Thou Shalt Not Endorse Candidates

Two headlines tell the extent of John McCain's pastor problems:

McCain rejects Hagee's endorsement...

Called Parsley 'One of the Truly Great Leaders in America'...

Unfortunately for both parties, the men of the cloth who are most likely to make public endorsements are also the most likely to be controversial figures who often represent the more extreme wings of their faiths. Do they have a right to make a public endorsement? Sure, just like any citizen. Is it a good idea to do so? Probably not. Rev. Jeremiah Wright didn't do Barack Obama any favors, and the media wasn't going to allow any of McCain's pastoral endorsements to get away without scrutinizing their messages. The sermon that finally resulted in McCain's rejection of Hagee was over 10 years old.

It would probably be wise for pastors to look at the examples of someone like Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, or Robert Schuller of the Crystal Cathedral. Both are (or were) very high profile clergymen, but to my knowledge, neither has ever made a public endorsement. They let people know how they believe the church should approach certain issues, but not who they should vote for.

I also have to give some props to my friend Pastor Mark Daniels in Ohio. I interviewed Mark for the internet radio show right before the Ohio primary and he was quick to say that no endorsement would be forthcoming because he couldn't find any indication that "Thus sayeth the Lord, vote for ??" and he wasn't going to declare God's favorite. You can listen to the interview here.