Election

You may have noticed that there is an election coming up. The issues boil down to just what sort of country we will have for the future; in terms of economic health, morals, religion international relations, war and security. To many, it appears that one offers a complete reset (almost a reversal) of the meaning of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" having many earmarks of a dystopia of depressing literature. And having a preachy & self-righteous reduction of individual, property and religious rights for the “common good”. It is nothing of the kind. Looks like a sales-pitch and more of the “common bad”, actually. They demand that life has no value unless “they” say it does. Of course, a large contributor to the problem is the manipulation of information in a way that would make Hitler envious. All this in a cocktail of panic about “saving democracy” while acting more like Fascists themselves . Nervous times.
What is a person to do? Hope for the best & trust in the resilience of the American Republic? Certainly. (Note: We are not a democracy--the Founders knew from history that democracies fail because they end up being run by the biggest bullies, loud-mouths and liars, or else the people get hold of the wallet and the nation goes broke.) But the Christian knows better than to think that human leadership will fix everything--from any candidate. The Christian knows that We the People may have formed a more perfect union, but that it is not and cannot be entirely perfect because it's up to people to implement.
Actually, Christians have greater influence than griping or even voting (but DO vote). What the Christian must do first is what the world says is a last resort—to PRAY!
At the same time, it should concern us that in recent elections in the U.S.A., about 2 of every 5 professing Christians did not vote. About 1 in 5 professing, eligible Christians are not even registered to vote. Many who do vote are swayed by worldly ideals and leave their Christian faith outside of the decision process and the voting booth.
The problem seems to be which kingdom has our primary citizenship. We are to vote as those who have a principal allegiance to Christ and His kingdom. This means that the character and way of Christ will not only govern how we cast our ballot, but also how we engage in political discussion. This allegiance to Christ should inform everything we do. Certainly, NO candidate choice is perfect--we are not able to vote for Jesus. But we can look at which candidate is most tolerable to Christian principles. (Hint: Those standing for executing inconvenient babies would not be tolerable to the One who gave them personalities and souls.) Frankly, I've looked at the platforms of both major parties and personal feelings and public vitriol aside--the choice is pretty obvious.
As far as whether a Christian should even vote, I leave you with a thought from J. Beckholm of the Family Research Council: “A republican form of government, like everything in our lives, requires constant maintenance. If you decide to never mow your lawn again, never replace the brakes on your car, or never fix the leak in your roof, God will still be in charge and He will still accomplish His purpose. Nothing about neglecting adult responsibilities threatens God’s sovereignty. But we don’t decline to fix our roof because God is sovereign, nor is God’s sovereignty the reason we would fix it. We fix the roof as an act of stewardship for the good gift of a house that God has given us .... So it is with governments. Educating ourselves, voting, and running for office are forms of civic maintenance. They feel like chores because in a real sense, they are chores. They’re civic chores and they’re a privilege. We shouldn’t complain about our civic duties any more than we should complain about the maintenance costs on our private fleet of jets. Some problems aren’t problems, they’re blessings.”
So, take the blessing seriously---& vote with Christian principles, not emotions. Pastor Geoff                                                                    "When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan. " Proverb 29: 2