Posted on 10/30/2014 1:04:56 PM PDT by Kaslin
In polite society, you’re not supposed to talk about politics, sex, or religion. Sorry, but this column will discuss all three, directly or indirectly.
In America, we get the kind of government we deserve. Is this the best we can do?
There certainly is a big divide in how we approach politics, even among well-meaning Christians.
I was asked to speak at our church recently, and the title was given to me: “To vote or not to vote?” Are you serious? How can we not vote? We’re in such a mess because we haven’t been voting our values. I believe voting is imperative for the follower of Jesus.
Jesus said that we are to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s (Mark 12:17). Surely, included in rendering unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s would include voting.
It’s our duty to cast a ballot. It’s also our privilege. I know a man personally who risked his life with six other Cubans to flee the communist island. They rowed for 48 long hours in a rickety row boat with a hole in it. One of them had to bail out the water all the time. After a while, their fingers were bleeding, but they finally made it to the Bahamas.
My Cuban friend is glad to be an American and is a patriot. He wouldn’t think of not voting.
Historically, Christians in America applied their faith to virtually every sphere of life, including politics. While the founding fathers were not all Christians, the vast majority of them were, and virtually all of them had a biblical worldview. As historian Donald S. Lutz said of the founding fathers (even the unorthodox amongst them), “they knew the Bible down to their fingertips.”
So, for example, they divided power, since they knew man is sinful. James Madison, one of the key architects of the Constitution, noted: "All men having power ought not to be trusted." This is a biblical perspective. Sometimes people complain that the Constitution limits the amount of power any one single branch may have. That was by design---lest we have tyranny from one man or from an oligarchy.
When we vote biblical values, we obey what the Lord would have us do. Jesus is not on the ballot, so ultimately we are voting for a sinner. But the question is, Where do those sinners stand on key issues?
Too often, Christians seem to be waiting for the perfect candidates and can’t bring themselves to vote for someone with many (but not all) right views. We need to vote for the available candidates with the best views, rather than waiting for the perfect candidate who’s not coming.
There are some Christians who are so upset with the current crop of politicians that they may sit this election out. But their non-vote is a vote---a vote for someone with whom they probably would disagree vehemently.
There are many lesser known candidates and amendments that will likely be on the ballot. It behooves us to learn a Christian perspective on these, before we go and vote.
Where do the candidates stand on abortion? On traditional marriage? On religious freedom? On fiscal responsibility? On educational issues? All of these are addressed by the Bible.
Speaking of fiscal responsibility, Proverbs 13:22 says, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.” Yet today, as one person has said: “Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren.” I agree with that sentiment.
Who said it? Senator Barack Obama in 2006. Too bad as president, he has racked up a bill that seems beyond the reach of even our grandchildren to pay off.
In this country, which had such a godly foundation, we currently have the opportunity to vote our biblical values. But if we continue to lose our freedoms and fall prey to tyrannical government, ultimately, we will only have ourselves to blame.
My long-time pastor, the late D. James Kennedy, Ph.D. said this about Christians and politics in general: “I remember 20 years ago, a Christian said to me, ‘You don’t really believe that Christians should get active in politics do you?’ And I said, with tongue in cheek, ‘Why, of course not, we ought to leave it to the atheists, otherwise, we wouldn’t have anything to complain about. And we’d really rather complain than do something, wouldn’t we?’”
Look at the mess we’re in because many Christians have neglected this duty. Five Houston pastors were having their communications subpoenaed by the mayor because they had spoken out against the bill allowing a man to use the ladies’ room! Their emails and text messages had been demanded, to see what they have said anything against this bill.
Commenting on that case initiated by the lesbian mayor of our nation’s 4th largest city, in his Mike Huckabee News (10/19/14), he comments: “Why has this happened? It’s mainly because good church going Christians don’t vote and don’t care.”
It is a privilege to vote. It is our Christian duty to vote. So vote your biblical values. If enough evangelicals and conservative Catholics showed up and voted biblical values, we could carry this election---and virtually every election. Our nation’s founders pledged their lives, their fortunes, and the sacred honor to give us our freedom. The least we could do is vote---and vote our values.
'You people', you people, etc...
vile disgusting pap.
your masters bidding.
you party hacks.
'You people', vile, disgusting, hacks, WOW.
you willfully overlook the fact that elections are now decided by fraud, deceit and illegal voting.
Yeah, I forgot about that every time I created my anti-illegal and anti-illegal voting animations and spoke out against them!
we have people like you right here on FR jointing the Democrats to blame Conservatives who actually ACT and LIVE by their principles, rather than betraying them.
