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God, Government & Your Vote
Posted by
James P. McGarvey
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23 October 2010
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1288 views
Tomorrow I will be at New Life Church (LCMS) in Miramar to preach at the 9:45 am service. With the November 2 election right around the corner, I will be speaking on "God, Government & Your Vote" from Romans13. Jesus said, "...give unto Caesar's what is Caesar's" which among other things, for citizens of a Republic, includes the obligation to vote. If we vote, who we vote for is of next importance. In 2008, 26% of white evangelical/born again voters voted for the most pro-abortion presidential candidate in American history. Over two hundred years ago, Samuel Adams, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and Governor of Massachusetts, wrote, "The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws...[therefore] when you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers just men who will rule in the fear of God...If a republican government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the divine commands, and elect bad men to make and administer the laws." No words could be more relevant to the choices we make on November 2. In the 2006 election, 10 of 52 million eligible evangelical voters were not even registered to vote and over 20 million of registered evangelical voters chose not to vote. As historian David Barton has pointed out "...Congress never reflects the values of the nation; rather it reflects the values of those who voted in the last election." Chuck Colson says, “Our first civic duty is to vote. If you don’t vote, you are abandoning the biblical obligation to be a responsible citizen.” I am concerned with the silence of the pulpit regarding the civic responsibility of Christians. I think it has something to do with the 2006 evangelical turnout and the 2008 evangelical vote. Pastor’s, we have work to do. (You can listen to my message, “God, Government & Your Vote” online at http://www.pinesbapt...hurch.org/media - see Aug 15th James P. McGarvey, Romans 13)
