In this year of presidential elections, I have decided to summarize key values that guide me as I decide for whom to cast my vote. There are three basic elements of choosing a candidate for public office responsibly:
1. Values we hope the candidate will stand for and the order of priority among them (which requires of us knowledge of faith as a whole, rather than just a few favorite topics, and knowledge of how faith applies to contemporary life).
2. Ways in which and means by which these values are best implemented in any given situation (which requires of us a great deal of knowledge about how the world actually functions and what policies lead to what outcomes—for instance, whether it would be an economically wise decision to try to reintroduce the gold standard).
3. Capacity—ability and determination—to contribute to the implementation of these values (which requires of us knowledge of the track record of the candidate).
Most important are the values. As I identify
each value, I will (1) name the basic content of the value, (2) give a basic
rationale for holding it, (3) suggest some parameters of legitimate debate
about it, and (4) identify a key question for the candidate.
I write as a Christian theologian, from the
perspective of my own understanding of the Christian faith. Whole books have
been written on each of these values, explicating and adjudicating complex
debates. In providing a rationale for a given value, I only take one or two
verses from the Bible to back up my position, more to flag the direction in
which a rationale would need to go than, in fact, to strictly offer such a
rationale. (Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the
NRSV.)
To view the entire article (PDF): Download Values of a Public Faith by Volf