Political Fatigue and the Separation of Church and State
Lifeway, a branch of the Southern Baptist Convention is out today with an opinion poll on how political pastors should be in view of the upcoming election. According to the poll the vast majority of people do not think it is appropriate for pastors to endorse candidates for public office during a church service. Therefore I have elected to take a post and address the upcoming election and to discuss what I believe to be one of the most important elections of our era on my blog.
First, I do not and will not endorse a candidate for presidential office. Any candidate fitting my approval are long gone. However, I believe firmly that as members of a free society, we not only have a right to vote, we have a responsibility. How dare we complain about the moral collapse of our society without lifting a finger to do anything about it. More important than electing officials to temporary office, this election season we have a state amendment that will define marriage as the union of a man and a woman. I believe that this issues is critical to our state and to the ability of the church to continue to teach the Bible without fear of restriction and recourse. Already in states who have adopted same-sex marriage, we see churches being taken to court and sued for preaching against homosexuality and other sexual sins. When the State begins to legislate morality, the church will become an opponent of the state and suffer. I want to be clear that, I do not want to suggest that by voting one way or another that we can enforce a morality on society, God himself has chosen to give man free will to do what he desires, however every believer must accept his/her moral obligation to stand up on this matter. I believe that due to the lack of a true conservative candidate on the ballot for president, that many Christians will see their trip to the polls as a waste of time, but the presidential election is not the sole issue on the table in spite of what the media may think. In most elections, only 20% of the registered voters show up to vote. The same percentage holds true regardless of involvement in church or not. It is my prayer that every person I know will go to the polls to vote and that their vote will not be based on the economy or what Hollywood says, but on what they feel God would have them to do. For more information or to get involved, please visit www.supportmarriage.org
First, I do not and will not endorse a candidate for presidential office. Any candidate fitting my approval are long gone. However, I believe firmly that as members of a free society, we not only have a right to vote, we have a responsibility. How dare we complain about the moral collapse of our society without lifting a finger to do anything about it. More important than electing officials to temporary office, this election season we have a state amendment that will define marriage as the union of a man and a woman. I believe that this issues is critical to our state and to the ability of the church to continue to teach the Bible without fear of restriction and recourse. Already in states who have adopted same-sex marriage, we see churches being taken to court and sued for preaching against homosexuality and other sexual sins. When the State begins to legislate morality, the church will become an opponent of the state and suffer. I want to be clear that, I do not want to suggest that by voting one way or another that we can enforce a morality on society, God himself has chosen to give man free will to do what he desires, however every believer must accept his/her moral obligation to stand up on this matter. I believe that due to the lack of a true conservative candidate on the ballot for president, that many Christians will see their trip to the polls as a waste of time, but the presidential election is not the sole issue on the table in spite of what the media may think. In most elections, only 20% of the registered voters show up to vote. The same percentage holds true regardless of involvement in church or not. It is my prayer that every person I know will go to the polls to vote and that their vote will not be based on the economy or what Hollywood says, but on what they feel God would have them to do. For more information or to get involved, please visit www.supportmarriage.org
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