EDITOR:
I recently heard a public figure state: I am a Christian first, a conservative second, and a Republican third, in that order. Me too.
It is our Christian responsibility to vote. I have read anecdotal reports that 40 million Christians fail to vote and over 15 million Christians are not registered to vote. Why would this be? I have drawn a conclusion. Some don’t vote because they believe it makes no difference. They believe God is going to put the person in power that He wants. That is a religious misconception. Christians that believe this way seem to feel God is in control of everything. He is in control but not of everything and it is by design. Let me explain.
God is sovereign but not in the way many religious people think. God’s sovereignty is constrained by His own word. He established covenants with people and nations that He cannot violate. He gives individuals free will and freedom to choose. For example, it is His “will” that none should perish but all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), but His word clearly declares that many are going to enter a wide gate that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13). God doesn’t want people to perish, but they choose to perish. He gives us the freedom of choice and then we must bear the consequences of those choices, good or bad.
Think about this. If God is in control of everything, it would be impossible for anything to happen that violates His will or His Word. There could be no lying, stealing, murder, riots, racism, wars, etc.
Is our world free of these problems? Of course not, because God gives us all the right to make choices and this also applies to voting.
God’s sovereignty is a controversial theological issue that has been argued for centuries and divides the church to this day. You may disagree with my theology, but what if I am right? Are you willing to take a chance on fundamentally changing our country into a socialist dystopia? Are you willing not to vote because you think God will cast a vote for you? Even if you disagree with my beliefs, go vote and vote with a Biblical worldview.
If all Christians do that, then we have a great chance to see conservative leadership and freedom flourish across this nation.
–Mike Stark
Platte City
