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Political Season Opener, Part 2

Obviously I’m not news breaker. What American doesn’t know that the Democrat National Convention is underway. I’m not here to offer much of an opinion. Not that I’m lacking of an opinion; there will be plenty of time for that in the coming days, weeks and months. I’m here to encourage informed and responsible voting.

Do better than most Americans and read primary documentation of party platforms. Read transcripts of first person speeches given by all the candidates. Do the research yourself. Don’t be the product of what any media outlet wants you to believe.

Prepare yourself for a lot of reading… It may as important to know what the political party platform is as it is to know what the candidate believes. The Platform is the sentiment of the majority of each party. It communicates the party’s conscience, its policy, its principles.

Here is a list of the platforms I’ve read thus far…

The Political Season is Officially “Open”

Even though one might think the political season has been open year round it is really only beginning. Here are a couple of things I will be doing over the next few weeks.

I am not an official member of any political party. I have leanings of a Constitutionalist but my voting record is largely Republican. I refuse to be bullied in or out of a vote. I am, what I’ve come to learn, a values voter. I like to say I never violate my conscience when I vote. But I will vote, Lord willing. I do pay attention. I actually attend city council meetings in my city on a regular basis.

No one gets to blame me for wasting my vote if I vote for a third party. No one gets to accuse me of being among the 20 plus million Christians who typically don’t vote. No one gets permission from me to have my vote.

I made a commitment years ago to be “a well informed and responsible follower of Christ” not men.

Here are the typical things I do as the political season opens.

  • Pray.
  • Read the party platforms of all candidates.
  • Pray
  • listen to the candidates.
  • Pray
  • Read as many of their speeches as I can. (I don’t trust any media to give me a fair treatment of any speech.)
  • Pray
  • Vote
  • Pray

I start with the final draft platform. This week, the Republicans are in the spot light first. Here is the full, final, voted on, copy of the Republican Party Platform (66 pages long). It is, admittedly, a platform I can be excited about. It’s good to know what others think, here is the Human Rights Campaign rebuttal (if you will).

The Only Time Politicians Woo Evangelicals

We have moved into a political era where it appears the only time politicians (in general) woo evangelicals is when it comes time to get elected to public office.

(By the way: When is the last time the government actually looked to evangelicals for anything other than to be elected? This is both insulting and sobering.)

Note to Politicians: stop asking me to fund your campaign while you lie, cheat, and live your immoral lives to the office.

I look at your ways, I listen to your speeches, I observe how you run your campaign, I weigh all on the balance of biblical values and vote my values without exception. If you are only calling yourself a “Christian” to get the Christian vote let me encourage you to stop wasting your time and other peoples money on me.

Over the years of my voting days; I don’t always vote for the Republican (I have never voted the Democrat) and I don’t see my vote on a third party as a waste.

You should be who you are, I’ll be who I am, and we’ll live next door to each other making this the best nation in the world. Don’t tell me you’re a Christian to get me to vote for you, I don’t require you to be a Christian for me to vote for you. I’ll vote for the candidate who I believe will best protect all life, defend the constitution, and understands how church and state relate to each other.

Let’s re-learn what our national founding fathers wanted to establish. A government made up of citizens of and by the people.

That said; I listen to every debate that I can, of both parties. I observe how you behave on the campaign trail. It the general media begins to ‘promote’ you, I grow skeptical of you. If the general media begins to ridicule you or not give much attention to you, I start getting interested.

That doesn’t mean I’m not interested, it doesn’t make me un-American, it doesn’t make me less Christian; It means I’m listening and weighing all against my biblical values as you war it out on the campaign trail.

Because I’m not holding to any political party I can’t complain if you don’t make it out of the primaries. This is both a blessing and a curse I suppose.

Where I’m no party man (in more ways than one) I don’t get any say in what the party does.

Some argue that guys like me are part of the problem…

I say; “stop wooing evangelicals to support you and then take your office and continue funding Planned Parenthood, not standing up for traditional marriage and living your godless lives while using the name of my savior as your ringer for election.”

Apparently the Pope Does Not Know the Gospel

I was hoping for better than this as my first political statement of the year:

“Wait-a-minute! What did the Pope just say about the Gospel?”

Today, according to all reports, the Roman Catholic pope, Francis, weighed in on presidential candidate, Donald Trump.

This may go down as one of the worst theological statements of the current election season from a ‘religious’ leader. Not only is it a poor theological statement, it’s bad logic in general.

Granted, I can only go off of the translated manuscripts. (Full Manuscript HERE)

Pope Francis: Thank God he said I was a politician because Aristotle defined the human person as ‘animal politicus.’ At least I am a human person. As to whether I am a pawn, well, maybe, I don’t know. I’ll leave that up to your judgment and that of the people. And then, a person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel. As far as what you said about whether I would advise to vote or not to vote, I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt.

