Buckle Up for the Presidential Campaign
Buckle up for the next few weeks as the presidential campaign ramps up toward this nation exercising yet again one of the greatest privileges of citizenship – voting for our state and national leaders. Granted, while the negativity and sheer volume of political ads along with the incessant polling and punditry may prove tiring at times, it should never overshadow the significance of our grand privilege to cast a ballot. So, let’s begin there – VOTE!! With absentee ballot availability, there really is no good reason NOT to vote, only poor excuses. We have been pleased to offer several voter registration opportunities (any party affiliation) here at BFCN.
Can I ask you to please pray for me as I seek to be faithful in my role as a minister of the Gospel, your pastor, and a private citizen deeply concerned about the overall direction and state of our nation? Some may say, “What’s the issue? Simply tell people how to vote the “right” way. It’s a no-brainer!” But please understand and thus my prayer request – I am first and foremost a minister of the Gospel and an ambassador of Jesus Christ – a citizen of heaven first and the United States second. Along with Paul, I count it a sacred privilege and responsibility (and I say it with all humility by God’s grace) to live and serve so as to “be all things to all people” for the sake of the Gospel. From my perspective, that demands that my personal political views and preferences NOT hamper either my credibility as a pastor to the unsaved or their openness to the Gospel. Let me give you one way I work this out practically. While I am informed and involved politically on a personal level, I do not put political signs in my yard or bumper stickers on my car for the simple reason I do not want a neighbor or onlooker to “write me off as one of those” without ever getting to know me or giving me time to earn credibility. To me, that would hinder my role as a minister of the Gospel. On a church level, while enthusiastically encouraging individual and corporate involvement, our identity as the Body of Christ will be diminished if we become known as a bastion of one political party over another. If an unsaved person enters our doors in search of “something” will he/she feel unwelcome and even ostracized if his/her political views differ from the majority congregational view? If so, that would hinder our role as a “redemptive community.”
In April I had the opportunity to speak at the Delaware Faith and Freedom Coalition’s “Prayers for America” rally at the Riverfront. It was a great honor and Ichallenged those evangelical Christians in attendance to have a “voice” that must be heard (a voice of clarity, conviction, caution, and compassion). Several weeks later, from the pulpit, I condemned our President’s brazen support of the redefinition of marriage as well as the ludicrous “war on women” charge against evangelical and conservative Christians. I received significant encouragement for taking a stand. I assure you that I will never shy away from or compromise my declaration of God’s truth on the clear moral issues of our day, but I will always strive to be gracious when it comes to one’s view of issues like the economy, taxes, foreign policy, health care, and the like. Be aware that all of my decisions are made on the basis of my desire to maximize my impact for the Gospel, and NOT on the basis of any fear of the IRS.
We have offered a Sunday school class on “Politics According to the Bible” and endorse the fine work of the “Delaware Family Policy Council” and “Delaware Strong Families” that keep us informed of what is going on in Dover and Washington. I urge all of our people to be responsible, biblical Christians and vote in ways that are consistent with the truth of God’s Word. Government will never solve the core problems of our nation, but it does have a biblical responsibility to fulfill the purpose(s) for which God ordained it. That’s how I see it. I welcome your comments, prayers,
and insights.
In His lavish GRACE,
Pastor Bill