Preface:

The Christian Left began as the result of a conversation between two childhood friends sitting around a camp fire at an annual 4th of July picnic held by the surviving members of the Merry Pranksters. One, Mark Baldwin, is a Quaker and a Green Party member. The other, Charles Toy, was raised in the Lutheran Church and is a Democrat.

The story in a nutshell goes something like this:

Mark Baldwin pointing at Charles Toy and laughing: “Hahahahahahaha! And there’s my evangelical Christian friend!”

Charles was taken off guard and had to think a moment.

Charles Toy: “I’m not an evangelical Christian.”

Charles was aware of the connotations of that term and he wanted nothing to do with it.

Mark Baldwin: “What are you then?”

Mark is the kind of person who likes to draw people out and make them define themselves.

Charles Toy: “I’m a disciple of Jesus.”

There you have it folks, short and sweet. The conversation that launched a national movement of more than 100,000 people, and growing. At the time, Charles was unaware of other progressive Christian movements like Sojourners. He only knew that he was a Christian, and for that reason he was a liberal of course. He was also firmly convinced that the agenda of 'The Christian Right' had nothing to do with anything Jesus taught.

That conversation led to many more conversations on the topic of “The Christian Left” between Mark and Charles and ultimately resulted in the launching of a website and the related social media pages. Since that time The Christian Left has become a wonderful team of contributors with similar visions.

Fast forward to today.

Charles thinks that there is no possibility of Jill Stein ever winning the Presidential election and a vote for Jill would a vote for Mitt Romney. He has a more favorable view of President Obama than Mark and thinks if you’re a Green party member you should only vote for Jill Stein if you live an a solid red state or blue state. If you live in a swing state (Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, or Wisconsin) you should sacrifice your vote for the common good and vote for President Obama. A Romney presidency is unacceptable in Charles’ view.  It would be an unmitigated return to Bush policy which would crash the country into a dark nightmare, just as it did before.

Mark says that shouldn’t matter and people should vote their conscience.

So, without further adieu, we give you the view from the Green Party wing of The Christian Left, by Mark Baldwin.

Why, as a Christian, I'm Voting for Jill Stein
by Mark Baldwin

My choice is based not only on how he chose to negotiate with Congress on numerous issues, ranging from Obama care to the tax code, defense spending, and financial regulation. To clearly see who Obama represents, I chose to focus primarily on what he has done within the area solely governed by the Executive Branch. This analysis avoids the entangling arguments about whether or not he was stopped by an obstreperous Congress, and focuses on Obama's actions in the domain where he is the unequivocal decision-maker.

Some people are voting for Obama because of their fears for the LGBT community if Romney gets elected. Obama has successfully dismantled discrimination against gays and lesbians in the armed forces. More states will legalize marriage equality, no matter who is President. The rising of consciousness about equality for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters is irreversible.

Some people are voting for Obama because of their fears over abortion. Roe v. Wade has stood for 40 years. In that time, we have seen a phenomenal and much needed rise in the power of women in society. We have more women graduating from college than men. We have women working as CEOs, lawyers, bankers, judges, professors, doctors, scientists, elected officials, and other positions of influence in society. We have more to do to have equality for women in our society, but there is no possible way for abortion to be made illegal without an immediate uprising in this country.

The Republicans use the fear of Obama taking their guns to herd conservative voters into a pen. Democrats use the fear of eliminating abortion, or rounding gays up for execution, to herd liberals into a pen. None of these will happen based upon who is elected President.

Where the President has domestic power is through departments such as the EPA, and the Justice Department. The President has enormous power in the area of foreign policy, namely negotiating trade deals, and the use of troops and special ops abroad. Where Obama has a choice, he chooses to side with the global financiers and the military-prison industrial complex.

Blessed are the Peacemakers

The Obama administration has pursued global military domination and the use of military solutions in foreign affairs in a manner similar to other President’s since WWII. Obama did not get us out of Iraq. He just waited for the Status of Forces Agreement to kick in. Like Bush before him, he lobbied the Iraqi government to keep US troops in Iraq beyond the agreed withdrawal date. Depending on your source, 5-10,000 troops and private mercenaries remain in Iraq today.