I have never read anything in the Bible that puts ‘bridge building’ or ‘wall building’ as being the litmus test for being a Christian.

That’s bad theology, and needs to be called out as bad theology.

His logic, if fleshed out, puts all wall builders in danger of Hell fire.

I will give the pope the benefit of the doubt on this though. I’m sure he wasn’t talking about me and the wall I built to divide my living room to create a guest room in my house; was he? No, probably not.

Two tragedies:

  1. This kind of talk confuses the Gospel.
  2. This kind of talk seems to only help Donald Trump.

For clarity: this is no statement by me to defend or declare Donald Trump a Christian or not. He appears to be a shrewd businessman/politician. Which has nothing to do with being a Christian. I’m still weighing his demeanor/speech/conduct/overall character against the plumb-line of Scripture.

My hope is to get to cast a vote for Ted Cruz in the upcoming presidential election. I’m a long time registered independent and so I don’t get any say in who any party puts up for election, but I always – always – vote on election day.

At the end of the discussion, Only God can bridge the gap between His glory and your sin. And For greater clarity, Pope Francis, this is the Gospel: Romans 5:1-21

1Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

      6For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

      12Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— 13for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.

      15But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. 16The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. 17For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

      18So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. 19For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. 20The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I Have A Confession

I have a confession… I am a political season junkie.

I track it all the way back to Ross Parot. The young readers won’t know who I’m talking about, but this was when I realized that there was a serious problem with normal politics.

I have learned that if you want to know what someone is saying you really have to hunt for the uninterrupted transcripts of press releases and speeches. If you just want to know what someone else thinks about a politician then do what most people are doing right now and watch the news channel.

My first election opportunity came for me one month after I turned 18 and I’ve not missed one since (nation, state, county or city). I can’t wait to cast a vote and hear that election official call out my name as I submit my ballot; “Paul Thompson has voted!” That declaration ranks second of all the public statements I’ve heard in my life to this one; “Paul, you may kiss your bride!”

It was a few years after that first time I voted when Ross Parot entered the scene of politics and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Don’t get me wrong… I take my vote very seriously. I read as much as I can, I listen to every debate available, I send questions to local candidates wanting to know as much as I can before I exercise my privilege.

I am not owned by any political party. I’m a values voter.

  • I want a federal government that lets the local community address education.
  • I want a federal government that knows her judicial jurisdiction.
  • I want a federal government that stops giving any money to any organization that aborts unborn babies.
  • I want a federal government that will relinquish programs that create dependence of the poor.
  • I want a federal government that protects all American citizens.
  • I want a federal government that understands economics .
  • I want a federal government that justly executes the sword with fairness while understanding timeliness.
  • I want a federal government that leaves spiritual matters to spiritual houses.
  • I want a federal government that respects geographical boundaries of sovereign states and does not empower activist judicial branches to change civic law.
  • I want a federal government that respects the constitution.
  • I want  a federal government that respects the amendments to the constitution
  • and a plethora of other matters… related to healthcare, student loans, transportation and on and on and on.

hangingchadThis leaves me in conflict at times; after all, what values are priority and what values are secondary when it comes to finding a candidate who meets all my hopes?

I have to be willing to make concessions on some maters while remaining non-negotiable on others. That means sometimes I vote with a political party and sometimes I go with another. I’m willing to vote for a non-Christian (not all claiming to be “Christian” are Christian). I’m not willing to vote for someone just because they are part of a particular political party. I read comparison sheets.

It was the debate season with Ross Parot, Bill Clinton and (then) President George H. Bush in 1992 that helped me become an independent thinker and a committed voter, responsible before my God to be informed and engaged.

Happy political season!

 

On Notice

All believers have a unique relationship in a government that is made up of the people and established by voters. Believers are eligible voters and should take that responsibility seriously.

I am a values voter, meaning I vote my values above party or popularity. I vote for candidates and in relationship to laws according to my values. I respect that not everyone in the land will agree with me nor should be required to do so. I hope they like that the ‘system’ works this way.I do.

I don’t want a government that forces morality or religion on any citizen, yet I hope that same government would recognize her duty to wellness and safety of all citizens.

Contrary to what many think about me in the region, I do see and understand the relationship between a civic magistrate and the church. It is a separated relationship and there is no mandating between the two. There must be a respect between the two and the two should be allowed to exist independently of each other even in areas where the two disagree.

I will strive toward a new understanding of what this looks like in regard to marriage licenses. There will be many things to discover and I expect to find a way with in the law of the land. One that will not force me to do that which I conventionally will not do.

Today, every elected official within my voting privilege in Idaho and beyond should know that they are on notice from this voter. Take me off of your automated phone trees telling me about your family values if you are not willing to put your entire political career aside for conviction of what you say you believe.

While this gets figured out, I will continue to “speak to the Almighty and argue my case before God.” (Job 13:3)

 

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