Politics And Religion May Not Mix But Government And Biblical Faith Must!

Since the founding of our nation, ministers have always instructed their congregations, not in who to vote for, but what the Bible says about the issues that may be at the forefront and what the Bible says about government itself. They used to be called Election Day Sermons. Today it seems some No Trespassing signs have been erected. We do not want to speak about political affairs and entangle ourselves in such matters. But where God has spoken, we not only have the freedom to go, but the obligation to do so. So in this Election Day Sermon, if you will, I want to begin by reading from 1 Timothy 2:1-4:

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

GOD, U.S.A.

A little boy wanted $100.00 very badly. He prayed for two weeks but nothing happened. Then he decided to write a letter to God requesting $100.00. When the postal authorities received the letter to GOD, U.S.A., they decided to send it to the President. The President was so impressed, touched, and amused that he instructed his secretary to send the boy $50.00. The President thought this would appear to be a lot of money to the little boy. The little boy was delighted with the $50.00 and immediately wrote a thank you note to God that read,

Dear God, Thank you very much for sending me the money. However, I noticed that for some reason you had to send it through Washington, D.C., and, as usual, those devil’s took half of it.

That is a cute story about how politics and religion didn’t mix very well for that boy. There are other stories that are not as cute. For instance, in Arkansas a court case is pending regarding a pastor who took it upon himself to flash up the faces of candidates on an overheard screen and point out the ones who were right and the ones who were wrong. That, in my opinion, is not my job as a minister, but yours as a voter. It also alienates people from church rather than teaching them what God’s Word says and then encouraging them to apply the principles of God’s Word to their lives.

There are other stories that are not so cute — for example, the Mainstream Coalition in Overland Park, Kansas. This group gave me fits in 1993 when I preached a message from Ezekiel concerning being a watchman on the wall. We were planting a church there, and I was actually preaching to about thirty-eight people in my living room. My message, which sought to bring the Bible to bear on issues we were (and still are) dealing with, came to the attention of the Mainstream Coalition. From there, the text of my sermon, along with my photograph, was printed on the front page of the paper. I did not have the money to pay for that kind of publicity, and our church actually grew greatly as a result of it. That was not the intention of the Mainstream Coalition. They are now sending monitors to conservative churches in that vast suburban community of Kansas City to make sure there is no hate language in the churches. To them, hate language is calling what they consider to be alternative lifestyles, sin. That is not so cute.