#morethanredandblue: The Election Series

To continue cultivating a conscientious voting outlook that looks beyond red and blue, beyond partisan lines and party affiliations, and beyond liberal or conservative ideologies, I plan to post regularly on the ongoing public statements and actions of the campaigns to continue vetting them for their alignment or dissonance with Catholic Social Teaching.

In the interest of full disclosure, as well as being a Catholic, politically, I am an independent, and ideologically, I am a moderate. Any perceived bias toward a particular party does not come from a previously existing affiliation or inclination. I vote split ticket regularly; for example, I have voted for Senator Kirk (R-IL) and Senator Durbin (D-IL), and I have voted for President Obama (D-2008) and Governor Romney (R-2012).

I am not a political expert, though I am a casual follower of politics and have some education in political science. This will not be a venue to look at the politicians' full history, to do in-depth examinations of their voting records, or to delve into the minutiae of campaign strategies and math. Rather, as a pastoral minister and a theologian, I want to filter the ongoing activities of the campaigns through social teaching to help Catholics and people of good will vet these candidates. My hope is that by keeping up with the campaigns of the presidential nominees that I can help Catholic voters to be fully conscientious in determining which candidate to vote for.

I will primarily consider the Catholic Social Teachings of the Church, with an eye especially to the consistent ethic of life, and secondarily to who will bring integrity to the office in a way that builds collaboration in global solidarity. As I review the public comments of the campaigns, I will also try to keep active on Twitter in sharing briefer sentiments and retweeting relevant articles that can help us discern well. I'll include those links in the regular posts here as well.

For starters, here are the bases for the #morethanredandblue series. These could be handy leading up to Election Day. To kick off this series, I'll offer you an in-depth look at the acceptance speeches of Mr. Pence, Mr. Trump, Mr. Kaine, and Mrs. Clinton; I will also do a brief introduction to some basics of the Libertarian and Green Parties' campaigns.

The calls of Christ in the 7 themes of Catholic Social Teaching #morethanredandblue pic.twitter.com/zqR2nKf7IR

— Dan Masterton (@jesusandchicago) July 21, 2016

Thoughts on discerning your vote... I challenge you to pray hard and take a stand! #morethanredandblue pic.twitter.com/RaRYHn1XyZ

— Dan Masterton (@jesusandchicago) July 21, 2016