God SAVE the King (or Future President)! Election Prayer 2016

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Politics and elections in America are downright dirty. If you talk with Christians who work closely with politicians (as I have) they will tell you stories that will make you sick to your stomach. The corruption at the top is epidemic (with some notable exceptions). When I read the Minor Prophets or study the religious and political climate during the ministry of Christ it helps put things into perspective; (it also grieves my soul).  If God judged Israel for her unrepentant ways, (and He has), we have no reason to believe that we are immune to such calamity.  One of the central points of Jude's epistle is that sin and judgment goes hand in hand (see Jude 4-18).

Trump, like most politicians, seems willing to say almost anything to get elected (corrupt hearts seek POWER)... In fairness, Obama lied over and over again to win two elections (like in 08 when he lied about his position on gay marriage).  The Democratic front-runner (Clinton) lied about Benghazi and has lied through her teeth on many other occasions. Sadly, this year's election cycle is, in many ways, par for the course.

I have observed that some people appreciate Trump- not because they like everything he says- but because unlike 90% of politicians- who say one thing in public and another thing in private- Donald often has no filter whatsoever. He speaks his mind.  Having said that, the Bible calls reckless speech FOOLISH (James 3; 1:26); for the fruit of the Spirit is "self-control."  As a unbeliever, Donald Trump clearly lacks this virtue.

But the Word of God also condemns those who murder the innocent, those who applaud the LGBTQ movement (see Rom 1:18-32), and those who lie as a way of life (Rev. 21:8). Hillary Clinton and President Obama fit this bill.  John MacArthur said some time ago that the Democratic party has now established Rom 1:18-32 as its official party platform.  

So it basically comes down to NOW WHAT because November's presidential election will likely feature two candidates with many character flaws.

Is it evil to vote for "the lesser of two evils?"

A Ralph Nader bumper sticker that many evangelicals agree with...

I generally keep my personal political convictions private as the ministry of the gospel is my primary duty as a disciple and as a pastor/theologian.  However, I have read so many respected Christian leaders take such hard line positions concerning what Bible believing Christians "must do" come November that I have felt compelled to express a slightly different (biblical) point of view.  Almost all of these "Trump Donald" articles suggest that to vote for the "best of the worst" is to make yourself "culpable" in the process (as Dr. Moore's article stated today). Is that the gospel truth?  Friends, I understand how someone could choose not to vote for Trump or Clinton/Sanders and to fill in John Piper come November. However, we should tell our brothers and sisters in Christ that good and godly Christians hold different perspectives on this important issue. Last week I wrote four articles in effort to spotlight what I believe are some neglected points in this whole debate.

In this vein, another article was posted today by a respected Christian leader concerning the following issue: Should American believers vote for the lesser of two "evils" in the election of a public official? A number of theologians (agreeing with Ralph Nader) say ABSOLUTELY NOT.  I am not convinced that Dr. Moore's logic here is airtight. When it comes to electing unsaved officials to public office (Rom. 13) who defines whether a candidate is "EVIL" or "GOOD?" If both candidates have character flaws and policies that you disagree with must one abstain from voting for the best of the worst (lest they choose evil)? Is this the only valid "Christian" point of view? (Mormon conservative Glen Beck and others say yes; while Rush Limbaugh, Ben Carson, and other non-Christian conservatives disagree). I remember hearing John MacArthur say in 2012 that believer's need to realize that they are not selecting a local church pastor when they vote (see 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 for God's non-negotiable qualifications for church leaders).

Politics According to the Bible (Issues that Matter)

Political Issues that are First and Foremost Biblical Issues

1) Creation and Abortion: God is the great Creator (Elohim) and life begins at conception (Psalm 139:13-16). Murder (taking innocent life) is a heinous sin (Exodus 20:13). By principle, the Bible clearly teaches that abortion is murder.   

Psalm 139:13-16, For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, And my soul knows it very well.  My frame was not hidden from Thee, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth.  Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Thy book they were all written, The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.  The forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptist, leapt in his mother’s womb (Luke 1:41).  See also Jeremiah 1:5.

