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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Does a good job of translating "Christian speak"
There is a vast economic and political difference between secular communism and secular democracy. It is not our intention to study the complexity of this difference, but to keep in mind the frightening similarities causing alarm for Christians in America. What American slavery is to racism, secular communism is to secular democracy. There is a vast difference in...
Published on July 22, 2006 by L. Curtis

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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars This will get you talking about christians in politics
"The Democratic Party is not intellectually honest with Christian America"

Why? For many reasons, which Journalist and author Richard Miller unpacks in this book published by Xulon Press.

In 91 short pages Miller tackles topics such as Religious Prejudice, the environment, education, economics and culture. Miller (who is un-affiliated) argues...
Published on July 6, 2006 by A. Morgan


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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Does a good job of translating "Christian speak", July 22, 2006
This review is from: Why Christians Don't Vote For Democrats (Paperback)
There is a vast economic and political difference between secular communism and secular democracy. It is not our intention to study the complexity of this difference, but to keep in mind the frightening similarities causing alarm for Christians in America. What American slavery is to racism, secular communism is to secular democracy. There is a vast difference in degree and form between slavery and racism, but a similar racial prejudice. There is a vast difference in degree and form between secular communism and secular democracy, but a similar religious prejudice. This similarity is a prejudice against religion in general, and Christians in particular.

[...] Not all Democrats, not all secular Democrats, are prejudiced against religion. With this exception to the description acknowledged, hereafter the term secular Democrat refers to those secular Democrats who are prejudiced against Christians.

Richard Miller translates "Christian speak into political speak" and makes a real effort to communicate with a group that doesn't understand him and doesn't seem to want to try. The modern Democratic party is perplexed by Bible-believing Christians, and has been for years. From calling us "poor, uneducated and easy to command" to Senator Tom Harkin comparing Christian broadcasters to the Taliban, it's clear that they don't understand or like Christians.

Miller tries to explain, in a non-judgemental manner and with a minimum of Christian jargon, the mainstream Christian point of view. He's not affiliated with a political party, but since two of his three daughters are Democrats, and his other daughter and wife are Republican, he's the man in the middle. He's not advocating a partisan political view in this book, he's explaining the Christian view as applied to American politics. He gently explains, with very clear examples and analogies, why "Christian America shuns the Democratic Party, not just for this election, but also for every election to come."

Miller writes on a variety of topics including how Christians both pay for public schools which promote a "cesspool culture," and also pay parochial school tuition, to how journalists write inaccurately about Christianity because they have so little familiarity with it. (Remember the Falwell "assault ministry" versus "a salt ministry" quote?) He addresses the fact that one third of our government - the Supreme Court - has been permitted to attain supreme status over the other two thirds.

This is a book that Christians will enjoy, because it clearly states many mainstream points of view in a very concise and quotable way. It's great fodder for political discussions with the Democrats you know, and because he states his case gently and doesn't take gratuitous slams at Democrats, it's very effective. It's a book that will enrage those who meet Miller's definition of "secular Democrat" because the Christian point of view is so abhorrent to them. I would rate this book a 4, because it is a wonderful example of how Christians can engage an adversarial and frequently hostile culture with this verse in mind:

But dedicate your lives to Christ as Lord. Always be ready to defend your confidence in God when anyone asks you to explain it. However, make your defense with gentleness and respect. Keep your conscience clear. Then those who treat the good Christian life you live with contempt will feel ashamed that they have ridiculed you.
(1 Peter 3:15-16)
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Christians : Read this book before voting for a Democrat, July 11, 2006
By 
Hank Osborne (Goose Creek, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Why Christians Don't Vote For Democrats (Paperback)
"The author hopes...to encourage Christians to exercise good stewardship of their collective citizenship."

This is a quote taken from the cover of "Why Christians Don't Vote for Democrats" by Richard Miller Published by Xulon Press. The author hits the mark with this book. Miller draws a clear line between Secular Democrats and Christian America in this book. It is very important to consider Miller's definition of Secular Democrats while reading his book. Secular Democrats are defined by Miller as those Democrats who are prejudiced against Christians. While Miller acknowledges the term Christian Democrat, he takes issue with that segment of Christian Democrats who are proven to be "wolves in sheep's clothing" when they end up voting like Secular Democrats.

