What To Take into the Voting Booth

From Psalm 47, we can be encouraged by recognizing the supreme hand of God and His ascendancy above all the nations:
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7 For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding.
8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne.

We can be in awe over those words - and we can take comfort in them.  Even in the midst of a contentious and troublesome election season, we can gain the clarity of the Scriptures.  Ultimately, we need to focus or re-focus on God's plans for the earth and for America.  We have a part in that plan - and the clarity we derive from the Scriptures can help us in confusing times.  No matter who sits in the White House, we recognize Who sits on the throne, and we are called to be His followers, His disciples, looking to grow each and every day and to do what He has called.

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We serve a great and mighty God, and every knee will ultimately bow to the name of Jesus, which is above all names.  We can be confident that, even though there is a tendency of some to worry about
political matters, He is the One who is supreme and sovereign. Daniel 2 says:
20 Daniel answered and said: "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His.
21 And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.
22 He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him.

One of the subsets of the current election season is now over, and that is the series of debates between the two major-party candidates.  Last night in Las Vegas, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump debated a variety of issues, including economic and foreign policy, as well as the opening salvo on the Supreme Court.  That portion of the discussion ended up centering on the abortion issue, with Clinton continuing to state her unwavering support for Roe v. Wade, and Trump taking her to task for support of partial-birth abortion.

Well, there's something very telling about the importance of the Supreme Court in this election to evangelical voters, and it comes from a LifeWay Research survey.  The results were analyzed in a recent Christianity Today story.

Here is a paragraph from that story:

For Americans with evangelical beliefs, a candidate’s ability to improve the economy matters most, followed by national security and personal character. For self-identified Christians who go to church at least once a month, the economy, national security, and personal character top their concerns. In both groups, few prioritize Supreme Court nominees, religious freedom, immigration, or abortion.

Drilling down, 26 percent of evangelicals say that improving the economy is the most important characteristic of a candidate, followed by 22 percent who said national security.  Notice I haven't said Supreme Court or abortion yet - third, it's personal character, at 15%.  Then, you have Supreme Court nominees at 10%.

Only 7 percent of evangelicals in this survey said that religious freedom is the most important determinant, and 4% said that abortion was.

All in all, 45% of people in the survey with evangelical beliefs said they would support Trump, with 31% for Clinton.  The story also says:

White Americans with evangelical beliefs favor Trump (65%) over Clinton (10%). Those with evangelical beliefs who are African American, Hispanic American, or Asian American vote virtually the opposite, favoring Clinton (62%) over Trump (15%).

LifeWay executive director Scott McConnell is quoted as saying: "This group of Christians shares the same core beliefs, but they don’t vote the same way,” adding, “There are significant cultural and political divides among evangelicals that will remain long after the election is over.”

And, to reinforce the point that emerges from the data on specific issues or characteristics, he says: “For churchgoers and those with evangelical beliefs, their pocketbook and personal safety are paramount,” adding, “Moral issues aren’t a priority for many of them.”

So, just over 20% of those surveyed who have evangelical beliefs say that the Supreme Court, religious freedom, and abortion combined are the dominant issues in their decision making. Economic and physical security win the day.  

The conventional wisdom that people of faith are motivated largely by the social issues is challenged by these survey results.

Interestingly enough, in the last WORLD Magazine evangelical insiders' survey of leaders, the top 3 issues were: abortion, domestic religious freedom, and the Supreme Court, in that order.  In that survey, respondents were asked to list their own top 3 issues.  Trump had almost 44% of those leaders, with Clinton at just under 7%, even with Evan McMullin and behind an unspecified write-in candidate and Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse.

Election Day is less than three weeks away, and the voter registration deadline in Alabama is this Monday, October 24.  I want to challenge you on several areas as you prepare to vote:  the words are worship, worldview, and worry.

First of all, I believe that voting, at the risk of sounding overly spiritual, but I believe it - voting is an act of worship.  So, take that attitude with you as you go to vote.  We have the incredible right and opportunity to speak into our society and select the leaders who will govern us.  It matters to God, and it matters to our country.

Also, I challenge you to take your worldview into the voting booth.  Select candidates who best reflect your own Biblical perspective.  Determine the issues that are important to you, consistent with that worldview, and allow the Holy Spirit to direct your choice.  But, you need to be, as I say often, prayerful and informed.  You need the information, good information, so that you can make that choice about the candidate who lines up the best with those Biblically-informed issues.

Finally, there's something not to take into the voting booth - worry.  Do not worry about the outcome. I will speak more to this in the coming days.  We recognize the sovereignty of God, and He will work through whatever leaders are placed in the position.  A President or other lawmaker may have an adverse view or set of views on issues we hold dear and champion policies that we find offensive, but even in the midst of adversity, we can continue to trust in Almighty God to work His purposes.