This past week at LifeChurch, lead pastor Craig Groeschel
talked about the tough choices we will all be facing as we vote in a few days.
His message wasn’t about which candidate or even which type of candidate we
should consider, but rather for everyone to focus on what type of person God
wants us to be.
The message hit home, especially at a time when I have been
struggling to figure out the reasons we have had such a decisive campaign
season. I have been around for several campaigns over the course of my decades
of living, and this has been by far the most baffling of the Presidential
campaigns during my adult lifetime.
Craig said we need to focus on being a good Christian person
– an ambassador for God. The message brought back memories of when the
political parties were more clearly defined. The Democrats were known as the
party of every man and woman. The Republicans were built around being the party
of God.
Fast forward to now when both parties have trotted out
candidates that neither electorate is thrilled about having to choose from next
week. Representing the Democrats is Hillary Clinton, who has positioned herself
for the past two decades to be the nominee for President. Emerging from the
Republican race is Donald Trump, who has gone from businessman to entertainer
to a serious Presidential candidate.
Clinton has been accused of a myriad of illegal activities,
none of which have proven to be true thus far. Those who oppose her claim she
is not to be trusted, and her track record of being open and trustworthy has
been spotty at best. Much of Clinton’s baggage seems to stem from her husband
Bill’s past and the fact that she stood by her man throughout all of it. And it
has been a common complaint from those who believe the Democrats reflect their
values that Clinton’s nomination was something that was forced down their
throat.
On the Republican side, Trump was a three-times bankrupt
businessman who started with his dad’s money and connections. Trump cashed in
on the opportunity to become an entertainer and springboarded that into
multiple bids for the presidency. Just this year alone, Trump has alienated
minorities and women all while complicating international relations between the
U.S. and Russia, Mexico and China. Ironically enough, Trump has businesses in
Mexico and China.
What has astounded me has been what some would call a
progressive evolution of the two parties. However, neither party should feel
proud of what they rolled out as candidates this election cycle. The best
candidate for the Democrats is a former First Lady, U.S. Senator and Secretary
of State, so her experience is not in doubt. However, she has been under
investigation several times and has lacked the trust of the voters going back
to her time in the White House. While many of the social media posts attacking
her seem to be a stretch or a complete fabrication of the truth, she still
seems to have some inconsistencies that make it tough to support her.
Do we truly consider the Democrats a party for all people?
Sure, they have stepped up far more when it comes to minorities and women than
have the Republicans. And I’m not just saying that to anger people. I worked
for nearly 10 years entering in legislative data at the State Capitol and I can
assure you the Republican-filed bills in general lacked compassion for those
truly in need. And they were far out-weighed by the bills filed to give tax
cuts to the rich. But if Hillary Clinton is the best the Democrats can roll out
for this election cycle for the most powerful job in the world, then it is hard
to believe they are working on behalf of the poor and underprivileged.
As Christians, do we really believe Trump is representative
of the Christian values Republicans were once known for? Those crickets you
hear is the overwhelming response we all know to be true. He didn’t even know
how to correctly say the chapters of the Bible. And we should never forget
about the atrocious things he has proposed that would be against the message
preached in the Bible. Are we serving as an ambassador to God if we vote in
favor of a man who we all know has treated women as servile and has
consistently encouraged the discrimination of minorities? In your heart, the
answer here is obvious even if your mouth or your mind is manipulating you to
believe something else.
So, yes, we have a pair of candidates from the major parties
to choose from in just a few days. Craig said we need to focus on being an
ambassador for God moving forward. The question is, which of these candidates
can get your vote while you stick to the values you know you should maintain?
It’s your choice, but you should choose wisely.
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