Christians must work to uphold Gods standards, not withdraw from the
civic arena, Southern Baptist theologian Russell Moore emphasized.
Christians must work to uphold Gods standards, not withdraw from the
civic arena, Southern Baptist theologian Russell Moore emphasized.
“Salvation does not mean a flight from creation, …” said Moore,
senior president for academic administration and dean of the school of theology
at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.
“Instead, salvation means restoring sinners to the task for which we were
made, a task that includes caring for the created order and for one another,”
Moore said.
That includes a responsibility to impact culture by participating in government,
Moore noted. However, reports indicate more than 4 million evangelicals failed
to vote in the 2000 presidential election.
Such disengagement undercuts the cause of justice in the nation and invites
divine judgment, warned Ken Connor, a Washington, D.C., attorney and coauthor
of “Sinful Silence: When Christians Neglect Civic Duty,” a new book
by Ginosko Publishing.
“The Scripture is very clear,” he noted. “The Lord may shut
up his ears to our cry. Our efforts at worship and our attempts to glorify him
may be deemed worthless because we are undercutting other principles of justice
that hes outlined.”
The ultimate triumph of the kingdom of God is not contingent upon the political
activism of believers, Moore stressed. However, Christians must realize that
governmental policies have important implications for the church and its ability
to communicate the gospel, he said.
“How much harder is it to pierce through consciences seared over by government-funded
sex education campaigns?” Moore explained. “How much harder is it
for the church to point to the mystery of the one-flesh union between Christ
and his church in a culture where the courts have eviscerated the meaning of
marriage?”
As believers seek to advance the kingdom of God, their minimum duty in the
civic realm is to vote for leaders who will uphold Gods standards of justice,
Connor said. In order to elect just leaders, Christians must examine the issues
from a biblical worldview perspective, he said.
Among the most important issues for voters to consider are the sanctity of
human life, the sanctity of marriage and the appointment of federal judges,
Connor said.
For Jay Sekulow, casting an informed vote is a part of obeying Jesus
command to be salt and light in the world.
“We dont have a choice but to be engaged, …” said Sekulow,
chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice.
Pastors play a key role by encouraging church members to register and vote
and by addressing cultural and contemporary issues from a biblical worldview,
he said.
Of course, there is room for political disagreement among Christians, Moore
said. “But there are some issues clearly revealed in Scripture that must
be at the forefront of a Christians mind when choosing a candidate,”
he asserted.
For Moore, these issues include the injustices of racial bigotry, the right
to life for the unborn and the protection of marriage.
“Each of these is not just one issue among many but speaks
to the heart of a biblical view of justice,” he maintained.
Still, while Christians must insist candidates support policies that conform
to scriptural truth, they must not demand that all believers vote for the same
particular candidate, Connor said. Indeed, in any election, godly individuals
will cast votes for opposing candidates, he said.
“I do think conscientious, God-fearing, well-intended, well-informed Christian
people can come up with different conclusions about the same issue,” Connor
said.
“But while I believe in the freedom of conscience and liberty of conscience,
I do think the Scripture is an objective, propositional tool by which we can
gauge whether their decisions are right or wrong.”
Though Christians may disagree on specific nuances of certain issues, Sekulow,
Moore and Connor agree that one point is indisputable – believers must
vote.
“Our action or inaction will have a profound impact on the future of our
country,” Sekulow emphasized.
“Society will feel the consequences if Christians sit out.” (BP)