that, Gore, and where has our lesser of two evils taken us? (Please, don’t take me down that lane.) If nothing else, my vote adds to the voices of those who are saying, “Neither the Republican nor the Democrat parties represents us”; even more specifically, my vote will be added to those who are saying, “Our nation needs a man who will stand true to the Constitution and to biblical principles of government.
I will probably vote for Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party’s presidential candidate. In our primary election, I voted for Alan Keyes; he was running on the Republican ticket, but he came into the race later than most and was then ignored and meanly discriminated against by the GOP.
As I said in my post, check out my link to Doug’s blog, and read some of the other articles. I haven’t read them all, but what I’ve read, I’ve found to be very helpful and much more lucid than I am on this topic.
October 5, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Hey! Since invited, I will very briefly join the discussion. :)
I haven’t got a highly “political” mind (nor do I want one, lol)!… but I have been considering and discussing the issue of Palin for V.P. for a few weeks. If I don’t vote for McCain (who I highly dislike) it won’t be because of her. Of course I completely agree with you that her role is in the family; supporting her husband and children… but I am voting in this election as a Christian American with the values and good of America forefront in my mind. It doesn’t really matter to me, what the president or vice-president’s “theology” is, so long as the decisions they make will uphold Godly values in America. She obviously has her priorities skewed, and that makes me very sad for her family. However, as an American, I would be proud to have a person in the role of V.P. who has a Biblical worldview on the majority of issues and who will fight to uphold the two things that are most important to me in this election: the sanctity of life, and the sanctity of one-man-one-woman marriage. I can not approve of her personal, family decisions. But I appreciate the conservative and Biblical values she will fight to protect in America.
As for the disgrace of a woman being in the second highest position in the land, I believe it is just that: a disgrace. I do not really think it’s a “curse” as some have said, or a “sin”, as some would imply. It is tragic for any nation to come to the place, (as the nation of Israel once came to,) where a woman is one of the only ones left who is strong enough to lead.
I do not approve of all of George Bush’s parenting strategies , and I don’t approve of all his theological and political views. Yet I voted for him years ago, because I appreciated that he would fight for life, family, and Christian values in America. I feel the same way about Sarah Palin.
So anyhow, there’s my two cents, for what it’s worth! I have now bravely joined the discussion: excuse me while I run and hide! ;)
October 10, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Well, if you have come out of hiding. Danielle, I have found time to respond to your very thoughtful comment.
You had some great points. Like you, it isn’t Palin that has suddenly turned me off of McCain. Thank you also for reminding me (at al) that we Christians should go to the polls with the values and good of the nation in mind. But I fear that we Christians are able to be pushed too far with this line of argument. Not only do we bear some responsibility for the general health and direction of our nation, but we are also responsible to keep our elected officials accountable. For example, after helping to get G.W. Bush into the White House in 2000, my family considered and watched his actions. Within four years, we were thoroughly disgusted with the bill of goods we had been sold, and so we voiced our dissatisfaction by voting for a third party candidate in 2004. Would it have been worse if another had been in the White House for these past 8 years? Only God knows— (though I do know that Republicans will act considerably more conservative under a Democratic administration.)
I guess what I am trying to say, is that while we must keep our nation’s good in mind, we also must face the fact that we are responsible before God for whom we cast our vote. While this doesn’t include agreeing in every jot of theology or practice, I do think that Christians are responsible to vote for men who truly fit the biblical standards for civic leadership. We must “[choose] men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens (Exodus 18:21).”
You know, a lot of our political battles should probably be fought on a more local level, and so things often blow up when we get to the presidential election. Even the issues of electing women for civic leadership and keeping our political representatives accountable should be firstly hashed out in our own county, districts, and states— and I must confess that I haven’t been the best at keeping this kind of a mindset.
If you haven’t visited the link to Doug’s Blog, and read through some of the article and blogposts that others have written on this issue, I once again encourage you to do so.