For the purposes of reading this book, Christian American is best defined as the group of Christians who avoid the Democratic Party when election day rolls around. Miller gives very little attention to the group of Christians who find themselves repeatedly voting for Democrats for various reasons. Miller does offer some great questions to consider if you are a Christian who does continue to vote for Democrats.

Christians will find this book educational on several fronts. Miller provides a unique explanation of the main stream media's perspective on Christian America. Richard Miller does a great job of educating his readers on the importance of voting for candidates who will tip the balance of justice in our federal government in favor of Biblically based Chrisitan values. Miller offers strong opinions of how Secular Democrats pollute our public education system and stifle the attempts of the Christian community to educate children through church based private schools.

The book did have some hard to follow wording. Otherwise "Why Christians Don't Vote for Democrats" was an easy read.

This book rates a 4 out of 5 for delivering the content it promised.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Worth giving to a Christian democrat..., July 5, 2006
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This review is from: Why Christians Don't Vote For Democrats (Paperback)
I gotta tell you, when I saw this title was available I knew it was right up my alley - as they say in places known for having alleys. I had requested the book with a certain amount of anticipation and was thrilled when I was selected to review it. But to be perfectly honest I was a bit confused when I received the package; the envelope was so thin that I thought perhaps there was a mistake somewhere in the shipping chain. My hopes were not buoyed when I'd opened the package and noted with some dismay that the book weighed in at a mere 91 pages. Fearing it to be an incomplete treatment of the topic at best and a vague outline at worst, I resigned myself to reading through it in a couple of hours and moving on to my next project.

I should note that today is the 29th of June. I received this book on the 10th. This may be a short book, but it sure wasn't a short read...

The book's introduction says that the author, "hopes to communicate to the Democratic party why Christians don't vote for Democrats." Again, this struck me a rather ambitious goal to be achieved in fewer than 100 pages, but in 13 chapters he manages to take some very major swings at it. Throughout this book he applies this overall theme to several individual social and cultural topics such as education, economics, the principle of 'separation of Church and State' and American journalists.

Each chapter, while just a few pages in length, is absolutely PACKED with point after point related to the topic in question. Mr. Miller uses cultural references, historical fact and a number of Biblical citations to prove his thesis as it relates to the chapter. This method of covering a lot of ground in just a few pages can prove alternately exhilarating and exhausting, frankly. There were times when I'd get so wrapped up in the ideas the author presented that I was along for the ride and even pushing to go faster, but then there were also times when I wished he would slow down and more fully address and expand the points he was making.

At first I found these latter times very frustrating. I felt as if the points he was making were good enough to deserve better - and more lengthy - treatment. I wanted him to expand some points into entire chapters of their own. For example, in the chapter on education he honestly addresses the familiar arguments on each side: Christians want more "bang" - and less atheism - from the taxes they pay for public education and the secular left wants to separate Christians from influence over those dollars under the banner of "separation of Church and State." While this is not news to anyone following the debate, his take on it was something I'd never heard before; if Christians are to be separated from the spending end of taxes because of their beliefs, why shouldn't they then be excused from the collection end of taxes for the same reason?

This was just one point that I thought should get at least double the ink it was given in this book, but in considering this I came to realize why this book was the length and pace that it is: once you start expanding just one of these societal sub-topics, you're left with nine 100 page books rather than one 91 page book. Yes, I would've liked some more detail along the way, but that might just be considered overkill...

The author's theology is sound and he is able to sufficiently support each of his conclusions. One thing I took note of was his repeated use of alliteration, and how that sometimes got a bit old, but I will pay this book probably the greatest compliment I could offer: it made me think. I absolutely FILLED the margins and page bottoms with notes and highlighted phrases and passages that I will eventually foist upon all of you here.

As I noted above, the author said he set out to communicate to the democrats why Christians don't support them at the polls. From what I've seen of modern day democrats, I think that's a lost cause and would rather recommend this book to "weak-kneed" Christians -- those who seem to embrace the idea that the entirety of Christ's message was "be nice," because all too often in today's secular world we're told that only democrats are nice. That's two lies this book could dispel...
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Not What I was Expecting -- A Bit Better, July 7, 2006
By 
This review is from: Why Christians Don't Vote For Democrats (Paperback)
The title of this book is a bit misleading, at least it was for me. I was expecting a complete diatribe about why good Christians should never, ever vote for Democrats, and why those who DO are actually not Christians at all. I was expecting a lot of venom, and I was, quite frankly, expecting to not like the book very much. And I was very wrong.

