Showing Up

We can never underestimate the power and influence that the Church can potentially have. Unfortunately, we are not leveraging these things, speaking and living the truth. But, Jesus told another story in Matthew 5:
13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

One of the topics that has been discussed throughout the years during Pastor and Staff Appreciation Month in October is the issue of pressures on pastors.  Most pastors are "on call" 24/7, and face not only the issues of maintaining a spiritual walk with God while living in a fishbowl, being the husband and father their families need them to be, and addressing the needs of the congregation.

A new Faithwire article addresses another area: election pressures.  The article notes:

This issue of election silence is much more pronounced among preachers in 2024, it seems, with 23% of pastors refusing to answer for whom they’ll cast a ballot, according to Lifeway Research.

For context, just 4% expressed the same reluctance in 2020, and just 3% fell into that bucket during the 2016 cycle. The shift in willingness to openly discuss these matters is notable.

The article goes on to say that among those who are planning to cast a ballot and did name a candidate, 50% of those said they will vote for former President Donald Trump, with 24% expressing intent to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.  23% are undecided.

The survey data also shows, "Among evangelical pastors, 61% plan to vote for Trump, with 50% of mainline Protestant pastors planning to pull the lever for Harris."

The Faithwire piece quotes Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, saying that he declared that "the reticence 'shows how sensitive or divisive politics has become in some churches.'”

The Christian Post highlighted more Lifeway Research data in a recent article:

Voters who hold Evangelical Christian beliefs are nearly twice as likely to support Republican Donald Trump as Democrat Kamala Harris, according to a newly released poll by Lifeway Research.

The study found that 61% of likely Evangelical voters plan to vote for Trump, while 31% intend to support Harris. The remaining 8% either plan to vote for a third-party candidate or are undecided.

In contrast, among respondents who did not identify as Evangelical, 47% expressed support for Harris, compared to 38% for Trump.

This is from a survey of Americans in general, not just Christians. 

And, there's new research from George Barna at the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University.  A summary states:

Barna’s latest research shows that only 51% of all faith voters are likely to vote in November. That means a full 104 million faith voters are unlikely to vote this election—including 41 million born-again Christians (defined by their beliefs regarding sin and salvation, not self-identification), 32 million regular Christian church attenders, and 14 million who attend an evangelical church.

Barna describes this as a "gamechanger." The summary goes on to quote from ACU President Len Munsil, who says: “I see two huge take-aways from this blockbuster report...First, that Christians could be the deciding factor in a bunch of federal and state races—and are choosing not to be. And second, that they are longing for their local church to instruct them on how to think biblically about policy and politics. They don’t want to be told how to vote, but they do want to know why they should vote, and how to view political issues from a biblical framework."

Why are so many Christians planning to stay home?  The survey offers these reasons:

• 57% dislike all major candidates
• 55% feel none of the candidates reflect their most important views
• 52% believe their vote will not make a difference
• 48% think the election results will be manipulated...

There are plenty of reasons to disengage in the 2024 election.  But, there are too many issues at stake not to participate.  And, you will hear pastors and Bible teachers across the board who address this issue Biblically.

I would submit that God has placed the Church here at this time, in this hour, to be a voice for Biblical truth.  And, the choices we have in every election consist of flawed candidates.  That doesn't exempt us from being in prayer about how we should vote and then to take the step to show up. Just show up - allow God to use you.

You will hear from various Bible teachers, including some you hear on Faith Radio, that you should evaluate the candidates' positions on various issues and vote for the candidate who best represents your Christian perspective.  Chances are, they won't line up perfectly.  But, you should be able to glean enough to make a quality, informed decision. 

Yes, it's true, politics can be divisive.  I would submit that is by nature, to a certain extent.  But, it doesn't have to be that way.  And, you can recognize the political process as a means through which we select leaders who can represent the views of their constituencies and get things done. If we're not sending people to Washington, to Montgomery, to City Hall, or the local county commission or school board who are in line with our Biblically-informed perspective, then, someone who represents another agenda could get in.  Do we really want that?  Or are we willing to pray, vet the candidates, and show up?