For the typical follower of Jesus Christ, the born again, saved believer, we are living in trying and desperate times.
About 25 centuries ago, in very difficult times, Mordecai said to Esther, “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance
for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s
family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal
position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-14.
The Jews living in exile under the Medes and Persians were about to be annihilated under entirely false pretenses put into play by Haman the Agagite. For whatever reason, Haman hated the Jewish people and he believed he had the power to finally rid the earth of every one of them. It was a hatred that went back centuries before and was an idea that was conceived even centuries before that.
Today, we are living in similar times. Radical Muslims in positions of tyrannical leadership around the world (some even with ties or working in the corridors of the Obama administration) similarly call for the complete destruction of the Jewish state of Israel. They will stop at almost nothing.
Furthermore, these radical ideologues berate the Bible (both Old and New Testaments), and purposefully mislead and lie about their true motives. Jesus reminded us that our "yes" needed to be "yes" and our "no" "no" (Matthew 5:37), but the Islamist is actually given permission to lie when it comes to dealing with we "people of the Book"; the ideas of taqiyya and kitman (especially when it comes to advancing the cause of Islam). As Christians, the cause of Christ is advanced when we speak of the atoning death and finished work of Jesus on the Cross for all of us sinful humans and that He is the only Way to Eternal Life of which we are guaranteed through His bodily resurrection.
In my opinion, the most vocal opponents to radical Islam seem to be evangelical Christians. We've been blowing trumpets as loud as possible trying to warn our friends, neighbors and countrymen of this immanent threat to freedom and personal liberty.
As Americans, we hold our First Amendment rights very close and very dear. We realize and understand that these rights were not bestowed on us by men. Rather, these most important rights of freedom of speech, religion, thought and even with whom we associate, are bestowed on all men and women by a perfectly righteous and Holy God.
As conservatives and Christians, as people who look to the Bible (as God's Holy Word) for sanctified living as well as for a deep and continuing understanding of Who God is, and particularly as Americans, we also look to the Constitution of the United States to guide us in this pluralistic (and up until recently, tolerant) society. The Constitution provides the solid legal foundation for our entire society. The Constitution is the set of Rules that is supposed to present our government and its officials as servants of the people, not the other way around.
God granted our forefathers the wisdom, and yes even the challenge, of birthing and bringing up a nation that acknowledges Him as the ultimate provider of all that we have and all that we are. As long as we have sought Him first (His Kingdom and His Righteousness), we have prospered. God used believers in Christ living in the United States to incredibly bring the Gospel to the uttermost corners of the world. As a nation, we have been blessed and join with God in bringing economic prosperity (through individual capitalism and entrepreneurship) and hope to countless millions on every continent. Through American ingenuity and generosity, we have helped to feed the world and delivered true relief when disaster struck in far-off lands. We are living the great "American Experiment". We have nothing to be ashamed of. And we gladly share it. There is no need to apologize.
America is good (in a broad sense, we're not perfect by any means), because for most of our history, God has been at our center. However, as we continue to remove God from our midst, as we continue to be man-centered, we will eventually cease to be good. Goodness is directly tied to God; remember what Jesus told the rich young ruler in Mark 10:18, "No one is good - except God alone."
Unfortunately, for most of the past seven decades, we believers have more and more kowtowed to men instead of God. We have bought into the lie of the so-called "separation of Church and state" (found no where in the Constitution or Bill of Rights). We have allowed ourselves to be silenced by well-meaning (on the surface only) people, who call for protecting the poor or needy while at the same time calling for the wild-eyed murder of innocents, both young and old, because of a "right". Instead of standing up for what is right and Godly, we have been far too tolerant of what is evil and deviant.
Christians are the most tolerant of people. After all, we have a Savior who tolerated (and still tolerates) our individual and corporate sinfulness. We stand up - and sometimes mistakenly - for the downtrodden, the unbeliever, the Jew, the Buddhist, the gay or lesbian, even our enemy of any background because we have been instructed to Love as Jesus loves. If we appear intolerant or judgmental, we are simply being truthful in calling sin, sin. Jesus is Love, but He is also the author of Truth; He is Truth and He does not tolerate sin in any form.
So what does all of this have to do with the upcoming Presidential election on November 6, 2012? Everything.
Many Christian are openly talking about staying at home and not voting. God has given us all a responsibility. We are to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's. As a believer living in the most free society on earth, we have a responsibility to properly participate in civil government. One of those responsibilities is to VOTE. I'm tempted to call not voting a sin; a sin of omission. Willful omission (or is that now commission?).
There is a lot of open talk among evangelical Christians as to the personal beliefs of Governor Mitt Romney, Republican candidate for President. He is a Mormon; a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). Many believe (myself included) that Mormonism is not orthodox in its teaching and doctrines of the Christian faith.
This post is not a post on Mormonism versus Biblical orthodox Christianity. No, this is a post of following through with personal responsibility and voting.
But let's also take a fast walk down memory lane to the 2008 election. Could Romney have won against Barack Obama then? Most likely no. Our nation was fatigued with the Bush administration and also the fact that many Republicans had lost their conservative way because they weren't being "liked" by the media or the general public (an improper perspective promulgated by the liberal media outlets). Not only that, but Obama was "hip" as well as charismatic. He was exciting. It was easy to buy into the Obama-mania. He was supposedly from a minority group - one of the "downtrodden" and we Americans like to root for the underdog.