Why Christians Don't Vote For Democrats should be read by every Democratic strategist. Richard Miller is giving them the keys -- he's telling them exactly what they need to change to get the support of evangelical Christians. He's telling them why, for the most part, evangelical Christians don't vote for Democrats. There's no venom -- how could there be, when two of Miller's own daughters are registered Democrats?

This is not a long book -- it's really not hard to show why evangelicals are not voting for Democrats. But the material is presented in a way that a Democrat could read it and, rather than being offended, realize the gulf that separates them from evangelicals.

Miller makes a lot of statements in the book, though, that I would have liked to have seen expanded. We read that "secular Democrats" want to lower the age of consent, don't believe that the teachings of Jesus or Moses have any value, don't want Christians to be able to afford to send their kids to Christian schools, etc. I would have liked to have seen these generalities detailed a bit more -- specific quotes from specific Democratic leaders, for example. A Christian Democrat reading this would of course say "No I don't." Specific examples would have been a welcome addition to the book in these cases.

Miller's purpose in writing this books seems to have been to make people think -- both Democrats and Republicans. He's achieved that goal; there's a lot of material presented in the book that should make people think. As I said, he's provided Democratic leadership with a rough guide to gaining the trust of evangelical Christian voters, if they will read it and listen.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars This will get you talking about christians in politics, July 6, 2006
By 
A. Morgan (Virginia, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Why Christians Don't Vote For Democrats (Paperback)
"The Democratic Party is not intellectually honest with Christian America"

Why? For many reasons, which Journalist and author Richard Miller unpacks in this book published by Xulon Press.

In 91 short pages Miller tackles topics such as Religious Prejudice, the environment, education, economics and culture. Miller (who is un-affiliated) argues that many of the Democrats views are not just directly against Christian values but would discriminate against Christians. For example, Christians pay school tax, yet they have no representation in the secular school which seeks to teach young people ideals and facts which are not just non-christian but anti christian.

Of course, Miller is not tarring every Democrat with the same brush. He uses the term 'secular' Democrat to indicate those who are prejudiced against religion and religious values. Also, two of his three daughters are Democrats!

Millers goal in writing this book is to argue that if Democrats continue to uphold and pursue these policies then Christian America (which he does not really define in the book) will 'shun the Democratic Party, not just for the next election but also for every election to come', a phrase he uses to end each chapter from chapter 3 onwards.

Millers analysis is peppered with some theological insight (drawing from his time at Bethnay Bible College), as he provides biblical defenses against the Secular Democrat argument (such as it is good to feed and look after the poor but not, as advocated by Secular Democrats, the naive welfare state who allows people who can work to take advantage of taxpayers).

A possible problem with the book might be the generalization of the terms used (secular Democrats; Christian American) which are not really defined. and of course, there are Democrats who do not think in these ways, just as there are Secular Republicans who do. But a tendency to generalize will happen in a book which covers as much ground as this does in 91 pages. However, Miller's thesis has evidence of being true by the fact that the Democrats, in recent memory, have not been regular occupiers of the White House nor having control of the Congress and Senate.

Millers suggestion to the reader is to withhold support, money and of course the vote from the Democrats in order that they may change. This will also provide Christians with political influence.

One area which Miller does not discuss in any detail is the lack of enthusiasm which the average person has for politics. Politics is an area where Christians need to be involved and involved at all levels. The tragedy could be (and for me is very likely) that Christian's say one of two things about this book; 1. So what! 2. I really don't understand or care!Both responses are disastrous for the christian community in the USA.

For this reason I give this book a rating of 3 starts. Miller is calling people to look at the danger areas within politics (and specifically the Democratic Party) which challenge the Christian worldview and are discriminating against Christians. Christians ignore the effects and significance of politics at their peril.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Why Christians Shouldn't Vote for Democrats, July 3, 2006
This review is from: Why Christians Don't Vote For Democrats (Paperback)
The book "Why Christians Don't Vote for Democrats" by Richard Miller is not titled correctly. It should be titled "Why Christians Shouldn't Vote for Democrats". Why do I say that? The answer is simple; too many Christians still vote for Democrats. I believe many do so for 2 reasons. The first is out of ignorance of who the Democrats really are. They listen to sound bites of news on ABC, CBS, and NBC. They are too busy with their lives or are in remote areas where cable TV and Internet are not readily available. The second reason is that they have bought into the lie myth that only the Government is big enough to help everyone who is in need.