I live and act by my principles everyday, and am a good person. I don't call people names either. Have you bothered to read the Religious forums lately? Christians bashing Christians isn't a 'good thing'.
Your prescription is just more of the same crap I've heard for the last 30 years from the GOP.
Reagan was President 30 years ago.
And times since were never like what we have now.
Speaking of Christians voting, I think the current lukewarm, indecisive, self-serving, culture-surrendering and corrupt GOP Ruling Class leadership is an accurate reflection of what the Christian church in America has become.
Microcosms of one another.
A pastor was once asked if he vote for the devil if the devil ran as a republican. The pastor replied, “Well certainly not in the primary!”
Good god! The old lesser of two evils..prayer?
I just wanted to make sure, because there are some who believe Catholics are not Christians. (Not here in FR though thank God)
Pretty pathetic attempt to spin what I wrote.
YOU blamed Conservatives for ‘allowing Obama to win’. That indeed is vile pap, just as insulting as tossing f-bombs our way.
With all the fraud now institutionalized, that you even dare to blame principled Conservatives who refused to vote for the Establishment stooges and therefore responsible for Obama ‘winning’ is beyond disgusting. Your party and Establishment candidates give us no reason to cast a vote FOR them - so why should we??
You might think times since Reagan were not like what we have now, but we did not get here overnight. We got here because Conservatives (myself included) bought the same arguments people like you are throwing out now and we kept voting for liberal Statists, one after another simply because of the letter after their name.
They greased the skids for where we are now, and when listening to what the leadership says they are going to do when they ‘win’ control - it doesn’t matter whether or not Reid still controls the Senate. NOTHING is going to change from where it is now, and they have already TOLD US this in advance.
Lol, all the words in bold were your quotes!
[You might think times since Reagan were not like what we have now, but we did not get here overnight.]
You must have missed my first post, or maybe the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th - where I stated that the democrat/communist/socialist spent decades working to achieve their goal.
Obviously the 'true conservatives', you keep speaking of, won't do that.
The rest of your comments are a rehash of your former post. Have a nice day, I'm through listening to rants and rudeness.......and now I notice your 'tagline'!! ugh!
Completely out of context in which they were given to spin my post as an ad hominem.
Rovians are notorious for such behaviors are consultants for MarxoFascists.
now I notice your 'tagline'!! ugh!
Yes. Quotes from the Founding Fathers can be upsetting to the weak in constitution and principle.
missing a word in the previous: “Rovians are notorious for such behaviors *AS* are consultants for MarxoFascists.
It is a denomination whose voters are mostly democrat voters though.
See post 17, it depends on which Christians, from what denominations.
Unless Jesus Christ Himself was on the ballot, the choices will ALWAYS be a lesser of two evils.
I will vote every time for whichever candidate will cause the least evil to flourish. It is very simple...
“Man is sinful. Always vote the least sinful.”
Thank you. I said almost the same thing but you did so more elegantly :-)
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
- John Adams
My nose still hurts. I ain’t abusing it again.
This is the same every voting cycle. First come the appeals to logic. Then the appeals to emotion. Then the threats. Then the appeals to faith and patriotism.
The begging should start in earnest over the weekend. That’s my favorite part.
As for the current phase, Christians have zero duty to vote at all, let alone to vote for the party of Nero over the party of Caligula.
No, we are ALL guilty and derelict of duty in the church for the condition our culture is in. Our Founders warned us where we now find ourselves should the church no longer influence society.
We lost the culture first before the tyranny of men became institutionalized in defacto law and judicial fiat. A righteous people who truly believed what they paid lip service to in church would never have allowed hedonists to drive them into silence and sit idle as Communism and Marxists take control of everything.
A way of life and belief does not limit opposition to evil to the voting booth where they think casting votes for Republicans who are just as complicit in our devolution as the Democrat Marxists are, is all the faith requires.
The culture that now exists in this country is an indictment of the church itself in America - and it does not depend on whom or what. You may not like that fact, but it’s the plain truth whether you want to admit it or not.
Mustard seeds can do mighty things, but the church in America is Laodecian lukewarm at best or Sardis dead. What remains of the faithful is a scattered remnant that needs to be ready to endure what is to come without losing their faith.
Anyone who votes for baby-murderers only IMAGINES he is a “Christian.”
People can and will go to hell for being STUPID. There is such a thing as culpable stupidity.
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