“Obey the government, for God is the One who has put it there. There is no government anywhere that God has not placed in power. So those who refuse to obey the law of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow.” Romans 13:1-2 iui

And if men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she has a miscarriage, yet there is no further injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him; and he shall pay as the judges decide. “But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Exodus 21:22-24

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

All of Us

Does anyone else feel hopeless?
Do any of you feel confused?
When you look around our country
Are you bothered by how it’s being used?

Some say this is not my business,
Because this is not my final home.
But each year becomes more abusive
And still, it’s the only home I’ve known.

It makes me sad to hear all the lies.
To see the increasing lawlessness.
Watch crying kids torn away from moms
And their families’ becoming dispossessed.

I’m tempted to feel we have been forsaken,
That God has finally given up on us.
But I know that’s just the enemy talking.
And God’s Word is where I put my trust.

This fight is surely spiritual warfare,
But our call isn’t just to pray
For I know God has asked us this question
“Who among you will lead the way?”

Will it be me, or will it be you?
Which of us will fulfill His trust?
No one alone can win this battle,
I think He is calling all of us.
Linda Troxell© 09/01/2020

I am a Christian, I love Jesus and I try to live my life as He lived His. I very much want my life to please God. So the question of what place Christians have in politics has haunted me during the last 4 years. I have to be honest, I have an opinion, and I care about this country and the American people. I am tired of being made to feel guilty about this. Some Christians tell me that as a Christian this is not my business. They tell me to take my eyes off of this world and put my eyes on my final home. Is that really what God wants from us?

If God wants us to stay out of politics, why do religious leaders get involved? Jerry Falwell, Jr. (Who I know has recently been dethroned) is very involved in politics and with Trump and his administration. And Jerry Falwell Sr., the founder of Liberty University and The Moral Majority. The Moral Majority was a prominent American political organization created in 1979 specifically to influence politics. It was closely associated with the Christian Right and the Republican Party. The organization was largely responsible for the Presidential wins in the 1980s.

There is a long list of pastors who were politicians and held seats in both chambers of Congress, as well as other political offices. Included in the list is Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas who was also a Baptist minister. Those of you who are younger might recognize the Huckabee name from Sarah Huckabee-Sanders, one of the President’s many Press Secretaries. Pat Robertson, a famous Baptist pastor campaigned to become the Republican candidate for President. You can’t get much more political than that.

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of other examples of influential Christians in politics whose names would not be recognized. So let’s look at the Christian leaders who hold no political office, but are civil rights activists very involved with politics and changing laws; names such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesse Jackson, and Pastor Al Sharpton, who now hosts a political talk show. It confuses me when I see so many pastors and prominent Christians holding political office, yet I’m criticized for voicing my opinion on Facebook.

We must also consider Christians who may not hold any formal position in a Christian church, but who protest social and civil rights issues in the name of Christianity. There are hundreds of Christian groups who regularly march in protest of gay rights. Others still, who organize as Christians to protest in front of abortion clinics. Both groups have been known to go as far as to engage in civil unrest.

It is not uncommon for abortion activists to block women from exercising their legal right to enter women’s healthcare facilities where abortions are offered. Some clinics have been bombed, resulting in injury and even death. And physical violence toward gay individuals and their supporters is not uncommon.

Doesn’t’ the Bible tell us to follow the law of the government? “Obey the government, for God is the One who has put it there. There is no government anywhere that God has not placed in power. So those who refuse to obey the law of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow.” Romans 13:1-2 Doesn’t that Scripture say that we need to allow those who are having legal medical procedures to do so in peace?

I really am just asking. It’s confusing because so many times I’ve seen individuals who complain about the President or the Attorney General told that the Bible says they need to respect and obey them and this verse as sited. But it can’t be both ways. I realize these are probably different people. I’m not saying anyone necessarily does both. I’m just using examples that confuse me.

And there are those Christians who proudly proclaim their faith as well as their status as one issue voters, the issue being abortion. These Christians admit that they do not care what a candidate stands for or how they behave; if they are against abortion they will vote for them. There was always something about that stance that felt wrong to me. However, I could never capture it or put it into words.

