Thankfully, under the current administration, our religious liberties have been protected and preserved through a number of executive orders and the appointment of conservative judges and justices. Through executive actions, the right to life for the unborn and the freedom for Christian organizations and professionals to practice according to their sincerely held religious beliefs have been advanced and upheld.
However, as the 2020 election draws near, I have a dire warning for Christians: This wonderful season of progress for the cause of religious freedom and the moral and Biblical values we hold dear could be quickly—and perhaps even permanently—reversed.
Voters are choosing between two polar-opposite visions for America—one that threatens to send our country spiraling down the dangerous road of socialism, and one that promises to uphold the constitutional freedoms our nation is built upon while making America the envy of the world.
Look what is happening in the streets of our cities—in Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Wisconsin, New York. Lawlessness, anarchy, violence and arson are rampant. Rioters are bent on mayhem and destruction. Police precincts have been torched, stores looted and businesses ruined. Incredibly, the authorities in some of these places have simply let it unfold without any repercussions for the perpetrators.
The progressive leftists who are driving the socialist agenda want more power to be vested in the federal government so they will have more authority to control those who disagree with them. It’s all about power and control, and preying on the weak and vulnerable. Make no mistake—socialism is the precursor to communism, where the state has absolute control over the people. We’ve seen this play out miserably in places like Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, Cuba and Venezuela.
That same agenda is driving the ridiculous call to defund the police. Can you imagine what our cities and our nation would look like if we suddenly crippled those who are called to serve and protect—so they could not respond to those in danger or need? It would be disastrous. I love what South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said: “There is no mother in this country that wants to raise her children on the streets of Portland or Seattle.” She’s absolutely right.
History teaches us that if the progressive, socialist left can seize power, Christians especially will be targeted. Believers will always refuse to bow to the power of the state if it asks us to disobey Scripture, and the left believes they can force us to betray our beliefs. It has been the church of the Lord Jesus Christ that has stood in the gap against abortion for more than six decades, held firm to the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman and led the movements to abolish slavery and establish civil rights. True Christians will never render unto Caesar the things that are God’s. They will never bend their knee to the idol of the state. That’s why communist countries do all they can to suppress and silence the church, which they regard as the enemy of the state.
This special election guide lays out the position of both the Democratic and Republican parties on the key moral and Biblical issues that face our nation—abortion, religious liberty, family, national defense and more. The contrast between the platforms of the two parties is striking. I encourage you to read each article carefully and realize the enormous consequences at stake this November.
I want to encourage you to pray for our nation, remembering that only God can transform hearts and heal our land. Then get out and vote on Nov. 3. It is our civic responsibility as Christians, and we must do all we can to support candidates on the federal, state and local level who most strongly support Biblical principles. The evangelical vote was crucial in the 2016 election, and it will be even more so in the 2020 election. I hope Christians across the nation realize the grave dangers that are poised to strike at the heart of the religious liberties we have fought so hard to protect.
One thing I am sure of: We must put all of our hope in Almighty God above all else. He alone has the power to transform lives, hearts and minds. As the Prophet Jeremiah warned, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me’” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
My hope has never been and never will be in either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party. I don’t trust in the counsel and wisdom of men, but in the sovereign, saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
“The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:10-12).
If we truly want the blessings of the Lord on our country, then we must come humbly before Him, seek His face in prayer and repentance, and ask if He might by His grace and mercy bring healing to our troubled nation (see 2 Chronicles 7:14).
As I write this, we are preparing to hold a Prayer March on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. On Saturday, Sept. 26, we will meet at noon at the Lincoln Memorial and make our way up the National Mall to the U.S. Capitol, praying as we go. We will stop at key locations to ask God to heal the divisions in our nation, guide our leaders, protect our religious freedoms and pour out His Spirit on America. Tens of thousands of prayer warriors have signed up to come from around the United States to ask the Lord for His divine help and wisdom.
These are unprecedented times in which we live. The COVID-19 crisis has left our nation reeling. It has taken a huge toll on our economy, which may take years to recover. Unemployment soared to the highest rate since World War II. Tens of thousands of businesses have closed, some never to reopen. Suicides, drug use and mental health issues have soared. People are still frightened about what the future may hold. On so many fronts, I sense growing despair and hopelessness.
As this year’s election draws near, with all of its serious consequences, please spend time each day in fervent prayer for our nation. As Charles Spurgeon famously said, “Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscle of [God’s] omnipotence.”
And put your hope in the only One who holds the future. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).
Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version.
Photo: David K. Morrison/©2020 BGEA