Word of the Week - Faith and Politics

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” Romans 13:1

Faith and PoliticsI recognize that there is risk when we mix faith and political views and I am very hesitant to do so; therefore, I ask for your grace.  That being said, I feel convicted to go there given the chaos and confusion we are experiencing as a nation during this time.  It is clear that the Lord Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, was not politically oriented.  In fact, based on his teachings, He seemed somewhat anti-political during his time on earth as He redefined priorities of the day.  That being said, Jesus was perfect and without sin in His obedience to the Father and lived and taught a way of life that was very principled according to the Scriptures.  My simple approach to the political process is that as Christians we should align our vote/politics with the people and parties that are advocating for godly values, principals and convictions.  It is probably no secret that I would consider myself conservative in most categories as it relates to politics, moral views, fiscal policies and secular/cultural trends.  That being said, I would not say I agree with all of the policies and values of the Republican Party or any party for that matter (you can get more comparative details on both party policy platforms by going to https://www.alabamapolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/2020-Election-Platform-Comparison-Final.pdf ), but as a conservative Christian, I definitely lean toward right of center on many of the bigger issues facing our nation and leaders.  My main objective in this “Word of the Week” is not to tell you who to vote for but to better equip you my friends and family with a framework to consider as we approach this very critical election.Regardless of political affiliation, I think it would be hard for anyone to reasonably argue with the fact that the United States of America, even though it is still relatively young at the age of 244, is one of the greatest success stories in the history of the world and remains the greatest nation of modern times.  It is envied and revered by most nations around the world as a place where  foreigners, if given the opportunity, would love to gain U.S. citizenship.  Our nation was founded as a Republic Democracy under God, which by definition means we have rights antecedent to all earthly governments; rights that cannot be repealed or retrained by human laws; rights derived from the Great Legislator of the Universe (God)”.  Nothing in our constitution suggests that government is a grantor of rights.  Instead, government was envisioned as the protector of rights as outlined in the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”.  Whereby the government is chosen by the people for the people to govern to serve the best interest of the people under the system outlined by our founding fathers in the constitution.  As good as our system of government has proved to be for the last 244 years, one of the main intentions and insights of our founding fathers is that our leaders and people of our nation would maintain and share the core values that are outlined in the Declaration of Independence.  That being said, our value system is under attack and at risk.Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness are at risk:

• Life  – Regardless of your party stance, I think we would all agree that the essence of our existence as human beings is that we should value human life at all stages.  If you spend any time thinking about what it looks like when you devalue human life, you would quickly realize that this is a terrible scenario and definitely a spirit opposite of God.  It is historically evident throughout history that governments that trended towards socialistic and communistic approached to govern devalued life and people to the point where they were just numbers.  Once you start down the path of allowing our government to define what makes a life valuable and worth keeping, or not, you are on a very dangerous path.  As followers of Christ we should stand firmly for pro-life in any and all circumstances.  “The spirit of God made me, and the breadth of the Almighty gives me life”. Job 33:4
• Liberty – Government poses the gravest threat to our liberties, which has become very clear and evident during the recent pandemic.  The framers of our constitution used very clear language toward Congress in the first ten amendments of the Constitution such as: shall not abridge, deny, disparage, shall not be violated nor be denied.  In a republic all citizens, including government officials, are held accountable to the same laws.  Government power is limited and decentralized through a system of checks and balances and should not be mandated toward our civil society except where there is a breach of law and order.  Laws do not represent reason, they represent power.  Our forefathers understood that our rights were not to be seen as privileges that could be granted or rescinded by the government but the government was simply an agent to protect and uphold our rights and civil liberty.  The Lord Jesus was very clear that we should respect authority while living peaceable godly lives but that He came to bring us Liberty and Freedom.  “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery”. Galatians 5:1
• Pursuit of Happiness – I liken the idea of pursuing happiness to the concept that we are not limited or constrained in our pursuits.  That we can become all that God has called us to be and live to our full potential.  I believe, and have personally experienced, that when I am living and growing to the fullness of God’s purpose for my life that I am most joyful and fulfilled. I would equate to the idea of happiness as intended by our forefathers.  In order for our citizens to grow and flourish, we need a good and healthy environment where our individual rights and freedoms are protected so we can be empowered to live and grow to the full.  Our government’s role is to help create an environment that is conducive to growth and development both individually and corporately.  There are many dimensions of what this looks like, but at the core includes freedom of religion, speech, press, commerce etc…all with limited government involvement.  Similar to the concept of liberty, the more our government tries to use its power to mandate how we should live, believe and think, the less we will be free to pursue fulfillment and our God given purpose.  “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that you may have life and have it to the full.” John 10:10

There is no doubt that there are different ways to look at these aforementioned tenets of our founding principles, but I believe that as followers of Christ we have a different lens and moral obligation to see things from a biblical perspective when it comes to the policy and platform that are elected officials are pursuing.  There is no doubt that we live in one of the greatest countries ever formed and we have been blessed by our Judeo Christian heritage shared by our founding fathers.  I pray that God would keep His hand of blessing on our nation and we as citizens would step forth and each do our part to perpetuate our republic and expand the Kingdom of God both in the U.S. and around the world. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” 2 Chronicles 7:14Ultimately we know that God is sovereign over all nations, so we have nothing to fear.  Some might think that man reigns but where mankind rules, God overrules and will do whatever He decrees and wills.  “He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding” Daniel 2:21-22All that being said, your vote counts so if you have not already done so, please vote with a prayerful perspective.  God does not need mankind to do what He is going to do but He desires for us to co-labor with Him and gives us the dignity of participation in what He is doing.  Thank you Lord God.Have a great week!!!!!-Duane