“Since it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the times.” – Esther 1:13 NIV
As Christ followers, we ought to able to “understand the times” in which we live. This requires that we become salt and light in the broader society and not only our own private faith and walk with Christ.
In 2016 the young men I meet with asked me to render my opinion about the general election that was coming in November 2016. In August I wrote my personal opinion and gave it to them and sent it to others as well. The people who read it were overwhelming positive and wished they had it sooner so they could have sent it to more people.
If you wish to receive one let me know and I will send it to you.
I have chosen to write another opinion about the up-coming midterms.
Since the election of Donald Trump in 2016 the radical differences between the Democratic-Progressive platform and the Republican platform have become evident to me. I understand that the Libertarian Party also has a role to play in this election but from my perspective the best changes of winning are to side with either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party.
Once again I speak here as a citizen of the United States.
Some pundits have stated that this is the year of the woman. Actually, I think it is the year of two women:
The Statue of Liberty poised in the New York harbor and Lady Justice that stands at the entrances of many courthouses across America.
The Statue of Liberty’s torch lights the way to freedom showing us the path to liberty.
Freedom and liberty mean pretty much the same thing except liberty carries with it one particular irrevocable nuance of profound implication—it has everything to do with the source. The founding fathers acknowledge that liberty was an “inalienable right” granted to us by our Creator. Freedom is something that a government grants, which means it can be taken away, liberty is something we own that a government cannot take away.
Lady Justice is blindfolded, holding a sword and a balance scale. She is blindfolded because justice does not regard skin color, wealth, sex or ones ethnicity when rendering a decision. The sword represents the authority to judge rightly, and the scale is a symbol of the weight of objective evidence, which is the final arbitrator of truth.
Both liberty and justice are at stake in the coming mid-terms and in the elections in the next years!
Contrary to what we hear, the great American divide is not a clash between conservatives who advocate liberty and progressives who oppose liberty. Rather, the two sides each affirm a particular type of liberty.
One side, for example, cherishes economic liberty while the other champion’s liberty in the sexual and social domains. It is also not a clash between patriots and anti-patriots. On either side you have those who love America, but they love a different type of America. One side loves the America of Columbus and the Fourth of July, of innovation and hard work, personal achievement, and an adventurous spirit that takes risks based on the free-market system of capitalism. The other side loves Socialism (government owned businesses, healthcare, and educational institutions).
One party loves the America of a new-tolerance, (you MUST tolerate and embrace those of other opinions and lifestyles), social entitlements, of income and wealth redistribution, affirmative action and abortion, of feminism, gay marriage and gender adjustments. The other side loves the America of the Boy Scouts, parochial schools, traditional families, and marriage between a man and a woman. This side desires legal merit-based immigration, assimilation of new arrivals that are expected to learn our English language and support our Constitution. They also believe that our borders must be secure because they will aid in keeping out illegal immigrants, drugs, gangs and shameful criminals. One side loves the America of sanctuary cities, (even if they harbor criminals), food stamps for millions, schools and universities that teach our kids gender blending, Marxism, and boycotting conservative speech. The other side loves the America that rests the power in the hands of the “people” not the elites in Washington. One-side values the life of the unborn, acknowledging at conception a child is a person, while the other promotes abortion on demand relegating human life to a fetus not a child.
If patriotism isn’t the dividing line, neither is American exceptionalism. Again, both sides believe America is exceptional but one side believes America is exceptionally evil. One group considers America the good society; the other considers America the evil colonial power that has dominated the world.
One side believes America is great because of theft; we stole the land from the Indians, and Mexicans, and obtained our wealth on the backs of slaves. The other side supports the premise that people’s success ought to be based on personal achievement and merit. This side believes that equality of rights permits inequality of outcomes and success.
The Declaration of Independence does not mean we are equal in endowments, only in rights. Equality of rights not only permits for inequality of results but it provides the moral justification for inequality of levels of success.
One side will argue for globalism in which other countries are allowed to exercise global justice over America. This side wishes to reduce the influence of the United States as a super-power and establish a plurality of centers of power around the world.
There is a clear choice this coming election. Vote for the person or party that is CLOSET to what the Bible teaches. Remember we are not selecting a Pastor but a candidate or party that will be placed into the leadership role to help lead this great country.
I refer you to Exodus 18:21
“Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able [people of valor, courage, strength], men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place [these] over them [as] leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.” Exodus 18:21 NASB
I have taken numerous opportunities to communicate these traits to Christians and not-yet-Christians alike. Here are the four questions we ought to be asking others and ourselves about the leaders we elect:
- Are they skilled, that is, are they capable to serve with courage, strength and resolve?
- Are they God fearing? A basic belief in the supremacy of God.
- Will they not take bribes? Corruption destroys societies.
- Do they have a pattern of doing the right? Do they consistently tell the truth? They will not bat a 1,000 but are they attempting to live by a righteous, moral compass?
It has often been said that in order to successfully run for president of the United States, a person has to have the requisite “fire in the belly.” In a 1776 letter to a fellow revolutionary, John Adams, later to be the second president of the United States, wrote:
“The management of so complicated and mighty a machine, as the United Colonies, requires the Meekness of Moses, the Patience of Job and the wisdom of Solomon, added to the Valor of Daniel.” (John Adams to James Warren, April 22, 1776).
Meekness does not mean weakness but it does mean a submission to what is right and good. Submission to evil is not good nor is it moral. Valor (great courage in the face of danger) is probably THE most important trait of goodness. God-fearing people accomplish great feats for God while being cowardly only empowers evil people to do more evil. Today it seems we seek intelligence and knowledge more then wisdom. Knowing what right ought to be done and when it ought to be done is true wisdom.
Oh Lord, may our leaders seek wisdom!
Three more vital questions we ought to ask ourselves are: Will we vote? Will we encourage others (including your church) to vote? And will we vote for the party that is the closest to what the Bible teaches?
Please don’t sit on the sidelines and not vote!
If you value what I have written send this on to others who might find this information informative. Develop your own take on the coming election and send out emails to everyone on your lists. Tweet, instagram, post on facebook, and talk to your small group gatherings in your churches and in your Bible studies, talk to your pastor and pass this information on to others.
I am reminding you that the Great Commission, Matthew 28:19, says to make disciples of “all nations” which are “people groups” not just individuals. It is one thing to bring individuals to Christ and it is another thing to bring a culture to Christ and His Kingdom principles. Let’s do it one person at a time.
In Christ,
Dale