As Christians, our worldview must inform our values. And our values should be based on biblical truth. This November, believers should let their faith inform their voting in three key areas: the sanctity of human life, religious freedom and parental rights.
Consider Proverbs 29:2, which says, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people mourn.”
Believers know that there is wisdom in good leadership. When good leaders are in authority our families and communities thrive. When the wicked rule, we mourn.
Here are three issues that Christians should give special consideration when casting their vote.
Sanctity of Human Life
As believers, we should ask where this candidate stands on the sanctity of human life. Does he or she believe life is valuable and worth protecting in the womb? Will he or she promote policies that protect preborn human life?
Our biblical worldview informs us that all human life has dignity—and that we are made in the image of God. The history of this country recognizes that the right to life is the first right. Without life, it’s impossible to exercise any other right. Life is a pre-political right. It’s endowed to us by our Creator—and not the government.
We should vote for candidates who respect life and will promote policies that protect preborn babies.
Religious Freedom
Christians should also be asking whether this candidate respects religious freedom. Can I exercise my faith openly and freely in the public square under the policies that this candidate supports?
A faith-informed worldview recognizes how important it is to exercise our faith freely and openly. It is a basic tenant of the faith that our actions should let others know we are followers of Jesus. How can we live out that aspect of our faith if our faith-based acts are relegated to the four walls of the church alone? Our faith calls us to be a light in our culture.
Again, the history and tradition of this great country respects the free exercise of religion. The First Amendment of the Constitution protects the free exercise of religion. It is our right to practice our faith in the public square. The Constitution protects the public exercise of religion—not just the freedom to worship behind the walls of our churches.
We should vote for candidates who understand that religious freedom is a foundational freedom that ought to be preserved for all generations of Americans and be willing to fight for its protection.
Parental Rights
Finally, Christians should be asking whether the candidate for office supports parental rights. Does he or she respect the role of parents in directing the upbringing of their own children? Will he or she promote policies that defer to the family and recognize the parent’s critical role to play in the development of their children?
Believers know that the family was the first institution created by God. We understand that our parental authority is a God-given responsibility to protect and promote what is in the best interest of our children. It is not a right bestowed upon us by a benevolent government. It is a biblical mandate to protect our children.
Proverbs 22:6 directs parents to “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
The history and tradition of America recognize parental rights. But today, those rights are under attack by radical ideologies that seek to destabilize the influence of parents.
Christians should vote for candidates who recognize that parents have the authority to direct the upbringing of their children in a manner that is consistent with their values and will promote policies that respect the family.
People of faith, if we wish to preserve the freedoms we hold dear for the next generation—the right to life, the free exercise of religion in public and the freedom to direct the upbringing of our children—we must vote. We must let our faith inform our values. And we must vote our values.
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