RTV Response to Christianity Today article:
Christianity Today Readers now support Obama in greater number than McCain

In a recent blog posted at Christianity Today, since June 9th until July 10th, readers of Christianity Today now support Obama in greater number than McCain, with Obama garnering over 50% of the voters sentiment. I think this is very instructive, since the preferential presidential choice of the readers at the first of the year was Governor Huckabee.
 
It leads me to wonder what similarities and characteristics does Obama possess that were also appreciated by those supporters of Governor Huckabee.
 
I think I have a window into the hearts of those readers since I have been quite close to Governor Huckabee and his policies. First, Huckabee was vilified by those in the religious right that are not held in particular high esteem by many readers of CT. Those of the harsh religious right, with their condemnation of those that want to enhance public education and improve the lot of those facing economic difficulties, found Gov Huckabee policies on education, AIDS, Darfur, and poverty at odds with many economic conservatives. Secondly, frankly, the meeting of several evangelicals with Senator Obama corresponded with a sense of "endorsement" of his candidacy and his Christian conversion. His discussion of faith and his policies seem to resonant at least on the surface, with many socially active evangelicals.
 
Finally, his acceptance and expansion of the White House faith based initiative in a speech in the most conservative Christian area of Ohio, Zanesville, gave Christian voters hope that he would indeed embrace policies that would expand the reach of Christian ministries that serve "the least of these".
 
However, Christians need to make sure that the rhetoric they hear and the words they embrace truly represent those values that are part of the fabric of our Christian heritage.
 
I think it is important that we seriously debate and question Senator Obama's commitment not only to the issue of life but the sanctity of marriage as well. While I would be the first to acknowledge the fallacy of a narrow political agenda for religious voters, it is important to note that there is no more serious consequences to America's health as a nation than to the lack of moral restrain in the area of abortion and traditional marriage.
 
Why would I make this conclusion ? Simply put, the morality of our sexual behavior has become so debased, that abortion is no longer an occasional tragedy, it has become a way of life of many American women, using it strictly as a method of birth control instead of seeking a stable long term monogamous relationship. In fact, statistics clearly show that the vast majority of abortions today are performed on women over the age of 25 on multiple occasions, outside the realms of a marital relationship. Our culture's embrace of "one night stands" and "hooking up" have removed any serious remorse over the taking of human life. Furthermore, this destructive behavior has contributed to an exponential increase in domestic violence and unstable relationships, with serious economic and social consequences. So, abortion reduction is an important cornerstone to turning around our cultural decline.
 
Similarly, traditional marriage is essential to maintaining the well being of any societal unit. If we embrace or remain passive on the redefinment of marriage, then the ability of our society to raise children in homes that have both a mother and father in the home becomes imperiled. Civil governments have for centuries recognized traditional marriage as being not only the preferred but the most effective means of maintaining social order. Imagine for a moment, if we redefine that marriage can be anything that anyone desires or contrives, brother to brother, mother to son, sister to sister and her brother, all in the name of "love"; if such arrangements were recognized by our governmental entities, we would no longer have a family unit to raise children.
 
We must also examine our own community and work just as diligently to stabilize marriages and reduce the epidemic rise in divorce within those families that profess to be Christians. We must fight the scourge of pornography and extramarital affairs that ensnare Christians and non Christians alike, if we are to be credible in our dialogue on traditional marriage. We cannot condemn homosexuality's predilection for multiple partners if we are doing much the same.
 
If we as a nation, embrace homosexual relations as equivalent with heterosexual relations, God's providence would no longer be upon us as a nation. Biblical references to the consequences of homosexuality as well as the seriousness of God's judgment in regard to homosexuality are indisputable . This in no way gives us license to physically or verbally abuse those engaged in such behavior, but to lovingly and prayerfully seek to free them from such bondage.
 
As a physician for the past 25 years, I have seen first hand the tragedy that has befallen those engaged in homosexual behavior. As an intern, I looked into the eyes of hundreds of homosexual men who died agonizing deaths at the hand of the AIDS epidemic. In the early years, we didn’t even know what was causing the destruction of their immune system, as they died of overwhelming infections. Today, we are spending billions of dollars on the same disease and directing millions more in research on a disease that is totally preventable. Despite the advent of newer agents to treat HIV, it continues to spread and taking lives beyond our reach, in areas of the globe previously untouched such as Mainland China.
 
Another patient that still haunts me is the case of a middle aged father, married for 25 years, with 2 beautiful boys, who presented to the hospital with overwhelming jaundice and liver failure. On further testing, we found that he had contracted Hepatitis B and had fulminant hepatic failure. On questioning him prior to his drifting into hepatic coma, he admitted to a recent gay relationship in which he had contracted the virus. He died with his boys at his bedside before he could receive a transplant.
 
And now, just in the last week, I referred a young male for treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal, directly related to a gay relationship in which he had contracted human papilloma virus through anal intercourse. His treatment will be extensive and potentially fatal.
 
Yes, my brothers and sisters, our moral failings, regardless of the motivation of those on the political right, are the most pressing concerns our nation faces. Greater than the threat of terror, greater than the threat of economic instability, our ability to correct our moral behavior will be the major determinate of our survival as a nation.
 
Randy Brinson. MD
Chairman
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