WILDERNESS WANDERING’S

The following was written by David Barton (founder and president of WallBuilders):

As the November general election approaches, the Bible offers clear guidance to Biblical voters to help them evaluate the candidates.

Maintaining a National and not a Personal Perspective

Because the Scripture declares that “Righteous exalts a nation” (Proverbs 14:34), then advancing issues that directly impact national righteousness must be a primary consideration.  According to the Bible (c.f. Deuteronomy 28:1; 1 Chronicles 21; 1 Kings 18), a nation’s righteousness is determined by its public policies and how well those policies conform to God’s standard’s.

So how does a nation ensure that it will have God-honoring policies?  Proverbs 29:2 answers that question: “When the righteous rule, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.”  Very simple, if a nation wants God-honoring policies, it must have leaders like Daniel, Nehemiah, or David rather than like Ahab, Manasseh, or Jeroboam.  In America, the only way there will be God-honoring leaders is if God-Honoring citizens elect them; so the first and foremost consideration in any election is whether the candidate will advance policies that promote Biblical standards of righteousness.

Prioritizing the Issues

 In recent elections, the millions of Biblical voters who sought to advance issues of righteousness through their vote were dubbed “value voters.”  Those whose agenda did not benefit from these voters are now trying to win their support by making their own particular issue seem Biblical or moral.  Therefore, the Rev. Robert Edgar (the former general secretary of the very liberal National Council of Churches) asserts, “You can’t read the Old Testament without knowing God was concerned about the environment, war and peace, poverty.  God doesn’t want 45 million Americans without health care.”  Supporters of homosexual marriage now assert that it is “moral” to extend partnership rights to homosexuals who have “committed” themselves to each other, and pro-abortion advocates similarly claim that it is “moral” for a poor mother to have an abortion rather than give birth to a child she might not want.

But this is not to say that the Rev. Edgar is wrong in claiming that the Bible addresses helping the poor, war and peace, the environment, and health care.  It does–and it also speaks about numerous issues he did not mention, including immigration, treaties, taxation, property right, and national sovereignty.

Each of these is addressed in the comprehensive system of 613 laws delivered through Moses in the Old Testament.  But God also made it abundantly clear that not all issues were equal, for within that expansive system He issued His “Top Ten” (the Ten Commandments), thus creating a prioritizing of what was most important to Him.

 Protecting innocent life did make God’s Top Ten (#6), as did protecting the sanctity of marriage (#7), but the issue of poverty, environment, health care, immigration, taxation, etc., did not make His Top Ten.  This is not to say that the other issues are not important but rather that citizens should always keep the most important things at the top of the list.  Because the Bible does establish priorities, four of the highest ranking issues directly affecting national righteousness will be presented below.

Issue #1–Judicial Appointments

The Scriptures direct that we are to "appoint judges who know the laws of God" (Ezra 7:25) and judges who will "rule in the fear of God" (Exodus 18:21), because–as Isaiah 1:26 unequivocally affirms–the righteous of a land is directly impacted by its judges.  (America clearly demonstrates the truth of this Scripture, for it has been judges and not legislatures who have imposed most of the un-Biblical policies now in place: abortion-on-demand, homosexual marriage, prohibition against the public acknowledgement of God, etc.)  A President will be gone in eight years or less, but his judges may remain on the bench for decade afterwards and their influence is far greater that that of a President who appointed them.

This election will likely have a greater impact on the nation through the judiciary than any presidential election for the past three decade, for when the next President takes office in January 2009, six of the nine Supreme Court Justices will be at least 70 years old–and five of those six Justices have repeartedly struck down public policies friendly to Biblical values.  Therefore, Biblical voters should make their selection for President based first and foremost on the type of judges he will appoint.

 Issue #2–Abortion & Inalienable Rights

Defending the unborn must continue to remain a priority for Biblical voters.  The right to life is the first of the three specifically enumerated unalienable rights set forth in our founding documents, and American government was established on the thesis that certain rights come from God and that government must protect those rights inviolable.  Significantly, if a leader does not protect the inalienable right to life, then all other inalienable rights are likewise in jeopardy.

Modern history demonstrates that when a leader is wrong on the inalienable right to life, then he will almost certainly be wrong on the protection of private property (as guaranteed in the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution), the Biblical right of self defense (the right to keep and bear arms guaranteed in the Second Amendment), the right of religious expression (guaranteed in the First Amendment), the sanctity of the home (guaranteed in the Third Amendment), etc.  Therefore, where a candidate stands on the issue of abortion is a paramount importance not only for the sake of the unborn but also for the preservation of our inalienable rights.

Issue #3–Homosexuality & The Moral Law

If a candidate is willing to accept, empower, and advance homosexuality, it is a clear indication that he does not embrace the moral absolutes of the Bible.  Today, some have rejected the Biblically-established rights and wrongs in favor of their own personal preferences–a situation thrice denounced in the Scriptures as "every man doing that which is right in his own eyes" (Deuteronomy 12:8, Judges 17:6, and 21:25).

