The U.S. Election & Christian Reconciliation

Another U.S. Presidential election has been decided.
Neither of the major candidates were my choice, but God is Sovereign.
I voted my conscience...for a write-in that I believe would have been superb...Nathan Busenitz..a professor at The Master's Seminary.
I knew that Donald Trump was highly likely to win the state of Tennessee anyway, so my friends who were anxious about my not voting for him should not have worried.

If Hillary had won, God would still be Sovereign, as much as it would have been bad news for our country.
Many of us may consider Donald Trump the lesser of two judgments, but that doesn't mean that all will be a bed of roses.
Many of my friends voted for Trump - trusting that he actually will stand for unborn babies in the womb.
All Christians should pray that he truly will stand for life, because he has shown himself to be a man of shifting views.

I have been reading 2 Kings, and I have seen how Israel and Judah had many kings who were disobedient to God and allowed false worship - even passing their children through the fire.
Every so often, there was a king who did right.
Some of those still allowed some evil to continue 
Because of the sin, judgment was still coming.
Yet, God showed much patience for His own sake - and for the sake of David.

America is not Israel or Judah.  It is not God's chosen people, but there are still those of us in it who are His adopted children.
Many of us prayed for mercy, and we voted based on our conscience.
Yes, I voted for a state and U.S. Representative...as well as writing in for President.

Now,  despite the outcome, we can't stop praying, and I hope that Christians who attacked one another will once again show the love that is supposed to mark the children of God.
I never pronounced judgment on those who voted for Trump, but I did stand up against people who seemed to want to judge me for not voting for him.
I have no reason to be counted guilty.

Elections sometimes bring out the worst in people, but my desire is that believers will be reconciled as true Christians should be.
We are to be lights in the world, and I fear that we have not acted very Christ-like.

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Romans 12:10 ESV

God Is On The Throne - Election 2016

While I've had disagreement in recent time with the Chapmans (the daughter "preaching" somewhere), the lyrics in this particular song are spot on.
I hope that they will encourage my Christian friends in regards to the upcoming election.



The church has continued under great persecution in times past.
We need to stop looking for a utopia government here on this earth, because Jesus said that His Kingdom was not of this world.

We want peace and freedom, but we should not throw away everything that marks us as Christians in order to gain it .
We are completely dependent on Christ.
Evil in this world cannot negate the power of God.  He uses the bad that men do to bring about His purposes.
He brings judgment, He demonstrates His glory, His mercy & love to those whom He has chosen.
And sometimes, surprises come to us for good ....which are not surprises to God.
God is always good, and He will not abandon His children.

The Lesser of Judgments

In past elections, I have voted a number of times for the lesser of judgments.
I say the lesser of judgments, rather than the lesser of evils.
I think of David having to choose a judgment due to his sin (in 2 Samuel 24:13).
Will a vote have the likelihood to save lives or stand for some Biblical morality?

In the last Presidential election, I voted more for Paul Ryan's possible tie breaking vote (that a Vice President has in the U.S. Senate) than for Romney, only to see Paul Ryan turn around to be wrong on the marriage issue later.  Yet, he did have a better record than who is left in the current election.

It would be great if a true Christian ran for President, but that rarely happens.
Even a professing Christian is often not truly one, and many people claim faith.
It used to be popular to claim to be a Christian to win an election, and some still do it today as we have seen.
Even in history, when a supposed Christian King or Queen or other ruled, it was not a bed of roses.

As it is, many of us figuratively hold our noses and cast our votes for people who are not quite right on some issues, but we try to pick people who are the best to save lives and stand at least for some moral principles that are echoes of Biblical beliefs - though held by non-Christians.

On some occasions, neither of the major candidates is trustworthy on the most important issues.
One may say they support what is right, but when their whole public record shows that they actually support what is wrong.  What then?
This is when I look for someone else to vote for.

When Governor Gray Davis of California was being voted out by a recall election, we had to choose between Arnold Schwarzenegger and others to replace him.
Before the election, Arnold Schwarzenegger had said that he would go with what the people wanted (in opposition to homosexual "marriage"). but he indicated that when the people were ready for it -he'd support it.
So, with that information, I could not vote for him, and I voted for a candidate who did not win. Guess what?  When someone illegally performed "weddings" in California, Governor Schwarzenneger's true colors came out in supporting the immoral "weddings."

This is why I cannot in good conscience vote for Donald Trump, and I certainly can't vote for the Democrat candidate.  Trump has proven to be dishonest, and I have every reason to believe that he will not fight to save the lives of the unborn or stand for Biblical morality.  
People need a proven track record, because Mr. Trump's public track record (not just what he's said, but what he's done) has been very poor.

