So, when was the last time anyone called a press conference when you announced who you were going to vote for?  My guess is never - that is, of course, unless you’re Pat Robertson.  If you’ve ever had the traumatic experience of watching Christian television or if you were of voting age in the 1980’s then you know Pat.

He, along with the likes of the late Jerry Falwell, has been at the helm of the political arm of the Christian right - attempting to mobilize evangelical Christians behind certain leaders, issues.  The guy himself ran unsuccessfully for President in 1988.  For more than 20 years he has been the self-annointed (and widely followed) picture of where Christianity and politics intersect.

Personally, I think Roberston gets it all wrong.  He misunderstands and misrepresents the role of the church in government and vice versa - failing to understand that the government and the church are both institutions created by God for drastically different reasons, operating in drastically different ways.  For a correct understanding of such things you can check out THIS, THIS, THIS, or THESE.  Each does good job of explaining what’s often referred to as the doctrine of The Two Kingdoms.  But that is fodder for another post.

The big news here is that today the ultra-conservative, pro-life, anti-gay rights Robertson, announced that he is officially endorsing Rudy Guiliani as the Republican nominee for President.  This is big news and marks a massive turning point in right wing, Christian political activism.

Here’s why:  Rudy is pro-abortion.  Rudy is pro-gay rights.  Rudy is - save his stance on defense and spending - politically liberal.  And yet, Robertson has given him a great, big Jesus-loving thumbs up.  Now, it’s not as if Pat has changed his tune on these moral issues.  No, he simply stated in his news conference that he now believes “the defense of our nation” and the “reigning in of government spending” to be the most pressing issues facing our nation and so, Rudy is his man. 

This is despite the fact that there are several other men seeking the Republican nomination who not only share Rudy’s zeal for defense and his view of small government, but also have a pro-life, anti-gay rights voting record.  So, why the shift?

Simple:  fear.  Fear of Hillary getting elected.  Let’s face it, while she is a polarizing figure she is also a popular figure.  And with no clear Republican front runner, conservatives like Robertson are afraid that another Clinton is headed for the White House.  So, when push comes to shove you endorse the candidate who is more likely to get elected (Guliani) rather than the candidate who most matches your values.

And so we have it:  the man who has for decades told people to vote based on faith is, in my opinion, endorsing someone out of fear.  Motivated less by his biblical worldview and more by political posturing and a fear of “them.”  But again, this is just my opinion.

It is going to be a crazy interesting election year for Jesus followers who take serisouly the vocation of citizen.  Think about it: you’ve got a socially liberal NYC Mayor and his political twin John McCain, a Mormon, and an actor all considered the conservative front-runners.  What’s a scripture loving, Jesus-following, two kingdoms understanding dude or dudette to do?

It might be the end of the world.  ;-)  It’s a good thing we know that Jesus wins in the end.  More on all of this much later…