Some people believe politics and religion don’t mix. The Bible provides enough evidence to prove that God doesn’t feel that way. He used Esther to help the king uncover a corrupt plot to harm her fellow Hebrews living in the land. He used Daniel to influence the king to the benefit of the Jews in captivity. He used Elijah to confront the evil of Jezebel and Ahab. He used the prophet Nathan to speak truth to power. Fifty-six of our Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence which declared that our rights come from God our Creator and not the dictates of a monarch. They fought a war and established a new nation on this principle of right coming from God and not government. Our Founders had no problem mixing religion with politics. In fact, they saw them as inseparable.
We think of Christians as people who are devoted to doing good and would not want to hurt America. Christians are not hurting America because they are doing something that is sinister with malcontent. They are hurting America because far too many are simply not voting on election day. The Baptist Press reports that 30 million Christians are choosing not to vote.
Lack of participation in the political process by Christians is harming America by making it possible for liberal policies contrary to biblical principles to win the day and shape our culture. It creates a hostile environment to the Christian faith and makes it difficult for the Christian message to gain traction in a relativistic society. Studies show that the evangelical Christian vote goes 80 percent for conservative candidates who are pro-life, pro-traditional marriage (between a man and a woman), opposed to transgender advancement, opposed to leniency on criminal activity and weak law enforcement.
If just half of these 30 million would vote in elections, it would make a great difference. If Christians showed up at the polls and voted their Christian values, the liberal Democrats would not control the House of Representatives, the Senate or the White House. Republicans are no candidates for sainthood, but they give ear to the Christian voice and consider their input on the formation of policy.
Christians are to be good stewards and that includes wisely using their vote to put leaders in office who are sympathetic to values that honor the Judeo-Christian principles on which our nation was founded. The Bible clearly proclaims standards that are opposed to abortion, same sex marriage, transgender advocacy and partiality in administering justice. A Christian does not honor his or her faith when voting for a candidate who embraces policies that are adverse to biblical principles and God’s absolutes or does not vote at all. James 4:17 (NIV) states, “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”
When I was in high school and college in the 1960’s both parties were pro-life, both were for traditional marriage between a man and a woman, neither made transgender an issue and the separation of church and state had not yet been twisted to suppress religion. It is far different today. The Democrat Party champions abortion, the LBGTQ agenda, soft approach to crime and release of prisoners, along with an open border policy that allows for an increase of crime, drug trafficking, sex trafficking and places an undue burden on our social services. If Christians vote their values, they cannot vote for a Democrat candidate at any level. Christians who do not vote their values give evil a chance to prevail. This is hurts America and makes for an uncertain future for our children.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord… Psalms 33:12 (NIV)