Forthright Magazine http://www.forthright.net Straight to the Cross Richard Mansel invites you to visit his Preacher Pages Blog http://preacherpages.net/ COLUMN: SQUARE ONE The Christian Voter by Richard Mansel, assistant editor When a Christian prepares to vote there are certain key principles that come to bear, regardless of the candidates in the race (Romans 13:1-4). After being immersed into Christ (Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; Galatians 3:27) and added to his church (Acts 2:47) and walking according to Christ’s call (Ephesians 4:1), we remain in the kingdom and bear his name (1 John 1:7). Accordingly, we do not cease to be Christians. We do not have the right to partition sections of our lives as belonging to God, reserving the rest for ourselves. He must have all of us. God is neither a Republican nor a Democrat. He is the Lord of Heaven and Earth. He has given us Scripture that we use as our pattern to know what his will is for our lives (John 12:48; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Timothy 1:13). In the Bible, we learn that we are to put his will above our own in everything (Luke 14:27; Romans 6:3-4). When we enter the voting booth, we bear the sobering responsibility to vote as a Christian. Our Bibles must matter more than any other criterion. God’s plan must reign supreme in the life of the Christian. In other words, we must vote Christian. One of the most powerful quotes ever uttered by man came from the mind of Edmund Burke, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” This sobering thought should spur us to vote and to be involved. Some argue that we cannot vote as Christians because the perfect candidate does not exist. An illustration is helpful in answering this charge. Two Christian teenagers go to a public school, where they are the only Christians. They will have non- Christian friends. Will their friends be perfect? No. However, we will want them to have friends who, while flawed, have characters that will benefit them. We do not want them to have friends who will do them harm. Sin is sin but some sins have greater consequences. Which would affect us the most: someone gossiping about us or killing us? Both are wrong and sinful. However, one clearly impacts our lives more than the other. Voting is like this. We will not find perfect secular candidates. As Christians, we must decide which issues are most important to us as children of God and to society. How will our vote affect the moral condition of the country? How will it affect the laws of the land and our religious freedoms? Will our vote be for someone who will appoint judges that will uphold the Constitution or create new laws, such as abortion, so sin can prevail? Christians, for example, will vote for pro-choice candidates because of their economic policies and then complain about the increase in abortions. We cannot be naive in thinking that our votes do not have consequences. Christians must remember that moral issues do touch their lives. For example, a movement is under way to criminalize preaching and teaching. If we teach the clear teachings of Scripture that homosexuality is sin (Romans 1:26-27), then we may be sued or incarcerated. If we vote for candidates who seek to legalize this insanity, we have made a grievous error in judgment and helped empower their sin. Please vote and do so with prayer and Scriptural reflection. God will be watching. ---- Read this article online, write your reaction, and read others' comments as well. Click here: http://tinyurl.com/5u2mbn You can help get the word out. Here's how: http://www.forthright.net/editorial/lend_a_hand.html