Christians & '08

It’s the 1st Tuesday of November… Lord willing, this time next year, we’ll be choosing our 44th President of these United States. As Americans, we have a unique system of government. We’re a government of the people, by the people, for the people. The government is made up of the citizens. The government is chosen by the citizens. And the government is for the good & protection of the citizens.

This form of government (a Democratic Republic) was unthinkable in biblical times. Thus, Scripture does not give us a list of qualifications for public office. Should a Mormon be president? Scripture doesn’t say. Should Christians vote for a pro-choice candidate? Scripture doesn’t say.

This does not mean that God’s Word is useless and irrelevant for us when it comes to picking a president. Far from it! There are principles given to us in Scripture that apply to our situation.

PRINCIPLE #1 – We may compromise on policy, but not on righteousness.
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.”
Romans 1:18
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Lowering taxes, balancing the budget, education, etc. are all important issues. But they are not so important that we cannot compromise on them.

The protection of marriage, the right to life for the unborn, etc. are all sin issues. To support gay marriage would be a sin. To support the killing of babies would be a sin. We cannot compromise on issues like these. If such things invite the wrath of God upon our nation, it would be both foolish and wicked to compromise.

Thus, I cannot vote for Guiliani, McCain, or any of the Democratic candidates, regardless of how much I may like or approve of their leadership styles.

PRINCIPLE #2 – Vote to honor God, not to win the election.
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Col. 3:17

As followers of Christ, our litmus test cannot be ‘electability.’ Rather, our chief concern must be making sure that our vote honors God. The question for us as we enter the voting booth is, ‘How can I use my vote so that God would receive the most glory?’.

Understand that the vote that honors God the most in the primaries may not be the vote that honors God the most in the general elections. For example, I don’t think the most God-honoring vote at this point would be for Romney, who adheres to a false religion, a mainstream cult. However, in the general elections, if our options are Romney (Mormon) vs. Obama (Supporter of Gay Marriage/Abortion), the more God-honoring vote would be for Romney.

What if the two candidates in the general election both support abortion and gay marriage (i.e. Guiliani vs. Hillary)? What is the most God-honoring vote at this point? This is more difficult for me. It seems to me that we have two options under this scenario: 1) Choose the ‘lesser of two evils’ 2) Vote for a third party candidate.

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Lord willing, I'll give the Last 2 Principles tomorrow...