And then, my daughter shared a post with me written by a self- proclaimed good Christian woman whose heart is pro-life. I will not include the post in this piece because I don’t have her permission to do that. But what she said finally gave me some clarity about my own feelings.

In her post the woman wonders, as I have have never thought to wonder, why abortion is the only thing that matters to these Christians. I have to admit, they are so persuasive about what they believe, I never once thought to question it.

I made the assumption that the Bible says abortion is murder. After all, those protesting it said it is murder and they are most often really good Christians. So, I just assumed.Oops, my bad.

She asked if abortion is the only thing that Jesus cares about. Well, all of us who have read the Gospels know it’s not. But did you know that the Bible has nothing to say about abortion? It never even uses the word abortion nor speaks about any behavior that would describe it?

The truth is the Bible gives clear and direct guidance on many topics, however, abortion is not one of them. The Bible, and therefore Jesus, does not comment on abortion even though abortion, infanticide, and child abandonment were permitted under Roman law.

Well, that was a surprise. When I learned this, I knew I had to investigate more. The Bible is a complicated book and Hebrew and Greek complicated languages. Perhaps this one source I read on the topic was mistaken. So, I decided some investigation of my own was called for. What I found was eye-opening.

Even though the Bible never mentions abortion and never claims it to be either right or wrong, there is Scripture that is believed to indicate that a fetus is a living human being before birth and so, should enjoy the same protection. However, at best, they are taken out of context. This is an example of one verse said to prove life before birth:“Your hands shaped me and made me. Will you now turn and destroy me? Remember that you molded me like clay. Will you now turn me to dust again? Job 10:8-9

In reality, this is part of Job’s plea for God not to kill him. In it, he is referring to God shaping him through all of the experiences of his life.

There is also Scripture that is believed to indicate that a fetus is not a living being or that it is not as important as a living person. However, it too is taken out of context like this example is:

And if men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she has a miscarriage, yet there is no further injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him; and he shall pay as the judges decide. “But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Exodus 21:22-24

In reality, this is a very small part of a very long list of specific punishments for specific crimes.

Both verses are examples of taking Scripture out of context to try to make it mean what we want it to mean. It is common practice as we all know. But it does not respect the Bible nor those who God chose to write it under His divine inspiration.

So, I repeat, the Bible has direct guidance, even mandates on some topics, but it never mentions abortion. And all Scripture sited to prove the Bible’s stance on when life begins is debatable at best. That is not to say that abortion is right. However, it looks to be more of a moral struggle than a Biblical mandate. It looks like He wants us to grapple with this one ourselves.

So, for those who will claim that fighting against abortion is required of Christians, I’m sorry, the Bible just does not bear you out. It doesn’t contradict you but it certainly doesn’t support you.

Back to my daughter’s pro-life friend. In order to answer her question regarding whether abortion is all Jesus cares about, she looked to the Bible. Her conclusion is, in her own words was, “Unequivocally NO.”

“The Bible”, she said, “has FAR, FAR more to say about pride, abusing power, mistreating the poor, and using power to mistreat the poor, lying, treating others with hate, humility, seeking forgiveness, and faithfulness then it does about abortion.”

Having settled that, she asks this question, “Christians why are you so willing to toss all of those morals (issues) aside? Why are you willing to turn a blind eye to so many behaviors that are completely, blatantly in opposition to the heart and character of Christ?”

“Yeah, Christians, why?” There is was, clarity! Her question, I realized, captured everything that makes me uncomfortable about one-issue voting but that I could not formulate for myself. I realize now my inability to formulate this question was a result of not consulting the Bible directly about abortion.

You see, I assumed that somewhere in the Bible there was justification for ignoring all other sins in favor of abortion. I couldn’t ask the question because I assumed it was already answered. But the Bible doesn’t even say that abortion is a sin, much less that it is the most important sin.

It bothers me a lot that I did not even consider consulting the Bible and made an assumption instead. It bothers me far more that I didn’t realize the Bible doesn’t say that abortion is more important than other sins.

I’ve read the Bible. I would have noticed if abortion was claimed as murder of an infant. I fully grasped that the Bible says blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the only upardonable sin. If abortion was going to be mentionedd, I think this might be a good spot to mention it. But it wasn’t mentioned there or anywhere. I learned a good lesson from this, always check for myself.

