The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith
Christians and the Vote
Today I need to sidetrack for a time-sensitive issue. In just three and a half weeks we have the opportunity to participate in a very important aspect of our American citizenship. The upcoming elections gives each of us our say regarding laws and representatives in the legislative and executive branches of federal and state government. I have heard too many American citizens say they don’t vote because what difference does one vote make anyway? In Lassen County alone there were only 22% of registered voters who cast their ballots in the primary elections last summer. Think what a different outcome might have been if 100% of registered voters had voted?
We as Christians are called to serve God as ambassadors of His kingdom here on earth (2 Cor. 5:20-21). Part of that ambassadorship is the demonstration of thoughtful, prayerful citizenship in whatever country of earth we abide (see Matt. 22:17-21). Voting in the elections is only part of our citizenship in the United States. The framers of our Declaration of Independence, and of the Constitution which is the law of the land, clearly understood the role of God in the destiny and fabric of their newly-formed nation and government. Repeatedly they demonstrated this in their writings. In the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence, for instance, they wrote:
“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitles them . . .
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights . . .
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor”
As Christians, we “are the salt of the earth. But if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick. And it gives light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt 5:13-16). Without the salt and light of the participation of Christians in elections that have been increasingly fraught with moral issues in recent years, the outcomes become decidedly and increasingly hostile to the Christian values on which our nation was founded.
Although the upcoming election is a “midterm” election, it is an extremely important one in the current climate of sharply divided, unethical politics and of cultural hostility towards God, Christian testimony, and morality in the public square. I believe this to be among the most important elections of my lifetime. Please prayerfully vote on November 6.
Finally, Colossians 4:5-6 instructs us to “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” This holds true for sharing God’s Word with the people around you. But it also holds true in our everyday pursuits like political discussion. We are called to be courteous (“always with grace, seasoned with salt,”) and to show the love of Christ even towards people who are being indoctrinated with lies to do us harm at every turn. As Matthew 5:44 says, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
Update/Prayer Request: Praise God for the apparently effective antibiotic that Dan is taking right now. It has significantly reduced his drainage and breathing problems, allowing him to sleep more soundly. He is still quickly exhausted but improving. His physical therapy is causing improvement and increased strength to his shoulders and arms, as well, which means he is not likely to need surgery for his shoulders after all. His next step is to see a specialist about probable nerve damage in his neck that is hindering his left arm from full recovery. While Dan is no longer bothered by on-going chest pain from our collision except when he coughs or sneezes, I still have significant, but diminishing, chest pain from the fractured sternum. Thank you for your continued prayers on our behalf.