At that time, Dr. James Dobson, a prominent evangelical Christian leader publicly declared that he could not support a potential Romney nomination and candidacy based on his (Romney's) Mormon beliefs, and would most likely not even vote. Later, and probably too late, Dobson acknowledged that he shouldn't have made that statement. He realized, also too late, that many of his "followers" were definitely swayed by his statements. But the damage had been done. Many, perhaps millions, of Christians stayed home. They didn't vote. They sinned. Barack Obama won the election.
Since January 2009 and Obama's inauguration, our nation has been further plunged into sin. The sin of poor stewardship (reckless spending and incomprehensible deficits) of God's economic provision. The sin of continued murdering of innocents through abortion (the pre-born) or euthanasia (the sick and or elderly). The sin of wanton homosexuality and gay "marriage" (see Romans 1:18-31 for a full explanation). The sin of denying the Sovereignty of God the Father and Lordship of His Son Jesus Christ in our everyday affairs (lack of recognition of the National Day of Prayer and other Christian or Jewish celebrations). On top of all that, our leaders (including President Obama) propose protecting the "rights" of Muslims worldwide, while trampling on the rights of all others (see Obama's speech to the United Nations, September 2012).
On the international front, Obama gives and provides comfort to our enemies (for example, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt) while ignoring (at best) our friends and allies. Can someone please explain to me why he even received the Nobel Peace Prize?
Those are all reasons why I could never vote for Barack Obama or a person like him, regardless of race or beliefs. I'm not a "racist".
Is Mitt Romney my first choice for President? No. But you know what? Putting aside his Mormon beliefs, (which I believe is becoming a side show for evangelical Christians), I agree with 80% or more of his beliefs. I believe in Romney's belief that we are all individually responsible for our actions. I admire his generosity to charity (compare Romney's charitable giving to the overwhelming majority of liberals including Obama, Clinton, Reid or Biden) without recognition (that's Biblical by the way; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8). Romney has been blessed by God with wealth because he richly and willingly gives it away (then God provides more).
Like many of us, Romney's pro-life stance has been a journey. Through science, all of us have discovered that a "fetus" is much more than a mass of flesh. It is a life, made in the Image of God. Many of us have at one time agreed with abortion and a "woman's right to choose", and then we became educated. We choose life. We know that God would provide both for the mother and the innocent child.
I hate to say this but, I sometimes feel "outdone" when it comes to living a clean and pure life as compared to the Mormons that I know. It seems that they keep every part of their life circumspect. They live "biblically". Too often, my walk doesn't match my talk.
Wouldn't it be great to have a President who leads from every angle or aspect? Not only is Romney a good and prudent businessman (who always used his own or private money, not taxpayer - read that as yours - money), I believe that he truly wants to see everyone succeed; but we'll each have to work for it, it won't be simply given away. He displays leadership as a father and grandfather who loves his wife, children and grandchildren. Mitt lives morally and ethically by paying his legally due taxes (and properly taking advantage of any so-called "loopholes" that anyone would take; don't get holier than thou...). A GOOD leader serves without expecting compensation (as governor of Massachusetts and leader of the befuddled Olympic committee, Romney took no salary; he freely gave his time and his talents for the betterment of others).
All that I know is that Barack Obama is not healthy for our nation or the world. He represents everything that is wrong (ideologically) with liberalism and progressivism. Wherever these ideas have been put into place, poverty and despair follow in their wake. Individual liberties and freedoms - speech, thought, religion, association - are taken away. All you have to do is look at any socialist or communist society; they are in a shambles. Liberalism never works; it will never work.
And so, here's the bottom line for us Christians who are thinking about not voting: Is Mitt Romney for the Christian or against him (us)? I will vote this November and I will vote for Mitt Romney. He is for me and my Christian lifestyle and, I believe, worldview. Barack Obama is almost 100% against everything that I believe in and hold dear.
When Jesus was walking the earth there were others who were not His disciples performing miracles and wonders in His Name. The disciples were angry and wouldn't accept them; they probably didn't even want to bring these people into the fold. But then Jesus said a remarkable thing.
Here's what Luke recorded in his Gospel: “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us."
"Do not stop him," Jesus said, "for whoever is not against you is for you." Luke 9:49-50.
Let us not get caught up in the subtleties of sound Christian Doctrine (as vitally important as they are). The unbelieving or "pre-believing" world doesn't understand. I understand that God will hold me personally responsible for these words that I write and that you read. We will all be held responsible for what we omit and commit. God has used many different men and women throughout history to bring about HIS plans, not ours. We are only called to obedience and to participate when asked.
Let us once again remember what Mordecai said to Esther, for the words couldn't be more true today, "And who knows but that you have come to your royal [or any] position for such a time as this?”
This is the time. Will we participate and vote, taking part in this great and awesome privilege? Will we be obedient? Only you can decide. Paraphrasing Edmund Burke from the late 1700's, "Evil proceeds only when good men and women do nothing." Pray and then vote.