Richard does a wonderful job of laying out what the power base of the Democratic Party stand for. He does a masterful job of breaking through the facade they have in place to hide their true intentions. He exposes the Democrats use of taxes, economic coercion, to prevent churches from expressing their free speech rights. He exposes the anti-Christian discrimination of the Democrats whom he shows, want Christianity to be private and not have any place in the public square.

Please get your own copy of this book and read it. Prepare yourself with knowledge and then, ask all your Christian friends who still vote for Democrats these questions adapted from Richard:

* How can you oppose racial prejudice so adamantly and yet support the religious prejudice of secular Democrats?
* How can you work so hard to protect a clean environment and yet support Democrats who so abundantly favor a toxic, cesspool culture?
* How can you believe every worker is worthy of at least a minimum wage and yet support Democrats who have such animosity to a minimum financial benefit for all students?
* How can you claim to be tolerant and yet support Democrats who are so angrily intolerant of Christian America's historical contribution to American democracy?
* How can you claim to value freedom of speech and yet support Democrats who so aggressively oppose political freedom of speech from the pulpit?
* Why should you believe Democrats are friends of Christians America?

I would give this book a rating of 4 out of 5. It lacks some detail, but the points it discusses are right on the money.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A Book every Christian needs to read, July 22, 2006
By 
Barbara C. Sanders (Central Alabama USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Why Christians Don't Vote For Democrats (Paperback)
"Secular Democrats who are prejudiced against Christians advocate, support, and vote into law various forms of religious discrimination harmful to Christian America. Not all Democrats, not all secular Democrats, are prejudiced against religion".

Author Richard Miller has made a good case for why Christians should not vote for secular Democrats. As he said above, not all Democrats believe the same way, just as all Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, etc., do not think the same way. And, they do not all vote the same way. I would venture to say if you had ten of each in a room together, there would be divisions among them all, with some going across party lines.

Within 91 pages, the author has packed some great information regarding the reasons he believes Christians should not vote for Democrats. Each of us Christians should make it our priority to get the facts on all candidates who are running for office. I've often heard the expression `if they quack like a duck, they are a duck' --- if they claim to be a Christian, they are a Christian (or whatever one claims to be). But, saying one is a Christian and adhering to Christian values are two entirely different things. Many candidates will offer themselves up as a `Christian candidate', mostly to get votes from the naive Christians, when, in reality, they `go to church', but do not live the Christian life or adhere to all the beliefs of scripture. I have to be fair; there are candidates on all sides who do this. So, it is very important that we all make use of all the information we can obtain to make the right choice when we go to vote.

"Political freedom of speech is the inalienable right of every citizen or group of citizens in a healthy democracy."

The freedoms of Christians are quickly being denied. One of those that is being taken away is the right of a pastor/minister/layman to speak freely from the pulpit to the parishioners about the candidates. This is putting a muzzle on `freedom of speech', which is our right, and the Democrats are behind the effort to stop all churches who are tax-exempt from expressing anything political from within the church.

Richard Miller has tried, throughout his book, to encourage and show us how to be good stewards of our citizenship. If we study each candidate, learn his or her beliefs and behaviors (not just what they say in front of a crowd), then we can make an intelligent decision of which the best candidate will be for the job for which he or she is running. If we fail to make ourselves completely aware of what each candidate is about, and still vote, then we are doing ourselves, and our fellow Christians a disservice. And, when and if the wrong candidate gets in office, and Christianity is pushed farther to the back burner, and we finally lose our `voice', we only have our unpreparedness to blame.

I recommend this book for reading, although it may take several reads to get the full impact of what the author is saying. Thirteen chapters are packed full of information, some of which I wish could have been expounded upon. But, he gives you enough `ammunition' to get you started on the right track of picking the most deserving candidate in the next election. I give the book 4 1/2 stars out of 5.


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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Why Christian's Don't Vote for Democrats, July 4, 2006
This review is from: Why Christians Don't Vote For Democrats (Paperback)
"Self-preservation alone is reason enough for Christians to oppose any group
working to gradually transform America into a secular state." Page 15.