I have yet to decide who I shall vote for, but it seems it will probably have to be a write-in.  I don't know that anyone else has qualifed in this state (Tennessee) for the election.   Even if they have, I don't know if they would be better.
We shall see.

Elections are very polarizing, and many of us feel very strongly.
Some of my friends will not vote at all, and some may compromise hoping for the best.
We will be disappointed in people, but each Christian must deal with their own conscience.
We need to be careful about judging and treating each other harshly in these cases.
God is the judge of motives.

Puritans & Political Change

Political change in this world and age is only temporary even when it has gone well.   While it sometimes brings about benefits, this fallen world is still under the curse of sin.  In the Old Testament there were times of blessing and times of judgment.

In Britain, things changed back and forth from Roman Catholicism to Anglicanism, but there was still the vestiges of Roman Catholicism that brought about persecution and trouble for those who were Christians who held to a stricter belief in what the Bible teaches.

It eventually became so bad that Christians could not teach the Biblical truth of the doctrines of grace (which had been widely accepted previously).
At one point there was actually a civil war where the Puritans finally got control.  Right or wrong methods, this was similar to how the U.S. began.

In the 1600s, the Puritans under Oliver Cromwell were able to make some good church reforms when they took control of the British government (the previous government had already had control over the churches), but after 10 yrs. the positive changes ended (after the death of Cromwell). Sadly, the reforms were undone by the bringing back of a king who did not believe rightly. Not everything that Cromwell did was great even though some good came during that time.  Even the good changes didn't last, although there is some good in the Westminster Confession that some still read today.

Similarly, the U.S. has fallen away from it's Puritan separatist roots that began with the Puritan Pilgrims and others like them.
Even in the early days of the formation of the U.S., some people only held to a form of religion - like Thomas Jefferson who only admitted to deism.  

Some people in America still make a claim to Christianity these days (though a lot don't even pretend anymore since they aren't), but the churches have strayed from the truth.  The world has infiltrated,. Instead of the church conforming to the Word of God, they try to conform the Bible to the world.

Liberalism, sentimentality, emotionalism, and many false teachings have crept back into the "church" like the heresies of old.
So, when we hear about all the "evangelicals" who vote for dishonest and corrupt politicians, or they accept immorality within their church membership roles,  or they claim women as pastors and elders and teachers of men, or they unify with Roman Catholics and other religious groups, or they have strange practices that look like mysticism and other pagan religions ... well, we need to realize that all that glitters is not gold.

Many will claim to be Christians, but they believe and teach strange doctrines that are not from the God of the Bible.  These are not believers, though perhaps some true Christians may be wallowing in their midst.  They should be considered the mission field of the true church.  Praying a prayer, but denying God's truth by your life and beliefs, demonstrates that your faith isn't real.

So,  for Christians who are discouraged due to the political circus and downward spiral of this nation, we can be encouraged that God is still sovereign over the bad times and trials that come.   Much earlier in church history, many Christians suffered and died, and some denied the faith ... it was so bad.  Thankfully, those times did not last forever.
Times of relief and mercy did come for Christians. In Sodom, it was so bad that God's judgment was the destruction of the city.  Still, He rescued Lot and his daughters.

Even if dire persecution comes...which it has come in some countries,  God will give His children grace to endure and shine brightly even if it costs us our temporal lives yet never our eternal life.   Sometimes, faithful Christians have died even for specific truths of the Bible.  Oh, that we should love the truth and despise error so boldly and with such holy zeal!

I admit, I physically do miserably under even a little stress (feeling like passing out even at times due to my physical condition), but God has never failed me yet - though I think I can't endure.
He either gives escape and rescue, or He gives strength and endurance through trials which aid in spiritual growth.

So, my hope isn't in whether we get someone good in the White House though we can pray and ask for mercy.
We have to accept God's will, and it isn't as though America doesn't deserve wicked, dishonest, and corrupt leaders.
But for the sake of all of those of us who are His, we pray to live peaceably.  We don't enjoy misery. We must be a light shining the Gospel in this dark place.

America is a mission field.  The church needs to act like it.  This world is only temporary, so we need to make the most of our time as the days are evil.
I hope that I can be a light, and I hope this post is encouraging to other Christians reading it today.

Which President Should Fill The U.S. Supreme Court Vacancy?