Obama escalated the war in Afghanistan. If you, as a Christian, believe that more violence in Afghanistan has helped to alleviate suffering in that country, then vote for Obama. If you believe that drones strikes that kill and dismember the poorest women and children in the world is truly making America safer, then vote for Obama.

Here’s a little dose of drone war reality.

If you think that Obama is doing things more ‘surgically’, more ‘rationally’, then I encourage you to read this and wake up to what the logic of secret wars really means. Make sure to read the core source documents to understand the insidious nature of these types of wars.

If you oppose drone strikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and other places around the globe, then vote for Jill Stein.

Obama supported the military coup in Honduras, supported a fraudulent election there, and now Honduras leads the world in the murder of civil activists.

Obama undermined democracy in Haiti by preventing the largest party, the Lavalas party, to participate in the elections after the hurricane. This will bring you up to speed. Note that the President’s policy for Haiti comes right out of the arch-conservative Heritage Foundation playbook. Don’t take my word for it. Read it yourself and decide.

Obama is escalating tensions with Iran. No evidence whatsoever exists that Iran is producing a nuclear bomb, yet Obama is supporting an economic blockade of Iran? This blockade is preventing medical supplies from getting to Iran. Such a policy is inherently immoral. Read more here. If you support punishing the Iranian people for crimes not committed, then vote for Obama. If you oppose escalating tensions with Iran, vote for Jill Stein.

Free Trade

In the area of “free-trade,” which is undermining our economy at home, depressing wages, destroying our manufacturing base, and furthering environmental destruction, Obama is leading the charge on behalf of the global financier class.

Obama is conducting secret negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). No, you and your representatives in Congress are not allowed to read the agreement, but CEOs for Fortune 500 companies are. If you liked NAFTA, you are going to love the TPP.

Environment

Obama made disastrous decisions for the environment in terms of his appointments and his environmental agenda. His major appointees are handmaidens for oil, coal, nuclear power and natural gas, and his policies have empowered and enriched them at the expense of our communities and our environment. His nominated Van Jones, but as soon as there was the Republicans whinged the tiniest bit, he backed down. Then, he appointed Ken Salazar as Secretary of the Interior.

When the gross malfeasance of BP and a consortium of other oil related industries disregard for safety decimated thousands of families in the Gulf, the Obama administration showed a callousness toward the victims of this calamity. The Coast Guard restricted access to scientist and journalists trying to examine the damage of the spill, study the effect of dispersants. Obama let BP administer the distribution of funds to those affected, a process that has done every thing possible to minimize damages paid to the families devastated by this tragic testament to greed.

I stand unequivocally opposed to the Tar Sands and XL-Pipeline production. If you vote for Obama, then you also support the XL Pipeline.

If you support these people, you support Jill Stein.

Obama is promoting off-shore drilling in the Arctic. I cannot support a person who is supposed to represent me blithely ignoring that repeating the tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico in the treacherous Arctic Seas is just a matter of time. I agree to a degree with those that argue that it is up to the people to put pressure on him after he is elected to stop drilling in the pristine Arctic, but isn't that why we elected him? Nobody says Shell must have a big protest to get a seat at the President's table.

If you truly oppose drilling in the arctic, you support Jill Stein.

Obama's support “clean” coal will impact the health of our communities throughout the nation. Coal shipped from across the nation will be exported from Oregon. Sulphur, mercury, and other contaminants will spill into our water and our air. These poisons will enter the bodies of our children while they are undergoing complex metabolic changes resulting debilitating birth defects, physical and mental health problems, problems learning, and cancers.

Nuclear Power

Obama unequivocally supports nuclear power. Can you spell Fukushima? If you support Obama, then you support expanding nuclear power, and upgrading our entire nuclear arsenal. If not, then vote for Jill Stein.

Social Security

Obama said (I paraphrase), "Governor Romney and I have similar positions on Social Security." Obama has proved his willingness to be a spineless negotiator, and will negotiate away our earned retirement pension.