Richard Miller hopes to communicate to the Democratic Party why Christian's don't vote for Democrats. Mr. Miller wants to help the Christian community find a way to communicate their legitimate objections to secular Democrats in a mature and loving way. In each chapter Richard Miller shows different political agenda's backed by the Democratic Party and how these agenda's tear down Christian beliefs. Mr. Miller shows what will happen if the Democratic Party is left to fulfill these agenda's, thus resulting in further discrimination and prejudice of Christian America. Richard Miller uses his BA degree in ministry, community involvement and newspaper background to refine his interest in the Christian community's need to be successfully involved in politics. Mr. Miller's passion for this cause shows through on each page as he personally undertakes the call to wage war on an enemy of Christian America. He challenges all Christians to unite together, claim victory over religious prejudice, religious discrimination and infringement of First Amendment rights by shunning the Democratic Party.



"Why Christians Don't Vote for Democrats" is listed under the religion and spirituality genre. Richard Miller shows what a difference Christian American's can make in the political arena if we take a proactive stance, get educated and involved. Mr. Miller does not use sources and bibliography in his writing to support the arguments presented. He uses public awareness and voter polls to relate the goal of his book to the reader. He draws on the fact that most of America knows what is going on with Christian discrimination in our school systems, First Amendment Rights and civil liberties.


On a scale of one to five, I would personally rate this book as a two. The author achieves his goal in communicating the need for shunning a party that does not have Christian's best interest in mind, but the language used by the author to convey this message is very confusing. To a person not readily familiar with political jargon and legal terms, the book is hard to read. I had to go back repeatedly and re-read chapters and paragraphs to try to determine exactly what the author was convey to me, the reader. The verbs and pronoun tense were sometimes a little confusing. This could have been caused by the book not being proof read thoroughly and not the fault of the author. Honestly, I have not read any other material relating to this type of political action, so I can not give a comparison opinion.

My name is Melissa Waters, homeschool mother and editor of Bellaonline Journals from Trenton, FL.
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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Full Of Generalizations & Stereotypes, June 27, 2006
This review is from: Why Christians Don't Vote For Democrats (Paperback)
Have you ever heard of a Liberal Republican? What about a Conservative Democrat? Did you know that there are atheists in the Republican Party? What about Christians in the Democratic one? If you answered "yes" to these questions, then you are probably your average citizen. You probably realize that while some would like to use stereotypes to explain just about everything ... that the truth of the matter is that such generalizations only succeed in segregating and dividing us further. Unfortunately, "Why Christians Don't Vote For Democrats" by Richard Miller fits right in. It is full of generalizations, half-truths, and stereotypes all geared to make the reader think that Democrats are nothing more than atheists looking to destroy the world, our culture, and our religion.

In the authors own words:

"The author hopes to communicate to the Democratic Party why Christians don't vote for Democrats. How do Christians communicate to atheists their legitimate objections to the Democratic Party in a mature and loving way?"

But, you know, Richard Miller isn't the first to proclaim such a thing. He isn't the only one that is guilty. There are other authors out there that would like to say anyone that is not a Republican is just a godless heathen. There are some out there that claim Republicans are nothing more than Right-Wing fanatics looking to force everyone to live under a theocracy. Those same people also claim that Republicans are doing nothing but promoting the hatred of homosexuals and Muslims, while promoting fiscal irresponsibility and war. Yet, we know that is not true. There are Muslim Republicans. There are homosexual Republicans. And, there are Republicans that are totally against the pre-emptive strike and all for free will, democracy, and saving money!

And, you know, I might have bought into all these generalizations if it weren't for the fact that I am a Christian and a Democrat. I am also not the only one. I know many of them. I go to church and I am surrounded by them. I know far more Christian Democrats than I know Christian Republicans. I am also blessed to go to a church that does not endorse systems of government or any political party. My church teaches that while civil government is ordained by God, should be supported by all citizens, and that we should pray for rulers and government officials in order to maintain peace and civility ... that the role of government and politics is different from the role of the church. It also teaches that both institutions are both ordained by God, and should respect each other, that it is imperative neither institution overstep its given role and that as citizens our involvement should be guided by God's will for our lives.

My church encourages it's members and adherents to influence society and the political process by voting, maintaining strong moral convictions and holy lifestyles, praying for government officials, encouraging and promoting legislation that strengthens the nation morally, and speaking out both corporately and individually against any political issue that would have an adverse affect upon the kingdom of God or His moral absolutes ... regardless of which political party or candidate is advocating them.

