Last week we looked at some of the ways to support the good candidates that get elected to go into the lion’s den of Washington, DC or even your state capitol. When an honorable Christian is elected to office, be it local, state or national, they are going into a Babylonian system because civil government has become fundamentally corrupt. That is why they need our continued support and why we need to have their backs.
You may be asking yourself how to find good candidates that believe in the Declaration and the Constitution and are not afraid to stand up for the liberty principles expressed in our founding documents. As Christians, one of the first things we want to look for is someone who will stand strong on religious freedom and faith issues. Exodus 18:21 admonishes us to “select capable men from all the people – men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain – and appoint them as officials…”.
Colonial America had its own set of requirements regarding who could run for office in each state. Most of the states required the person to be a professing Christian and church member. Even after the war for independence and the ratification of the Constitution, some states still required candidates to hold to the Christian faith. The Founders seemed to believe that having men in office that held a biblical worldview with Judeo-Christian values would better protect individual liberties and opportunity for all.
Samuel Adams, in a letter to Elbridge Gerry, Nov. 27, 1780 wrote “If men of wisdom and knowledge, of moderation and temperance, of patience, fortitude and perseverance, of sobriety and true republican simplicity of manners, of zeal for the honour of the Supreme Being and the welfare of the commonwealth; if men possessed of these other excellent qualities are chosen to fill the seats of government, we may expect that our affairs will rest on a solid and permanent foundation.”
It is easy for us to identify with someone who professes faith in Jesus Christ but that is not enough and sometimes the other candidate that we perceive to be less committed to Christ may have a more developed character that will enable them to stand strong regardless of the pressure to compromise. That was the case in the election of Abraham Lincoln. He did not have the best spiritual foundation but he was the right man for the job at that moment in history. Winston Churchill is another man who didn’t have the best spiritual foundation but was the right man for the hour. Sometimes God know best what qualities are needed for each season in history. Therefore, we need to pray for the discernment to recognize those with both character and a true reverence of God.
God is the great revealer of our character so we can be assured He will reveal the character of men/women who choose to run for office. Since the advent of the internet, it is difficult these days to hide things. So besides praying we have to do some research and go to candidate forums where you can ask pointed questions that will help define which ones will stand strong and which ones will easily compromise under the pressure of being an elected official.
The 2014 election cycle is what is called the ‘mid-term elections’ because it falls in the middle of the four year presidential term. It is just as important as the presidential election year because in many states the governorships are decided. Governors, like presidents, make appointments to the judicial benches (not as many as presidents do but they do make them. Knowing where candidates stand on judicial temperament is very important and as history records many governors go on to run and be elected president. We need to know if they will appoint judges who respect the Constitution of our state and our nation, and whether they will make rulings based purely on the application of the law and not try to make or change existing law according to their own ideology.
Mid-term elections, therefore, are just as important as the presidential election. So many citizens only vote when it is a presidential election and ignore the election that decides the direction of their state. With the major issues facing the states and the nation as a whole we don’t have the luxury of sit out any election. Citizenship has benefits but requires that we be responsible in voting. That means doing our homework on who stands for what and who will work to promote equal opportunity for all. We want representatives who will truly represent the people that elect them and not take their voting cues from the leadership.
Next Week: Part II
Dinner Table Discussion Question: Discuss the Samuel Adams quote taking time to discuss each quality listed.