Some Wisdom from a Friend at Election Time

Only a Pin Prick

Yesterday morning, during our Bible and prayer time, the thought came to me that the forces of evil that seem to dominate the news these days are only a pin prick next to the army of praying citizens in America.

God’s hand and will are always at work in the destinies of men and nations. Fran and I enjoy reading through the Bible once a year. The one we are using this year is divided into 365 daily “chronological” readings. I.e. Scriptures are excerpted and placed in a time-line.

This has helped me see how the Jewish history, documented in the Old Testament, illustrates the character and personality of God. Over and over human nature turned society in rebellion against a loving God. The results were chaos until people repented, often only a small remnant, and turned back to the Lord. 

God is so patient and gracious and restored their society. I believe He may do it again, not for our sakes. American society is as guilty of rebellion as it can be! But for His reputation’s sake. The world sees America as a Christian nation gone astray. The world wants desperately for America to recover. The experiment in Christian self-government must not fail!

Christian Americans do not seem to recognize the authority and power available to them. 2nd Chronicles 7:14. Christians, pray!

Nothing exists without a set of laws to govern it.

“Meaning of law. — Law, in its most general and comprehensive sense, signifies a rule of action; and is applied indiscriminately to all kinds of action, whether animate or inanimate, rational, or irrational. Thus, we say, the laws of motion, of gravitation, of optics, or mechanics, as well as the laws of nature and of nations. And it is that rule of action, which is prescribed by some superior, and which the inferior is bound to obey.” [Blackstone’s Commentaries] 

Laws set limits. Stay within those limits — peace and growth. Step outside those limits — chaos!

For example — God made David the King. He gave David a king’s authority. David’s hormones got out of hand and he sent for Bathsheba. She came to him as she should, when the king sends for one of his subjects. But — When David propositioned Bathsheba, David had stepped outside the authority God had given him. Bathsheba was free to decline. She did not. Result — chaos.

Our Constitution sets limits for the government of the United States.

Amendment 1

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

“Or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” It appears to me that any law passed by Congress concerning how religious citizens worship is to be considered “no law at all”. Furthermore, the Court has interpreted the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment as protecting the rights in the 1st Amendment from interference by state governments.

14th Amendment

“No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; … “

We have been dumbed down! Time to pay attention.

Some practical politics for churches

A few years back, we lived in a small town with small churches. We had races for Congress, State Assembly, and State Senate. Our church sent invitations to each of the candidates. 

“Dear Candidate — Our Sunday worship service begins at 10:00 AM. Please introduce yourself to an usher. At the close of the service, you will be invited forward to introduce yourself to the congregation, answer their questions, and ask for their support.” 

A few candidates took advantage of the opportunity.

Another project for our small church was a “Candidates’ Debate Evening”. We set aside a weeknight with three one-hour panels. Assembly, State Senate, Congress. We told the candidates they would be seated on stage with their opponents, else represented by an empty chair with their name on it. The panelists (candidates) would spend the first half hour questioning one another. The second half hour they would respond to questions from the floor. The panel was moderated by an impartial citizen.

All the candidates turned out! Our church offered the videotapes to the local cable networks and they were played publicly numerous times on the air. This is a great way for the church to serve the needs of their congregation and community.

This is a job for the laymen. The church staff has enough to do! Spring primaries are important! Best begin making plans now to avoid last minute glitches. Call me to discuss it if you wish.

President of what? 

Have you thought about it? The President is the President of what? 

Members of my last Principles of American Government (PAG) class stumbled over the obvious answer — He is the President of the United States. He is not President of the people! 

In the coming months we will often hear complaints about the “Electoral College”. It is important for Americans to understand what that is and why it exists. 

Delegates from the 50 states meet every four years, according to the Constitution, to elect the President of the states. “We the people” don’t elect the President. We vote in our respective states to elect delegates to the Electoral College. The delegates to the Electoral College elect the President. This is a good thing! 

A nation as large and as diverse as ours exhibits unity with diversity. We must respect and honor our differences. Were we to have a national election where a majority of all the voters elected the President of the United States, votes by citizens of the smaller states would count for little. Further, votes by rural and suburban areas would count for little. Votes cast in the largest cities would determine the national election. 

The system has served us well for two centuries. Let’s not change it unless we are confident it is replaced with something better (more Biblical, ed.).

POTUS primary cause

Now that we understand the Electoral College, let us look at some more political basics.

What will the Presidential race look like in the year ahead? Some states will hold a Primary Election. Others use a caucus (political meeting) system. The dates vary from state to state. These elections result in state delegates to their respective National Party Conventions. Rules of the political party vary from state to state.

These conventions nominate their candidates for President. The Presidential nominee traditionally selects the candidate for Vice-President. Third party races have little chance of winning. It becomes a two-candidate race after the Conventions. 

[After summer,] we have the final sprint to Election Day. After Election Day, we will know the distribution of delegates to the Electoral College and thus, who will be elected. The winner will then have the fall to organize his cabinet and prepare to move into the White House in early January [2021].

What is your role in all of this? Two choices — (A) Sit back, observe, and be entertained. Accept the choices others make for your wellbeing. (B) Involve yourself in the way that best suits your means and abilities. Each of us is different with different abilities and talents. Remember — Ignorant activism is more dangerous than apathy! Inform yourself.

These short essays published by ACH Study Groups originally appeared as a part of a circular e-newsletters. Ben shares his collection of original articles Ben’s Blog “from December 2009 to the present at his website ACHStudyGroups.com.

© 2020 Used by Permission

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