Many Christians are saying that they won’t vote because neither candidate appeals to them. Not voting is still a vote, and these same Christians will have to live in the world that results from whichever candidate wins.
Throughout its history, the church has been in the forefront of establishing political freedom. In addition, there is a long tradition of the establishment of schools and hospitals around the globe. Medical and educational missionary work has its origins in the evangelical struggle for reform. Great efforts of social reform followed the preaching of the gospel. “Historians have attributed to [John] Wesley’s influence rather than to any other the fact that Britain was spared the horrors of a bloody revolution like France’s.” His philosophy of social reform was derived from the Bible.
The New Testament church was involved in all types of reform efforts, with widows and orphans receiving special care. “The English philosopher Sir Francis Bacon (1561–1626) declared that ‘there never was found, in any age of the world, either religion or law that did so highly exalt the public good as the Bible.’” Scripture set forth policies to care for the poor, widows, orphans, and strangers (Deut. 14:28–29). Land owners were obligated to set aside a portion of their harvested fields for the less fortunate (Lev. 19:9) for purposes of gleaning (23:22). The remaining sheaves were to be left for the poor (Deut. 24:19), while the crops that grew of themselves were to remain unharvested in the seventh year as a way of helping the poor (Ex. 23:10–11).
The Bible has been the Magna Carta of the poor and of the oppressed; down to modern times no State has had a constitution in which the interests of the people are so largely taken into account, in which the duties so much more than the privileges of rulers are insisted upon, as that drawn up for Israel in Deuteronomy and Leviticus; nowhere is the fundamental truth that the welfare of the State, in the long run, depends on the uprightness of the citizen so strongly laid down.
The church continued the biblical tradition of reform efforts as it grew in number and influence. The relief of the poor was always high on the reform list… It is no accident that many hospitals carry the names of churches: Lutheran General, Christ, Mercy Hospital, Presbyterian-St. Luke’s, Swedish Covenant, and dozens more. Jews, Roman Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox believers have a prestigious tradition of social reform in the area of medical care. Cotton Mather, in his Essays to Do Good (1710), “proposed that men and women, acting either as individuals or as members of voluntary associations, should engage in ‘a perpetual endeavor to do good in the world.’”
Many Christians are saying that they won’t vote because neither candidate appeals to them. Not voting is still a vote, and these same Christians will have to live in the world that results from whichever candidate wins. Both political parties are using their constituents and this is a problem. Things need to be done, but ignoring the problem is not a viable solution.
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Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths
Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths takes a closer look at God’s Word and applies it to erroneous misinterpretations of the Bible that have resulted in a virtual shut-down of the church’s full-orbed mission in the world (Acts 20:27). Due to these mistaken interpretations and applications of popular Bible texts to contemporary issues, the Christian faith is being thrown out and trampled under foot by men (Matt. 5:13).
Author: Gary DeMar
Gary—who served as President of American Vision for thirty-five years—is a graduate of Western Michigan University (1973) and earned his M.Div. at Reformed Theological Seminary in 1979. Author of countless essays, news articles, and more than 27 book titles, he has been featured by nearly every major news media outlet. Gary also has hosted The Gary DeMar Show, History Unwrapped, and the Gary DeMar’s Vantage Point Webshow and is a regular contributor to AmericanVision.org. Gary has lived in the Atlanta area since 1979 with his wife, Carol. They have two married sons and are enjoying being grandparents. Gary and Carol are members of Midway Presbyterian Church (PCA).