I think that "Why Christians Don't Vote For Democrats" would have been better if it had focused on the struggle we have as Christians to filter through what the Secular Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, and Independents try to get past us instead of seeking to divide the Body of Christ based on misguided half-truths. Unfortunately, Christians will continue to remain divided until we put partisanship aside and focus on everything our Lord calls for us to do. I give the book 3 stars for writing and getting it half-right.

Richard Miller claims to be firmly non-affiliated with any political party. He is married to a Republican and has three daughters, two of which are Democrats. He graduated with a BA degree in ministry from Bethany Bible College and wishes to encourage Christians to exercise good stewardship of their collective citizenship. "Why Christians Don't Vote For Democrats" is Richard's second book and was published by Xulon Press.
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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Why Christians Who Vote Democrat Won't be Convinced by this Book, July 5, 2006
This review is from: Why Christians Don't Vote For Democrats (Paperback)
As George Washington reportedly said, "I cannot tell a lie". When I offered to review "Why Christians Don't Vote for Democrats" I was expecting a much more satisfying book than the one I received.

Richard Miller, the author, describes his aim with this book as one that gives Christians "the practical means and spiritual hope to break free from the bondage of religious discrimination." While that is indeed a laudable goal, and one which is sorely needed, I'm not sure this book does it.

Let me first state my own position, politically. I am of the opinion that there is essentially no imaginable reason for a Christian to support a Democratic candidate. I hold this view, I'm sure, for many of the same reasons that Mr. Miller does. Frankly, I have similar issues with Republicans, and often would counsel Christians to withhold their vote from the Republican candidate in a given race as well! I have just as hard a time with many Republicans, and often with the Republican political machine as I do with the Democratic.

My issues with the book are many - but most of them have to do with what I find to be an odd characterization of "Christians", and/or "Christian America", a term the author uses repeatedly. At times, it seems that Mr. Miller is referring to all people who attend Christian churches as Christians - at others, it seems that he is referring to a much narrower subset of the professing church. In any case, the book would be MUCH improved if clearer definitions were given.

One of the issues that I find with Mr. Miller's book is the kind of Democrat that Mr. Miller portrays as the one we should be most concerned with. His attack seems mostly to be leveled at Democrats who directly and intentionally attack religious freedoms of Christians, specifically. As I look at the political landscape, I have to say that this is a rather small subset of Democrats. Most are far more subtle - and this is the kind of Democrat I'd say we truly need to be concerned with. These may not even be intending any limitation - but through the policies they support, they unwittingly (or wittingly) limit Christian's civil rights. What we must be on the lookout for is the collateral damage done by people who don't have the Christian squarely in their cross-hairs.

A second point of contention I have with the book is that it seems that the author believes that all those who are in Christian churches will necessarily agree with him on political issues. This idea is, in my view, rather mistaken - in some churches, full of professing Christians, the Democratic majority is enormous - in some cases, perhaps quite nearly 100%. Innumerable are the professing Christians who openly support Democratic values and causes. Yet the author seems not to recognize that the problem of disunity among Christians in terms of voting patterns (in which we "cancel each other out" as he writes repeatedly) is far more insidious than he portrays it. We are in a worldview war here - not simply a battle of a few words.

A solution to the problem requires far more convincing argumentation than simply saying "Christians do not vote for Democrats"... it requires a massive change of heart on the part of the Democratic Christian contingent, and an introduction to the idea of a Biblical worldview (in which many Democratic Party values are seen to be contradictory to the Christian message). Directly challenging a person's worldview requires far more depth and breadth than Miller's book offers. It also requires far more than labelling all Democrats as Christian-hating people who want nothing more than to attack the religious freedoms of Christians. This is a libellous portrait of Democrats, even of those who are entirely secular in their thinking, and will have a very small chance of convincing those accepting of Democratic party values not to vote for Democrats.

Mr. Miller also repeatedly talks about the political strength that "Christian America" can wield, if only they would vote as a unit. While true, this is much simpler said than actually brought about. Again, this is an example of, I think, a mistaken view of "Christian America", if by this Miller means the 90% or so of Americans who claim some sort of belief, will never support Republican causes. People's political views are FAR more nuanced than that. I would frankly hazard a guess to say that a very large percentage of the 50% of "Christian America" that votes Democrat are strongly committed to their political views, regardless of what the Bible says. Unity within this large "Christian America" will require a spiritual revival, not a short booklet of the kind that Mr. Miller has written. We are FAR from having a church in this country that is 100% committed to what we conservative Christians hold to be Biblical.

