A Christian Response to the American Elections (2012)

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The Need for a Balanced Approach

Napoleon declared: “A good general must neither be elated by victory, nor depressed by defeat.” He pointed out that immediately after a victory you are very vulnerable. Your troops are celebrating, drinking and looting, dispersed and disorganised, elated by victory, and therefore very vulnerable to counter attack.

For those confronted by defeat, there is no time for depression, but it is the ideal time to re-organise for a counter attack while the victors are distracted by their looting, drinking and celebrating.

Right now the enemy is celebrating and we need to be re-organising for counter attack.

There is always the danger of victory putting conservatives to sleep. Pro-life and pro-family ministries have pointed out that whenever there has been a Republican/Conservative in the White House, interest in, and support for, conservative causes plummeted. However, their best times for recruiting, mobilising and campaigning has been during the Clinton and Obama eras.

Government as Judgement

The Bible teaches us that we tend to get the governments we deserve. Throughout the Old Testament, wicked governments are seen as a judgment of God on a wicked population.

If we get the governments we deserve, then what does that tell us about our society?

Inevitable Consequences

What we sow is what we reap. Everything has consequences.

In education, the generations of secular humanist, evolutionary, situation ethics, brainwashing has obviously taken their toll.

In entertainment, the degenerate entertainment generally spewed out from Hollywood has been a great distraction, and in many ways, also a degenerating influence.

In the news media, deception has abounded and most people's perception about reality and world news is distorted.

Where Have We Failed?

Even more importantly, we have to ask what the state of our government and elections tells us about our churches. All too many of our churches have been inward looking, neutralised, side-lined into passivity and inactivity.

Post Mortem

The Republican Party should be doing some serious heart searching during their post-mortem of this past election. It is a fact that the Republican Party has alienated millions of Protestants and Evangelicals. Many hundreds-of-thousands of critical votes, possibly millions, of potential Protestant voters, either did not vote, or made a protest vote for a third candidate. The Republican Party should ask themselves: Why?

Matters of Faith

Many Protestants told me that they could not, in good conscience, vote for a Mormon president and a Roman Catholic Vice President. Others pointed out that no sitting Democratic president has ever been defeated by a moderate Republican candidate. Only a strongly conservative candidate, such as Ronald Reagan, has succeeded in defeating a sitting Democratic president.

Inconsistency

While the Republican Party has many fine pro-life, pro-family planks in their platform, it does not seem to be consistently applied to their candidates, or policies, once in office.

Republicans Need Reform

The Republican Party should ask themselves: how have they alienated millions of Evangelical voters? And they should plan their future campaigns to re-inspire the confidence of those who have been alienated by their track record of broken promises and compromise.

Bad Times are Good for Spiritual Work

It should also be pointed out that bad times are good for spiritual work.

Apathy and Complacency are Our Biggest Enemy

Many conservative, pro-life, pro-family advocacy groups have lamented the fact that when a perceived conservative was in the White House, volunteers and funds dried up and interest in these causes dwindled. Practically speaking, some of the best years for serious spiritual work and education at grassroots level have been when leftists have dominated the White House, such as during the Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barak Obama years. It was the Moral Majority movement that brought about the double landslide victory for Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984.

Counter Attacks

It should also be pointed out that after the Clinton Democrat victory in 1992, the Republicans organised such an effective counter attack for the mid-term elections, that in 1994, the House of Representatives was solidly won over by the Republicans. After Clinton's 1996 re-election, the Republicans moved to impeach him. Also, historically, it was after Richard Nixon’s second term presidential election that there were moves to have him impeached.

Obama Lied, Americans Died

After all the lies, cover-ups and intrigues behind the Libya, Benghazi, US Embassy invasion and the murder of the US Ambassador, with all the deceptions, denials and outright lies told by the Obama White House over why the Marines had been withdrawn from protecting the US Ambassador in Libya, there are sufficient grounds for impeachment proceedings to be initiated against Obama in his next term in office.

The Senate

Also ahead, is the battle for the 2014 mid-term elections which could further extend Republican control of the House of Representatives, and even capture the Senate. Not that the political battles in Washington DC are the only battlefields. The local legislature is also vital.

Avoiding the Extremes

There are two extremes. On the one extreme are those who say there is no problem. They ignore the reality of the total depravity of man in rebellion to God and in violation of all of His Laws.

On the other extreme there are those who see no hope. They ignore the reality that God is Sovereign, All-powerful, All-knowing and everywhere present. They fail to recognise the power in the Word of God, the Power of Prayer and the Power of Obedient Action, and the Power of the Holy Spirit.

Recognise Reality

Of course there are serious problems, and of course there is always hope.

"You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” Nehemiah 2:17

Recapture the Culture

We need to galvanize our people to urgent action to reclaim and reform the culture shaping institutions of education, entertainment, and the news media. Our churches need Biblical Reformation and spiritual Revival.

“Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations, and you shall be called the Repairer of the breach. The Restorer of streets to dwell in.” Isaiah 58:12

Back to the Bible for Reformation and Revival

May we be brave and bold as we galvanize our friends, family, congregations and neighbours to grass-roots action, reforming our churches, recapturing the culture-shaping institutions, applying the Lordship of Christ to all areas of life and winning America for Christ.

Dr. Peter Hammond 

Christian Action P.O.Box 23632 Claremont 7735 Cape Town South Africa [email protected] - 021-689-4481 - www.christianaction.org.za
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