FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO)— A recently released report from the Christian Employers Alliance has drawn attention in Indiana after it evaluated state lawmakers based on how closely their votes align with what the organization calls biblical principles. The report, shared widely on social media, includes a ranking of State Representative Chris Judy, who appeared on Fort Wayne’s Morning News with Kayla Blakeslee to discuss the findings.
“First of all, I had never heard of the Christian Employers Alliance until you posted that yesterday,” Judy said. “I had to dive into a little bit, go to their website. It looks like it’s some business owners, Christian business owners across the nation that are going to each state and even Congress and picking out bills that they feel that they should analyze. And then they see how we vote and then they rank us on whether they agree with whether the way we voted or not.”
Judy said he was scored at 78 percent, just below the 80 percent threshold used in the report to distinguish higher-aligned lawmakers. “I went right to the actual bills. And the first one I saw was the non-compete bill that really affected our community where we were losing a lot of doctors here in northeast Indiana because they were deciding to leave a certain hospital system and wanted to stay here and continue to work. But they couldn’t because they had to leave, I think, like a 50-mile radius,” he explained.
The report, Judy noted, cited biblical passages to support its evaluations. “That is, if you go in and you go to the analysis, they quote Matthew 20, 13 through 15. Then they have a leadership insight and then they do that with each bill,” he said.
Another topic flagged by the report was term limits. “I’ve never supported term limits. I think if we have a great U.S. senator and we continue to vote them in and they stay in, that’s up to the public and the voter. I think we have terminal limits and those are called elections,” Judy said, referencing his own experience defeating an incumbent in a primary.
Judy said the ranking may oversimplify lawmakers’ decisions. “If you’re just looking at who’s on that list and who’s not and you’re taking that as a win or loss, then you’re not getting the full picture. If you’re really looking at these, how they vote on the bills that they’re actually scoring us on and then seeing why they’re rating the way they’re rating, that gives you more context,” he said.
He also discussed how voters might approach evaluating lawmakers through the lens of faith. “You look at life issues. Protecting life for the unborn is key. You look at personal property, protecting your property rights, freedoms encompassed within our Constitution. Those are based off Christian values. As you look at your legislators and see where they stand on those issues, I think you get more context,” Judy said.
Judy described the role of prayer in the Indiana General Assembly. “There are times when we’re dealing with intense issues, we’ll be right there in our caucus. A representative will lead us in prayer before we go to the floor and start voting. We have pastors come in from each district and pray for the General Assembly,” he said.
Blakeslee noted the importance of examining lawmakers’ campaigns and public records. “You hit the nail on the head. The one thing I always look at … how we campaign. That’s where I would recommend listeners at least start,” she said.
Judy’s comments underscore the complexity of evaluating public officials based on rankings that attempt to measure religious alignment, emphasizing the importance of context behind each vote.