Science today (3D ultrasounds) unmistakably affirms the perfect testimony of Scripture.  It is remarkable that those who believe in creation are mockingly called “science deniers” by evolutionist today, yet those who say life begins “when a mother says it begins” (often at birth) are considered wise.  You can be convicted for double homicide for murdering a pregnant mother (eg. Lacy  and Conner Peterson); but if you choose to you can abort a child with protection from the United States Supreme Court. 

God created the womb to be a place of safety and protection for unborn infants.  Since 1973 53 million abortions have been “legally” performed in America.  By comparison over 6 million lives were mercilessly taken during the Nazi Holocaust.  The modern day Democrat party celebrates abortion (Planned Parenthood) and the LGBTQ movement.  These are now essential components of the Democratic party platform (see below).  It should also be noted that younger Republicans are increasingly abandoning the conservative social causes that matter most to Bible-believing Christians.

An Open Letter to my Christian "Trump Donald" Friends

I respect the opinion of other bible-loving Christians who feel differently than I do about various political issues. We don't get the vibe that some of our friends feel the same way. I think that is sad. Sometimes good and godly people come to different conclusions about wisdom decisions (such as should a believer vote against Clinton and for Trump should Trump win the GOP nomination? If Trump comes out on top will he betray the people/groups that helped him win the nomination, like "evangelical" leader Jerry Falwell Jr.)?

If you have Christian black friends (and I hope you do), some of them, no doubt, voted for Obama in 08 and 12 (I think 95% of blacks who identified themselves as protestant pulled the lever for Obama in 12). I trust you agreed to disagree with brother so and so and yet still came together around the table of the Lord and that after church you left preaching the same Christ (Rom. 1:16-17; Gal. 3:28). These are the points I have been trying to stress lately.

Lucado, Trump, "Evangelicals" and the 2016 Election

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An earlier post provided a brief overview  of Homespun Gospel: The Triumph of Sentimentality in Contemporary American Evangelicalism.   This new book demonstrates how Max Lucado, Rick Warren, and Joel Osteen have been leading advocates of a hyper-sentimental gospel that has been widely accepted by a large number of religious consumers.   I'll showcase more of the highlights of Homespun Gospel in future articles.

Today's post is devoted to Lucado, Trump, Evangelicals and the 2016 Election (if nothing else consider my 10 takeaways at the conclusion of this article).

What spurred me on to write today's post?  I decided to write this article after I saw how many Christians reposted a "Anti-Trump" blog article written by Pastor Max Lucado.  In the past two months I have never read more critical pieces of a Republican candidate written by conservative and/or Christian authors.  In a follow up interview "America's Pastor"said that he does not normally inject politics into his pastoral ministry.  Lucado noted that "I don’t even put a candidate’s bumper sticker on my car. People don’t attend church to hear my views on a presidential candidate."

Though I do not agree with Lucado's theology on a number of points, (or his philosophy of ministry- see Homespun Gospel), I think his default position on politics and the pulpit is wise.  The centrality of Christ, the gospel, and the core doctrines of Scripture can be unintentionally eclipsed when Christian preachers become political commentators on Sunday morning instead of 'mouthpieces' of God (to use the language of 1 Peter 4:10).   Having said that, if a cultural/political issue is addressed in the Scriptures, the man of God (2 Tim. 2:15) should faithfully communicate God's position on X, Y, or Z (Acts 20:27-35).  (Examples include: the sacredness of life (at conception), God's view of marriage, gender, and human sexuality, a theology of work in relation to welfare, the role of government, the sinfulness of racism and genuine bigotry, etc).

If a minister of the gospel decides to address a controversial, hot-topic issue from the pulpit (such as race relations and the police, the Ferguson riots, social justice, immigration, Israel, welfare and poverty, gender equality, Roe vs. Wade, SCOTUS, etc) they must be very careful to not read their personal opinions into the inspired Text.  If your pastor says, "This is heaven's perspective on such and such" you better be certain that his finger is pointing to a book, chapter, and verse AND that he is rightly interpreting the true meaning of Holy Scripture (Phil Johnson recently called out brother Thabiti Anyabwile for this very thing- see Against Mission Drift).  Over the years, many errors and half-truths have been propagated from American pulpits (often times unknowingly).

So why did "America's Pastor" post an public article that was critical of Donald Trump (the current front-runner of the Republican party)?