Sarah Palin and Conservative Evangelicals

Last week John McCain made a surprising choice for Vice President, the relatively unknown and inexperienced Sarah Palin. I don’t think it’s too skeptical to say this choice was directed by McCain’s desire to capitalize on disgruntled Hillary supporters and to pander to the conservative evangelical vote, which have had a problem with his candidacy. This blog isn’t about the problems and issues surrounding Palin as a Vice President choice, but rather it’s a look at those loving Christian communities that tell us that Christianity is THE moral basis which shows us how to live – God’s way. Lest you think it is only Islam that downgrades women, conservative fundamental Christianity doesn’t do women any favors either. Unfortunately, some women want it this way. Look at this quote on the B. B. Warfield group on Yahoo written by a woman:

“I was going to vote – however unwillingly – for McCain but now will not. First and foremost, overriding all other reasons, is that I do not believe the LORD approves of or intends for women to occupy high office, and yes, I’m including Queen Victoria and Margaret Thatcher in that. ;^) Isaiah 3:12, with its “O My people! Their oppressors are children, and women rule over them” language, combined with Genesis 3, 1 Corinthians 14, and a fair number of other verses makes clear (IMO, and that of at least John Knox) that ruling is meant to be the role of men. So. Having a female in the VP slot is not anything I could ever, in conscience, vote for. Second, even if I weren’t implacably opposed to a woman as president, I couldn’t be in favor of one with five small children, whose credentials are two terms on the city council of a town of about 7,000, two terms as its mayor, and serving as governor since 2006. And while her fiercely pro-life convictions are admirable, I’m not crazy about her membership in “Feminists for Life”, and how she referred to those who had asked her (when she was running for governor) whether a mother of four small children could perform both as governor and carry out her maternal duties as Neanderthals.”

And

“ISTM if the woman were truly putting her children first she wouldn’t be eager to place them in a position to BE assaulted by the left. What her husband’s thinking of, to allow her to do this, beats me.
Oh wait. That’s right. This is a wholly egalitarian, feminist family so he probably doesn’t have a lot to say about it.”

Sad, isn’t it?

With Palin’s choice McCain might have alienated some of those very conservative Christians he is trying to court! While I don’t think Palin is qualified for the office, it has nothing to do with her gender. It has to do with her inexperience and views. To disqualify someone because of her gender or the number of children she has is draconian in the extreme, but for some Christian groups gender does disqualify a person from any type of leadership role. Now, do you really want the “law” of the Bible to be the law of the land? Maybe you need the Millstone of gender equality.