Who Should I Vote For?

So, how and who should we vote for? Well, I am going to propose something a little different. Sometimes people want to separate faith and politics but they miss the connection between religion and ethics. Our ethics come from our religious beliefs and in turn lead to our political choices. With that in mind this is how I believe every Christian should vote.

1) Look at the issues and candidates and become informed. Most people have no idea what Proposition 4 says and it's an incredibly important issue. Prop 4 is all about parental notification for teenagers seeking an abortion through a local school district. Did you know that each year about a dozen girls in the Folsom-Cordova School district get an abortion without their parents being notified? That's right, school nurses/counselors helps about a dozen girls a year get an abortion in our local schools. Did you know that?

You can read more about Proposition Four here www.yeson4.net/ and here

www.noonprop4.org/

You can read more about Proposition Eight here www.protectmarriage.com/ and here www.noonprop8.com/

2) Look at what the Bible says about the issues and candidates. As Christians, we believe that God inspired the Bible and that it is the mannual for decision making. So, check out what it says about abortion and homosexuality and other important issues. These are complex issues, but here are some verses to consider.

Abortion: The Bible repeatedly identifies children in their mother's womb as "babies" (see Genesis 25:21-22 or Luke 1:41,44). To kill a baby in a mother's womb is therefore condsidered murder and a violation of Exodus 20:13 which says,"You shall not murder."

Homosexuality: The Bible clearly teaches about homosexuality in passages like Romans 1:24-32 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-12. In addition God defined marriage in Genesis 1:24 as being between a man and a woman.

3) Pray, pray, pray! Who and what should I vote for? Barrack Obama or John McCain? Ask God. It's that simple. James 1:5 tells us, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."

Who and what am I voting for? After taking the three steps above I believe that God wants me to vote yes on Prop 4 and Prop 8.

I love everyone and would never reject someone based upon their sexual orientation, yet I believe that the Bible is clear that the definition of marriage is one woman and one man. Prop 8 keeps our traditional definition of marriage, it's that simple. If Prop 8 fails, it opens the door for the definition of marriage to be redefined into whatever someone wants it to be. If two men can marry, why can't 4 women and 2 men get married to each other? If we redefine marriage, why can't a marriage be defined as 6 or 10 or 2000 people married to each other? Sounds crazy, but there are crazy people out there who would love to redefine marriage their way.

Homosexual groups are not advocating anything more than gay marriage between two people, but the reality of redefining marriage is that it has a lot of unintended consequences. For example, in Massachusetts (where gay marriage is already legal) churches are already being sued for refusing to perform gay marriages and parents can't exempt their children from education about gay marriage in public schools.

The Bible is also clear about abortion. God loves and wants to forgive everyone who has had this painful experience. As a pastor, everyone I have talked to who has had an abortion struggles with their decision. I can't imagine what it would be like for my daughter to get pregnant and then have a school counselor help her get an abortion without my knowledge. As a dad, I'd want to be there to help her in every way possible. Those against Prop 4 say that it might endanger a girl who got pregnant from an adult relative or lives in an abusive home. In those cases, I believe the answer would be to arrest the guy who got her pregnant, don't hide the abuse.

What about for President? Am I going to vote for Obama or McCain? I have friends who have told me they are voting for Obama and I have friends who have shared with me that they are voting for McCain. Together, we follow Jesus Christ and recognize that in Christ our party affiliation is secondary to our common love for Him! Galatians 3:26-29 says, "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, or all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, [Republican or Democrat] for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

I added that last part, but I think Paul would agree that God is bigger than the Presidential election. With that in mind, I am choosing not to reveal who I am voting for in the Presidential election. I believe God calls me to share my opinions on moral issues like Prop 4 and Prop 8, but not on specific candidates. We have Republicans and Democrats at New Song and together we worship Jesus Christ!

So, my endorsement would be to take these three steps and let God show you how to vote!