Sarah Palin: A New Twist in the Debate on Mothers - Dr. Paul J. Dean

When Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska was introduced as a vice-presidential pick, she was presented as a magnet for female voters, the epitome of everymom appeal. But since then, as mothers across the country supervise the season’s final water fights and pack book bags, some have voiced the kind of doubts that few male pundits have dared raise on television. With five children, including an infant with Down syndrome and, as the country learned Monday, a pregnant 17-year-old, Ms. Palin has set off a fierce argument among women about whether there are enough hours in the day for her to take on the vice presidency, and whether she is right to try. It’s the Mommy Wars: Special Campaign Edition. But this time the battle lines are drawn inside out, with social conservatives, usually staunch advocates for stay-at-home motherhood, mostly defending her, while some others, including plenty of working mothers, worry that she is taking on too much. “How is this really going to work?” said Karen Shopoff Rooff, an independent voter, personal trainer and mother of two in Austin, Tex. “I don’t care whether she’s the mother or the father; it’s a lot to handle,” she said, adding that Ms. Palin’s lack of national experience would only make her road more difficult.

read entire article

There is no doubt that Sarah Palin has energized the conservative base of the Republican party and rightly so. In terms of her ideology and determination to govern in accordance with her values, if elected, she will be perhaps the closest thing to Ronald Regan the Republicans have put in the executive branch since him.

Governor Palin has also thrilled evangelicals. For the first time in quite a while, they along with other conservatives in the Republican party are truly excited about a Presidential election. Outsiders need look no further than her Down’s Syndrome baby, a living symbol of her commitment to the dignity of all human life, to see why they are exuberant. The only thing better would be to see her at the top of the ticket.

At the same time, too often evangelicals are prone to see through enculturated eyes. While the out of wedlock pregnancy of Governor Palin’s seventeen year old daughter can and does happen to the best of Christian parents, and while such a situation does not spell hypocrisy, two issues should give Christians pause.

First, though surely there have been some, I have not heard one Christian leader call Bristol Palin’s action sin. That does not mean that one should not vote for Governor Palin. That does not mean that Bristol cannot and should not be forgiven by God and her parents if there is genuine repentance. That does not mean that love and support should not be offered from her family: it should. But, it does mean that Christians should want to hear from their leaders an acknowledgement of sin in the discussion. They should want that message and the forgiveness that is to be had in Christ to go forth for the sake of the gospel. To my great disappointment, what I have heard from far too many Christian leaders is how this situation makes Governor Palin more appealing politically, how it humanizes her, and how Bristol is in a committed relationship. These are sentiments one would expect from party hacks and not servants of Christ.

Second, while the Scripture does not strictly forbid women, married women, or married women with children from working outside the home, it is clear that the home is their primary responsibility. Can Sarah Palin fulfill her biblical responsibility to her husband, her five children, including one new born with Down’s Syndrome, and one unmarried teenaged daughter who is pregnant, and serve as Vice-President? It is not unjust to raise the issue as many evangelical leaders have indicated. While it is certainly hypocritical for feminists to raise the issue, it is obligatory for Christians to do so. We must at least wrestle with Titus 2:5 wherein wives are commanded to be keepers at home. We can’t simply dismiss it. Once again, the rhetoric from Christian ministers is astounding.

Politically speaking, the Sarah Palin pick was a stroke of genius from John McCain and she is well-deserving of support apart from him. At the same time, Christians must learn that government, politics, and who wins the presidency are not ultimate. There are things that are far more important. Moreover, government will not save us or this nation. If this nation is to be changed, it will be changed by the church being the church. Sometimes that means doing what is not politically expedient that the power and glory of God might be put on display.