Dear Friends,
As the Founders of this great country believed in dual citizenship (here on earth we are citizens of America but most importantly we are citizens in Heaven – Hebrews 11:16), so I also believe that God has placed us here in America for such a time as this.
Did you know there is no biblical model whereby God explicitly demands His ministers to be silent or to separate themselves from civil leaders or issues?
In fact, I would argue that God expected His people to be active in the political affairs of a given country. Below are just a few individuals in Scripture who participated in the political process.
Godly people speaking against bad policies:
- Elijah confronted King Ahab and Queen Jezebel over issues, such as their unjust use of eminent domain and religious persecution (1 Kings 18:18; 21:1-24).
- Isaiah confronted King Hezekiah over national security failures and issues related to the treasury (2 Kings 20:12-19; Isaiah 39:1-8).
- John the baptist confronted King Herod over his divorce and marriage (Matthew 14:1-4; Mark 6:17-18) and civil leaders for their hypocrisy (Matthew 3:7).
Godly people partnered with civil leaders to provide sound guidance in constructing good policies:
- Ezra gave counsel on marriage measures (Ezra 9:1-3; 10:2-12), and Governor Nehemiah implemented that counsel into public policy (Nehemiah 8; 13:23-31).
- Paul provided civil leaders with guidance during times of impending disaster and natural calamity (Acts 27:9-44).
- Jeremiah provided military guidance to King Zedekiah (Jeremiah 21:1-10).
As Charles Finney, a famous minister in the Second Great Awakening, warned,
“The Church must take ground in regard to politics…The time has come that Christians must vote… God cannot sustain this free and blessed country which we love and pray for unless the Church will take right ground. Politics are a part of a religion in such a country as this and Christians must do their duty to the country as a part of their duty to God.” (Lectures on Revivals of Religion, New York: Leavitt, Lord & Co., 1835)
Because I believe God’s truth is applicable in every avenue of life, why would we not follow the example of the many other godly men and women throughout Scripture as it pertains to taking civic action?
About six months ago, I heard a great thing about the difference between a Conservative and a Nationalist. What’s the difference? A Nationalist wakes up in the morning and asks, “What can I do today that is best for America?” A Conservative wakes up in the morning and asks, “What is the most important issue I will fight for today that supports our Constitution?”
As a Christ follower we ought to vote for the person closest to Biblical truth. We ought to desire to defend and stand for what is morally and biblically true for both the public and private spheres.
I am a Christ follower first and have also been a Conservative Nationalist for most of my adult life. I have always attempted to vote first for the most biblically based candidate, and secondly for one who considers what is best for this country. Granted, this is not easy and in some cases there is not a large selection, or even enough information to make an intelligent decision. Regardless, I do my best to find out where the candidates stand on various issues. We must remember that we are not voting to see who will be the next lead pastor of our local church. It would be great if we had outstanding Christians running for office who not only had strong biblical character, but also demonstrated the skill to lead effectively (Exodus 18:21).
Sadly, Conservatives are traditionally one-issue voters. Take abortion for example. If a particular candidate did not share my exact views about abortion, it would not mean that I would never vote for him or her. I have always sought to vote for the best person whom I feel most closely aligns with biblical instruction. I personally hate abortion and fought against it during all of my 30+ years serving as Senior Pastor of our church. I encouraged people in our church to sign petitions during our Sunday services and to register to vote. One week 200 people registered. Unfortunately, across all of Oregon only a handful of pastors took this type of action. I also made sure we passed out the Christian Voters’ Guide to help our people be informed about the candidates and issues. Christians at times feel their vote doesn’t count, but if all Christians would vote we could change the direction of our country.
Whatever we do as Americans and as Christians, we must vote! Some of my Christian friends do not agree and simply choose not to vote. As a result, progressives have won and the laws and legislation in the State of Oregon are currently demonstrating a very non-biblical persuasion. This is deeply grievous to me and I believe that, in large measure, we are getting what we deserve. Thousands upon thousands of conservative Christians in our state and nation have chosen not to vote in previous elections. Because of this refusal, well-qualified candidates have lost elections and judges have been elected that have done greater damage to our state and nation. In my opinion, to decide not to vote is a direct disregard for the great freedoms we possess both as Christians and Americans. People around the world are envious of our freedom.
PLEASE VOTE AND DO NOT NEGLECT YOUR GREAT POWER TO RENDER YOUR OPINION!
In Christ,
Dale
dale@daleebel.org