This very wise woman who inspired me to ask questions had so much more to say that was enlightening for me. However none of it is pertinent to this writing. So, now I want to ask a variation of her first question. Why do single-issue voters think that God wants them to vote on that single issue? Is it really always the best choice, no matter what?

Let’s consider a hypothetical situation.

(To eliminate bias in evaluation, but more importantly for ease of reading, in this section I will be using the plural, they, their and them, to replace him or her, his or hers.)

There is someone running to be the president of a country that, while not perfect, is the best hope for democracy and freedom so far. This person has shown that their moral character is, let’s just say lacking. This person has openly admitted to abusing their power by being sexually abusive to those over whom they have influence. They have shown they are not faithful in that they have had 3 marriages and have cheated on all 3 spouses. When threatened with exposure, they again abused their power by offering large sums of money to those with whom they cheated in exchange for their silence.

This person mistreated the poor by using their power to slash funding for programs the poor rely on, such as Medicare and Medicaid, food stamps, and Women’s low cost health care facilities. And while this person claims to be a Christian, they have shown that they have no familiarity with the Bible, and have publically disagreed with the words of Jesus at a prayer breakfast.

They have shown total lack of humility and contradicted the Bible by claiming that they have no need for forgiveness. This person has openly shown their pride by refusing to forgive anyone who they believe has done them wrong. Actually, this person has shown through their social media activity just how cruel they can be to those perceived as having wronged them.

They have openly shown their hatred toward others with racism and blatant disregard for the welfare of children and families. This person continually lies to the people of this country and again shows abuse of power by refusing to believe the professionals in charge of gathering intelligence that keeps this country safe. Instead, they have chosen to believe the leaders of hostile countries about what intentions those leaders have toward this person’s country.

I ask you single issues voters, do you really think God would approve of disregarding all of this person’s, immoral, Unchristian, and dishonest behavior in order to justify voting for them simply because they say they will strive to overturn Roe vs Wade?

In Galatians, it says what matters to Jesus is expressing faith through love. “ For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Galatians 5:6 I submit that what we know about this hypothetical leader has included very little love.

I did not write this to call out, point fingers, shame, or argue with anyone. I am not the arbiter of anyone else’s heart or conscience. I wrote it because I am so confused by the proper Christian etiquette for political involvement and how to decide what is a personal comment and what is a political comment. I think the answer is I should not allow the opinion of others to interfere with my relationship with God.

It seems that some Christians often criticize others for having political feelings or ideas. Or maybe it’s just for publicly expressing those thoughts and feelings. But so often I am criticized for comments labeled political that I viewed as personal.

For example, I would be angry if my President lied to the people no matter which political party he or she belonged to. Because lying is not political it’s personal and it’s Unchristian. It shows the dishonesty of the liar.

I would be angry and outraged no matter the party of a president who shared highly classified information with a nation hostile to America. That’s not political, that is safety for myself and other Americans. It shows the person has no sense of loyalty.

And it angers me when anyone, be they Christian activists, one issue voters, a president of this country, or my own family members, who hold abortion more important than caring for those already born who are poor and starving, homeless, without health care, or kids who have to live in areas where they are never safe and more.

Why is it more important to save unborn babies than it is to take care of those who are born and hanging on to life by a thread? And that is personal, not political.

I think our Lord and Savior would agree with me when I say that at the very least they are equally as important and equally in need of protection. I am not saying either should be abandoned for the other. I’m saying that each of us should be concerned with everyone who is in need of help. And it breaks my heart that we have made that political.

I would ask you, single-issue voters, to look seriously at the case of Gabriel Fernandez. You can watch the documentary of his story on Netflix. Gabriel is a little boy who was killed by his mom and her boyfriend after 8 years of being tortured and terrorized .

I challenge you to watch the whole story and tell me you have not at least reexamined your commitment to single-issue voting. It is my unshakable belief that our God does not favor the unborn over the childern living in this world in dire need of the same help and protection.

Unfortunately, who gets what they need in our culture does depend on who is in the White House and who is in Congress. It depends also on who has the money. Those with the money to put the leaders in their positions have just as much influence as the leaders we voted for.