One place in the book in which this contrast strongly makes itself apparent is on page 59, where Miller write "Secular journalists report that only a small part of Christian America believes in the fundamental teachings of the Bible." He writes this as though secular journalists are somehow mistaken in their characterization of the church - and that if secular journalists were more honest, somehow they would be writing that a vast majority of Christian America believes in the fundamental truths of the Bible.

I'm not sure where Mr. Miller lives, but it is certainly not the case that most of "Christian America" (by which, again, I assume Miller means all those who attend church at least somewhat regularly - this is the only way one can argue that Christian America is a body with potentially 60+% of the voting public) belives in the truths of Scripture. One only has to look at recent Barna polls to find out that this characterization is very incorrect.

Just taking a look at ONE poll, of those who identify themselves as "Born Again Christians", which is only a subset of "Christian America" 40% of the population....

Definition

In Barna Research Group studies, born again Christians are not defined on the basis of characterizing themselves as "born again" but based upon their answers to two questions. The first is "have you ever made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in your life today?" If the respondent says "yes," then they are asked a follow-up question about life after death. One of the seven perspectives a respondent may choose is "when I die, I will go to Heaven because I have confessed my sins and have accepted Jesus Christ as my savior." Individuals who answer "yes" to the first question and select this statement as their belief about their own salvation are then categorized as "born again."

Of this population, which are surely those who are most faithful to Scriptural teachings, here are some representative numbers:

* Compared to 63% of all adults, 86% of born again Christians believe "the Bible is totally accurate in all of its teachings." (2005)
* 77% of born again Christians believe they "personally have a responsibility to tell other people their religious beliefs" compared to 51% of all adults. (2005)
* Nearly all born again Christians (98%) say their religious faith is very important in their life, compared to 52% of all adults. (2004)
* Half of born again Christians (46%) agree that Satan is "not a living being but is a symbol of evil." (2005)
* About one-third of born agains (33%) believe that if a person is good enough they can earn a place in Heaven. (2005)
* 28% of born agains agree that "while he lived on earth, Jesus committed sins, like other people," compared to 42% of all adults. (2005)
* Born again Christians are more likely than non-born again individuals to accept moral absolutes. Specifically, 32% of born agains said they believe in moral absolutes, compared to just half as many (15%) among non-born agains. (2002) (For more information, click on the Press Release titled "Americans Are Most Likely to Base Truth on Feelings" on the right-hand side of this page.

ONLY 32% of these born-again Christians believe in moral absolutes! That is, only 32% of the 40% that are identified as born-agains.

TWENTY-EIGHT% of these born-agains argue taht Jesus sinned!

ONE THIRD believe that people can earn salvation apart from Christ!

Born-Again Christians are a mess, theologically. They simply do NOT believe Scripture.

If this is the "Christian America" that Miller speaks about as having some hope of wielding political power, presumably making good decisions about voting, I really don't get it. I think Miller has really missed the boat here.

In summary, let me say that I believe this book strikes clearly out against the minority of Democrats who in their heart of hearts explicitly hate Christianity, and aim intentionally, first and foremost, to silence Christians as their main goal in life. However, this is far from our most pressing concern. Let's look at the enemy as it actually is, and be more vigilant against those Democratic policies that in a sideways manner limit free speech of Christians, or limit their rights. Let's pay attention not to the most evil kind of Democrat one can imagine... but rather the one who subtly acts to erode freedom.

In my opinion, the thing we should be most concerned with is not the blatant attacks on Christians and their rights. Instead, and the book I believe falls most short in this area, we should be concerned with those orthodox believers among our churches who believe that their faith commitments DO NOT necessarily impact and shape their political views and their lives as voters. Too many are willing to hold contradictory views, and to support the "lesser of two evils" approach to voting, which leads many to vote Republican in cases in which truly neither Republican nor Democrat deserves a Christian's support at the ballot box. A far more effective book for our political ills as Christians would address these things. I had hoped that Miller's book would do so.
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Why Christians Don't Vote For Democrats
Why Christians Don't Vote For Democrats by Richard Miller (Paperback - March 1, 2006)
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