INTRODUCTION
We don’t have time for a deep dive into Christian positions on every political and public policy issue. However, for this week’s letter from the pastor, I’m outlining 5 broad headings that ought to be in your mind as you consider your vote in the upcoming election. But before we dive in, a few reminders:
The Church is inherently political, but we aren’t partisan, up to a point. When I say the church is inherently political I mean that each week we declare, “Jesus is Lord.” This affirmation is inherently political because it means that the President, Senators, Representatives, Mayors, and Dog Park Monitors are not Lord. It’s a statement of ultimate political allegiance.
But the church is not to be partisan, up to a point. It is not my job to bind your conscience to a candidate. Most of you plan to vote for the Republican candidate. Some of you will write in a candidate. Some will, perhaps, abstain from voting in the presidential election. I can tell you that I personally believe it wise to vote for the best (or, in this case, “least bad”) viable candidate. But generally speaking, it’s not the job of the pastor to bind your conscience to a particular candidate. I’m not here to stump for Murphy.
But that is only up to a point. As you will see below, I believe we are now at a point in American political history where it is required that pastors bind the conscience of their churches to oppose the Democrat Party entirely. I do not say this lightly. But it is clear both from the Democrat Party platform as well as from the public statements of their candidates that the Party has made abortion without any restriction the central pillar of their platform. They have become the party of death, and they must be opposed by God-fearing Christians in the ballot box. This is not the only reason we ought to oppose them, but it is the chief and glaring reason.
It is not my job to tell you which candidate should get your vote. Each of you will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and give an account to him, not me. And I will do the same. I believe there is room for Christians to disagree on strategies in the voting booth. But voting for the Democrat Party isn’t one of them.
Ok, my preamble is out of the way. Allow me to take a few moments of your time to overview significant worldview and political considerations as it pertains to the upcoming election. My goal here isn’t to give a full-fledged argument for each one but to succinctly state the Biblical position. Read over these and may the Lord guide your conscience in the voting booth.
1. THE GOVERNMENTS
God has instituted four governments among men. They are self-government, the family, the civil magistrate, and the church. God and God alone defines these governments and determines the boundaries of their authority. In other words, the authority that these governments possess is not unlimited, but delegated and limited. (Rom. 13:1)
As Francis Schaeffer famously said, “If there is no God above the state, then the state is god.” You and I live in a nation of people who have replaced the Living God with the civil magistrate, or state. But the state is not God. No matter how many surveillance cameras they install, they will never be omniscient. No matter how many nuclear bombs they produce; they cannot rival God’s omnipotence.
As we prepare for another election, as Christians we are to use our influence (voting) to elect candidates that best understand the limits of government. Vote for candidates who will preserve the boundaries between the civil government and the family, or the church. Who respects those governments as much as they respect their own authority as a civil magistrate?
2. LIFE & HUMAN DIGNITY
God is the author of life. “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” (Ps. 139:3) And the human life that God authors begins at conception. Therefore, as Christians, we have a moral duty to defend life in the womb. I will tell you that I am thankful for the conservative Justices who repealed the demonic ruling of Roe V. Wade. I’m also saddened by President Trump’s statement that he would veto a federal abortion ban. At the same time, there is no confusion in my mind about which of the two major party candidates will do the most harm to the unborn. The Democrat Party along with their candidate, Kamala Harris, promise to enshrine abortion in our constitution. I’m going to say this as bluntly as possible: a Christian with an open Bible cannot vote for Kamala Harris or any other candidate who promises to further the legalization of murder in the womb. This simply isn’t an option left open to the Christian conscience.
3. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
“God alone is Lord of the conscience.” (LWBC Statement of Faith, Sec. XVII) We affirm the separation of church and state. In other words, the state has no business coercing religious worship. Rather, the “state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of spiritual ends.” (LWBC Statement of Faith, Sec. XVII) When you go to the voting booth ask yourself, “Which candidate will best protect Lake Wylie Baptist Church’s right to preach the Word of God?” Vote for that candidate. Or ask, “Which candidate is least likely to force a false understanding of humanity and gender on our citizens?” Vote for that candidate.
4. MARRIAGE, FAMILY, & SEXUALITY
“Marriage is the uniting of one naturally born man and one naturally born woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime.” (LWBC Statement of Faith, Sec. XVIII) (Gen. 1:26-28) Any civil union outside of this definition isn’t marriage, it’s a mirage. Our nation has tried its best to redefine and broaden the definition of marriage. We must not go along with their plans. An embrace of a socially constructed definition of marriage is a rejection of the Lord.
“[God] created them male and female. The gift of gender is thus part of God’s good creation.” (LWBC Statement of Faith, Sec. III) (Gen. 1:26-30) So much damage has been done in our nation by those who seek to redefine what is clear in nature: that human beings are either male or female, and that gender is inherently connected to one’s biological makeup. As a matter of love of neighbor, we must vote for candidates who will stand firm against this redefinition of marriage and gender.
5. CIVIL ORDER
Civil rulers are duty-bound to establish order and peace for their own citizens. Romans 13 is clear that rulers are given by God to establish and enforce righteous laws.
For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. (Romans 13:3-4)
Our federal, state, and local rulers are duty-bound to establish peace for us as citizens. They are to uphold our laws and secure our nation first and foremost. This includes upholding our rights to free speech, bear arms, and worship freely without coercion. They are to protect our borders against invasion from illegal aliens. They are to steward the taxes they levy for the good of our own citizens first. If America cannot balance its own budget first, then we will be no help to the rest of the world. Vote for the candidate who will take Romans 13 seriously.
CONCLUSION
By God’s grace, you as a citizen have an influence in the government of our nation. Steward that influence well. Vote in such a way that you firmly believe Jesus Christ will be pleased. His approval is the only approval that matters. If you have questions about these topics or any others, ask me and I will gladly share more information and resources.
Regardless of the outcome of this election, Jesus Christ is Lord. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Soli Deo Gloria.
Pastor Jonathan