Those leaders are beholden to the money for their political position. And believe me, they didn’t put them there our of the goodness of their hearts. We all must be involved in politics and we all must be knowledgeable about who we vote for. I don’t think we are excused because this is not our eternal home.

It is my unwavering belief that we, the voters should not be loyal to any party. We should be loyal to our God. And we should vote for the person who we believe in our hearts will most closely carry out what we believe the Lord wants, regardless of what party they are loyal to.

I will probably insult some readers by writing this post. I will probably also lose some readers or followers as well. Pleas believe me, it was not my intention to insult or even to be provocative. In fact, I did not even intend for it to go where it did.

I intended to write a simple post about how confused I have been about the politics of Christianity. I began it to muse about why single- issue voters are unconcerned about the things Jesus actually stated we should do in favor of being more concerned by something He never mentioned.
But For God
At some point, it became God’s post and I was only the hands typing it. So, let me apologize to anyone I have insulted. I do not believe that I know better than anyone else how to be the best Christian.

In fact, one of my biggest obstacles to being the best Christian I can be is trying to do it perfectly and allowing others to define what that is. I write this blog with the hope that it will help me enjoy the love and acceptance I know Jesus has for me, without trying to be so perfect. And in the hope that it helps someone on the way.

Before getting into the normal prayer that goes with each of my posts, I want for us to share a prayer for our world, and especially our country to be free of this virus.

Dear Lord,
Although we are all different people with different needs, different hopes, and different dreams, we come together now as one in prayer. Lord Jesus, we are on our knees in humility and meekness and we are petitioning you to save us from this virus. You tell us that we need to worry about nothing but by giving everything to you in prayer and supplication we will have peace. And we need peace, Lord, oh we need it so much. But more than peace we need this pestilence to disappear. You are our only provider, so only you can save us. We beg you now God, millions of hearts joined together to ask please, Bless and keep us make your face shine on us and be gracious to us; please no more death, no more economic crisis, no more pestilence. Please, Lord, we are your people, we serve you, and we trust you. Please help us in this, our time of need. We pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus, Amen

Let’s Pray

Father, no one knows better than you that we are in confusing and scary times now. It is difficult to discern between what it is we need to do, what it is we want to do, and what it is you want us to do. But Lord we all want to do what pleases you. You know Lord, it’s an election year and once again there are emotional thoughts and feelings about the candidates and about what the most important issues are. And sometimes I have to say Lord, it is confusing to know how much you want us to get involved with politics. There are and have been very prominent Christian leaders filling seats in Congress. One Christian leader even ran for President, Lord. But being of different political opinions sometimes puts a distance, sometimes even a wall, between us as your children. Of course you did not give us direction for everything in your word and we need to be able to do your will without being led by the hand. Still, Lord, sometimes we need clarity from you. And I think this is one of those times; at least, Lord it is for me. We ask you to speak to each of us that we may know your will for each of us. Not just about this election, Lord, but also about the growing numbers of people seriously affected by the pandemic. Some, of course, are in financial need, but some have no place to live, others don’t have enough food. But also lord, there are some who are totally isolated and feeling forgotten and lonely. Please Lord, move in our hearts and minds, help us to keep your love and your word always firs as you lead us to heal your people and our country. Lord lead us and we will follow you today and every day.
We ask this in the Holy name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Points for Pondering and for Prayer
Or
Perhaps for Putting Pen to Paper

Have you ever been confused about where that which is personal ends and that which is political begins?

There is a saying that was popular a long ago, “What’s personal is political.” What do you think that means?

Have you ever wondered if, as a Christian, you are supposed to be involved in politics? Did you realize there were so many Christian leaders in Congress? What is are your thoughts about that?

Did you know that the Bible doesn’t mention abortion? If you didn’t, does that surprise you? Do you have a strong confirmed position on abortion in relation to those thing Jesus asked us to do?

Have you ever been uncertain or uncomfortable about that position?

Are you, or is someone one you know, a single-issue voter, meaning someone who votes for leaders based solely on the leaders position on abortion? What are your feelings about holding abortion as more important than everything Jesus called us to be concerned about?