“Christians for Obama” (and “McCain Haters for McCain”)

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I’ve been really troubled by how many people (including some close friends) have said that you can’t be a Christian and vote for Obama.  Yeah, Obama is wrong on abortion.  But as important as the abortion issue is, it’s not the ONLY issue. I can understand how some Christians may weigh all of the issues (including the war, poverty, etc.) and decide to vote for Obama.  

For example, on Thursday the New York Times (I promise I read other stuff, too) ran an article with a picture of three small children who were killed by American bombs in Afghanistan, along with at least 30 other civilians.  It’s heart-wrenching–you can see it here.  I’m not trying to equate abortion victims with civilian victims of war–on the contrary, I think that there are significant differences there.  But I do think that the war is one of many examples of important issues (along with abortion) that Christians must weigh when choosing a candidate.  I can see how Christians, who value life, might weigh all of the issues in this election and end up voting for Obama–even without agreeing with (or trying to rationalize) his flawed position on abortion.

Even though I’ll probably vote for McCain (do they have bumper stickers that say “McCain Haters for McCain”?), I think it’s reckless and misguided to label someone as a heretic simply because he or she decides to vote another way (especially considering that neither of our choices in this election is all that appealing).  Since both parties’ platforms are significantly deficient, shouldn’t Christians have grace for other Christians who come to a different decision when selecting whom to vote for?  Do we really want to tie the Gospel so closely to a single candidate or political party?

Curious for your thoughts.