While selecting for the court is a president's job, President Obama should not even still be the president - given his overreaching grab for power with illegal executive orders.
President Obama has shown himself disrespectful of our laws by legislating from a Branch of government that is not Constitutionally granted that power.

While I do feel that any justice picked by President Barrack Obama would be terrible, I also realize  that if the shoe were on the the other foot pro-life Republicans would fight to get a decent judge in no matter how little time in office was left.

Sadly, there is no guarantee that the next president will pick a good justice.
Hillary Clinton & Bernie Sanders are clearly not pro-life and are socialists.  Donald Trump has no proven track record after claiming to have become pro-life, and it is reported that he has claimed his anti-life sister would make a good justice.
He has proven himself to not be honest during this election cycle from my own observation.
There is no guarantee that the U.S. will get a president that will pick a justice that will rule in favor of life and Biblical marriage.  As it is, there were not enough U.S. Supreme Court justices to stand for life, true marriage, and against Obamacare.

Why is this?  Most of the people in the United States are not Christians.
Many who  even professed faith in the past no longer see as much of a social advantage of such a profession, and so they now no longer make a pretense.
Others are swayed by emotional appeals and popular acceptance.
Those who still profess to be "Christians" are often willing to treat the Bible as vague about certain moral behaviors, and some "Bible translations" have outright changed gender specific pronouns, etc.
They are willing to read things into or omit things from the Bible to fit their personal comfort level, as they don't worship the true God.  They worship a made up god that makes things comfortable for them by accepting everybody.

They do not consider that they are keeping themselves and others comfortable in sins that lead to eternal Hell, so they ignore the warning of Scriptures and listen to lies about It.

These people do not realize that real love is not blind to sin.
Love urges people to repent and trust in God to save from sin. They do not seem to realized that faith that does not obey isn't true faith.  True Christians learn that a living faith will be shown to be real by a transformed life and not by continuing in sin.
People need the true Gospel, and morality without the Gospel will easily be shed like an old coat.

Still, the truth is, that many in America are no longer making even a pretense to standing up for morality, because the basis of their morality is not faith in Christ.
It is no longer as cool to be a Christian for many, and those who still think it's cool want to distance themselves from being "judgmental."

These kinds of people are willing to ignore the clear meaning of Scripture and try to cover it over with a blurriness.  "It couldn't possibly mean what It says, could It?  We must find another meaning."
It's no wonder they are not concerned with judges who are willing to consider the Constitution and Bill of Rights as living and breathing documents that can change meaning to fit the culture.

Many people who consider themselves conservative start becoming pragmatic about the election before a presidential candidate is even voted upon or chosen at all.
This causes some candidates to drop out of the race sooner than they should have to, and it leaves little choice for those voting after the first caucuses or primaries.
People are swayed greatly by the media and their polls, and the media shuts out candidates before they even have a chance to gain traction.
"Who can win?"  People listen to the answer to this question from the mainstream media or favorite talk show hosts, and so they follow like dumb sheep.

Two issues are especially important to me in choosing a candidate to vote for right now.

1. Is the person truly pro-life?  To what extent are they pro-life?

2. What is the person's view on marriage, and do they accept the bad decision of the court as fully "settled law" or not?

There are other issues that are important, but right now those are tops.
The slaughter of babies must be addressed.

So, clearly, not knowing who will be president next, I don't know that a future president would pick a judge that will understand that Biblical marriage, life, and freedom for Christians are not and were never meant to be thrown out by the writers of the Constitution.
If people don't believe the Bible and accept it as "settled" truth, then how can we expect them to make good decisions in electing presidents who will decide on the next SCOTUS justices?

2016 Election Information & Businesses You Might Want To Avoid

The 2016 election right now has many candidates to choose from, and instead of frantically searching the internet in your attempt to learn their basic positions on social and moral issues, I'll give you a website that I have found pretty helpful in the past.  Just click on the photos to learn about each candidate.
Please be aware that not all of the banner ads are good, & I'm not responsible for their site.
On The Issues
Also, the following site has grade ratings on the issue of marriage:
GOP Candidates Graded On Marriage Views

The recent Supreme Court ruling on homosexuality and the exposure of abortion and Planned "Parenthood" on graphic videos is a wake-up call to the church to be both active and vigilant and not compromise on these issues. 
Culture does not determine morality and Bible interpretation as secularists and liberal churches would like us to believe.
God's view of marriage and life hasn't changed, and our generation is not the first to become so corrupted.
You may be interested to know what the views and giving  practices of some of the businesses you may use are on these issues:
http://www.2ndvote.com/
(I had to sign up to view the scorecard.)