Previous generations understood that obeying God’s moral laws always benefited a society (Deuteronomy 6:24).  In fact, a popular 1814 legal commentary documented the adverse effect on a society from rejected God’s moral law regarding homosexuality:

If it [sodomy] once begins to prevail, not only will boys be easily corrupted by adults but also by other boys; nor will it ever cease–more especially as it must thus soon lose all its shamefulness and infamy and become fashionable and the national taste; and then…national weakness (for which all remedies are ineffectual) must inevitably follow; not perhaps in the very first generation, but a nation has only to get this vice introduced, for it is extremely difficult to extirpate [remove] it where it has once taken root because it can be propagated with much more secrecy…and when we perceive that is has once got a footing in any county, however powerful and flourishing, we may venture as politicians to predict that the foundation of its future decline is laid and that after some hundred years it will no longer be the same…powerful country it is at present.

While there are many areas specifically addressed by God’s moral law (e.g., adultery, pre-marital sex, etc.), only homosexuality is currently the focus of favorable political action.  Therefore, where a candidate stands on that issue is one of the best indicators of whether he recognizes and embraces God’s moral absolutes.

 Issue #4–Public Religious Acknowledgments

The Ten Commandments begin with the pronouncement, “I am the Lord you God” (Exodus 20:2).  Christians often attach this declaration as a crucial prologue to the Ten Commandments but Jews consider that forceful declaration to be the First Commandment.  They properly believe that acknowledging God is thehighest priority and that the commands listed after that affirmation have force only because God is recognized for Who He is and is acknowledged as the Source behind those commands.  Therefore, acknowledging and honoring God is a priority in His Top Ten.

Today, secularists have convinced many Americans to accept a compartmentalization of their faith, telling them that it is appropriate to acknowledge God at church, home, or in other private settings but not in public venues.  If a candidate holds this positions, it means that he is willing to disconnect God from what he does, and the entire nation is put at risk by leaders who compartmentalize faith.

Biblical voters should select leaders who will seek to protect and expand rather than restrict or weaken the opportunity for the public acknowledgement of God and the inclusion of His principles in public venues.

 Separating Fact from Rhetoric–Investigating a Candidate

In identifying a candidate’s positions in each of these four non-negotiable areas, the candidate’s recorded votes are to be trusted far more than their public speeches (c.f.., Matthew 7:20, Titus 1:16, and Luke 6:46).  But how can an official’s actions–i.e., his voting record–be checked on any specific issue?  Fortunately, dozens of groups now track the votes of elected officials on numerous issues.

For example, pro-life groups such as National Right to Life monitor votes on the abortion issue and award a score to each official–as do pro-abortion groups such as national Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) and Planned Parenthood.  Similarly, pro-homosexual groups such as the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and The Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) monitor the voting record in support of homosexual issues, and militant secularist organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (AU) also monitor voting records.

There is now a single website to which voters may turn to see the rating of such groups.  (The candidate needs to have a high score from groups like Right to Life and low scored fro pro-abortion groups such as NARAL and Planned Parenthood, pro-homosexual groups HRC and GLSEN, and secularist groups such as ACLU and AU in order to win the support of the Biblical voter.)  To see those scorecards:

1. Go to Project Vote Smart (http://www.votesmart.org/).
2. At the top right of the front page, click on “Presidential Candidates” (which will take you to http://www.votesmart.org/election_president.php?dist=bio.php).
3. Click on the photo of a presidential candidate.
4. When the page comes up for that candidate, under the candidate’s photo, click “Interest Group Ratings.”
5. Dozens of scorecards will appear, listed alphabetically by categories.  To see where candidates stands on abortion, go to the “Abortion” section at the top.  Scroll down to “Civil Liberties and Civil Rights” to see the ratings of secularist groups like the ACLU and AU, as well as the ratings of pro-homosexual groups like the Human Rights Campaign and the National Gay and Lesbian Task force.  Scroll down to “Conservative” to see the ratings of Biblically-oriented pro-family groups such as Christian Coalition, Concerned Women for America, and Christian Action Network; and scroll down even further to “Family and Children Issues” to find ratings of Biblical-values groups such as the family Research Council.
6. Realize that in each category will appear the ratings of secular and religious, liberal and conservative groups; therefore make sure you know the philosophy of each group to understand whether its rating is good or bad from a Biblical viewpoint.

Casting a Vote

Once you have examined where a candidate stands on the four non-negotiable issues, only then should you extend your consideration to include other issues (e.g., economics, foreign policy, taxes, military, health care, energy, etc.).

No candidate will ever be the perfect candidate and support everything you do, but that must never be the sole measuring stick for selecting a candidate.  After all, if that were true, then today’s faith voters likely would not have supported most of the Biblical heroes had they run for office today, for David–although a man commended by God and recommended as our example in numerous ares–was guilty of adultery (and more); Noah had trouble with drunkenness; Samuel, Eli, and Gideon did not control their children; Lot committed incest; Moses was guilty of murder; etc.  God regularly used very imperfect individuals–even individuals with major flaws–to accomplish great and positive things in the life of a nation.  We should therefore always supports the candidate most in line with the four non-negotiable, not the superficially “perfect” candidate.

Biblical voters must develop an attitude of unswervable duty coupled with a resolute steadfastness and must vote in every election.  In Luke 19:13, Jesus commands: “Occupy until I come,” and for the sake of this generation as well as future ones, we must be active citizens.  The responsibilities facing God-fearing citizens in this election are somber, and the potential repercussions from our actions (or lack thereof) are both far-reaching and long-lasting.