The Role of Faith in the 2024 Election

Candidates come and go.

God is sovereign, always, and providential.

Politicians are not messiahs, they are sinful people, just as we are.

The video below gives a fair balance I think, through the Christian worldview.

Ultimately our voting decision is our decision. ( I do not support either candidate)

This is food for thought.

Video from Straight Truth Podcast

The Role of Faith in the 2024 Election

"Every four years in the United States, we enter an election year where we are provided the opportunity, having been given the right, as citizens to vote for the President of the US. We are in the thick of that season as we prepare to vote this November, just three months away. It seems that we hear the news media increasingly telling us that this is the most significant election of our lifetimes, where the constant refrain is that if so and so is not elected or if this party is not elected, it will lead to the destruction of democracy or the loss of certain liberties we have as Americans. Dr. Josh Philpot shares that this year feels as though it's more consequential than previous years. He asks Dr. Richard Caldwell if he would talk briefly to the listeners of the Straight Truth Podcast about some of these things. He also asks Dr. Calwell to share how consequential an election like this might be within a biblical worldview.

Dr. Caldwell believes this year’s election is going to be very consequential. During his nearly 61 years of life, he has seen a significant change in this country, especially concerning its moral atmosphere. This is witnessed in a nation or a society where God removes His restraining grace from them and gives people over to their sinfulness. There’s this downward plunge into darkness and destruction where insanity sets in. Dr. Caldwell believes we’ve reached that place in our culture, and he shares examples of the kinds of moral insanity we are experiencing. Therefore, our country is different, and as we’ve descended into this moral insanity, we’ve lost touch with what made this nation what it once was. Our Founders were in touch with the idea that our Creator afforded certain freedoms and rights to people just by virtue of their existence. But we’re heading dangerously towards socialism, communism, or even Marxism, very dangerous ideologies, systems of governments that have had disastrous results where they have taken root in the history of the world. Dr. Caldwell says when we see our country headed in this direction, he believes that elections really matter.

We know that Christ has said that He will build His church and that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. No matter what takes place in this world or even our own nation, the marching orders for the church, the people of God, have not changed. As citizens, we want to be faithful in the opportunities the Lord has provided. We can plan to vote with joy and peace in our hearts, knowing that God is King over the world that He’s created and sustains and that He is sovereign over everything.

How do we deal with the fact that our voting really only comes down to the choice between two parties, Democrat or Republican? This becomes a real strain on some Christians’ consciences when they look at candidates and see really sinful people. That weighty conscience can cause some to say they can’t vote for either one and, as a result, choose not to vote at all. How should we think about this? Dr. Caldwell says our consciences are given to us by God like an alarm system. It’s an alert, an innate ability to be aware when we are on the wrong track, but they aren’t inerrant. Our consciences are meant to be informed by the truth of Scripture. We should never violate our consciences. Nor should we encourage or exhort a brother or sister in Christ to violate their conscience. However, if we believe that someone’s conscience is overly sensitive about something, we can try to inform them. Dr. Caldwell believes this to be the case when it comes to the matter of elections for many brothers and sisters in Christ.

We need to remember that we are not voting for a pastor. This is a secular government; it’s going to have secular leaders, people who do not know Christ. We have to look beyond the candidates themselves. We have to look at the parties they represent and the moral outlook that’s displayed in their platforms. We have to ask questions. Which of these two choices is more agreeable to the church’s function in the world? Which of these two platforms would represent more peaceable circumstances for our children and our children’s children? Which will be less invasive when it comes to trying to control what we do at the family level? Which is least egregious in its attack on the Word of God? We want to look at these two platforms and ask which one allows more freedom for the church, the family, and the raising of children in the admonition of the Lord. Dr. Caldwell says that is the direction his vote is going to go. We must realize and remember that candidates come and go." from the video introduction

#extraordinarygod