These people are creepin' me out.

[Nonhlanhla]

20. As someone who knows Evanglicalspeak

this actually freaks me out less than some of the "Bernie is God's chosen one" things I've seen on DU. In evangelical Christianity to be Christlike implies that you are virtuous after the manner of Christ, not that you are somehow to be worshiped or that you are special or anything. It is based on the idea that the practical Christian life consists of the imitatio Christi: striving to be loving and kind, caring towards the poor, etc. Bernie's agenda does have some of those characteristics (the candidate himself not always). So "Christlike" refers to exemplifying cardinal Christian virtues, not being somehow semi-divine.

It is not a bad measurement for choosing a political candidate, but a lot depends on one's understanding of the cardinal Christian virtues. Many evangelicals are socially conservative and emphasize traditional gender roles, opposition to abortion, etc. as central to their faith. Hence their preference for candidates like Cruz who horrify the rest of us. For progressive Christians choosing a candidate who represents what we consider the cardinal Christian virtues (care for the poor, etc.) usually means choosing a Democrat. To me, the Democrats are the most "Christlike" in the sense of representing what I consider to be cardinal virtues. This does not require the candidate to be Christian or even to be particularly moral in every aspect of their life, but just to represent values that are important to me as a progressive Christian. From that perspective, I can see where a talk title like that might come from.

For me personally, choosing a candidate based on my Christian values also include looking at their overall record, and their ability to actually achieve what they've set out to achieve. I also happen to be a feminist Christian, so I look at gender issues as well. In the end my concern is that the candidate should bring about the most stability and prosperity for those who are socially and economically vulnerable. So "most Christlike" is not quite the language I would use, but being informed by the Christian values that I hold as cardinal I choose the Democratic Party, and this cycle I've chosen Hillary as the one who would best serve the interests of people.