Have you noticed how Obama has not mentioned raising the minimum wage in this campaign? Ask yourself why not?

Has Obama supported forgiving student loans? Why not?

If you want to make a vote based on fear, then fear what Obama and Romney agree on. Those areas of agreement will have a far greater impact on your daily life than will the areas where they purport to disagree.

Jesus did not work out a deal that was 'pragmatic', or 'reasonable'. Those are the words used by the elites, so that you will see the practicality in accepting 1.1% of the crumbs rather than 1%. They want you to see the logic that they need the whole loaf in order for you to be properly fed.

My choice is based on who will most act like Jesus. Jesus did not compromise with the money-changers in the temple; he grabbed a bull-whip and drove them out.

My conscience as a Christian compels me to vote for Jill Stein, and not for one who will compromise with the money-changers.

Don’t trust me; trust yourself. Take this quiz, make sure to click on “Show more questions” to see all the choices, and decide for yourself who really represents you.

In the Spirit,

Mark Baldwin

Prologue: God's commands are universal.  They don't just apply to individuals.  They apply to governments and businesses too.


Deuteronomy 10:18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.

Deuteronomy 14:28-29 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

Deuteronomy 15:7-8 If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.

Deuteronomy 15:11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.

Joshua 1:14-15 ...You are to help your brothers until the LORD gives them rest, as he has done for you...

1 Samuel 2:7-8 The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.

Nehemiah 9:15 But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.

Job 5:15-16 He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth; he saves them from the clutches of the powerful. So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.

Job 24:5 Like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go about their labor foraging their food; the wasteland provides food for their children.

Psalm 9:9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

Psalm 9:18 But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.

Psalm 12:5 "Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says the LORD. "Then I will protect them from those who malign them."

Psalm 17:14 You still the hunger of those you cherish; their sons have plenty, and they store up wealth for their children.

Psalm 22:26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise him.

Psalm 35:10 "You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them."

Psalm 37:25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

Psalm 72:4 He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.

Psalm 72:12-14 For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.

Psalm 82:3-4 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

Psalm 102:17 He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.

Psalm 107:9 … for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

Psalm 109:31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him.

Psalm 113:7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap.

Psalm 140:12 I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.

Psalm 145:14-18 The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

Psalm 146:7-9 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free, the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

Proverbs 3:27-28 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow" — when you now have it with you.

Proverbs 10:3 The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

Proverbs 11:24-25 One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Proverbs 14:20-21 The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends. He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.

Proverbs 14:31 He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

Proverbs 19:17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.

Proverbs 22:9 A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

Proverbs 22:16 He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich — both come to poverty.

Proverbs 22:22-23 Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.

Proverbs 28:27 He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.

Proverbs 31:8-9 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."

Proverbs 31:20 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.

Isaiah 1:17 Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

Isaiah 10:1-3 Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches?

Isaiah 14:30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety.

Isaiah 25:4 You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.

Isaiah 41:17-18 "The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs."

Isaiah 58:6-11

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter — when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

"Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.

"The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."

Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

Jeremiah 22:3 "This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place."

Jeremiah 22:16 "He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD.

Lamentations 4:4 Because of thirst the infant's tongue sticks to the roof of its mouth; the children beg for bread, but no one gives it to them.

Ezekiel 16:49 "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy."

Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Zechariah 7:9-10 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.'"

Matthew 6:3-4 "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Matthew 25:34-40

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

Matthew 26:11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.

Mark 14:7 "The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me."

Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed."

Luke 6:20 Looking at his disciples he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."

Luke 6:36 "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."

Luke 14:12-14 Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

John 12:8 "You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."

Acts 20:35 "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

Romans 12:13 Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Romans 15:1-2 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

1 Corinthians 10:24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

2 Corinthians 8:2-4, 7

Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.

But just as you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us — see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

2 Corinthians 9:6-13

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." Now he who supplies seed to the shower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity wil result in thanksgiving to God.

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.

1 Timothy 5:3 Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need.

James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

James 2:5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?

James 2:15-17 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

1 John 3:17-18 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.