Labor Day weekend is behind us, marking the end of summer. Traditionally, in election years like this one, Labor Day also marks the unofficial beginning of the campaign season. We will soon be bombarded with political TV ads, phone calls and social media messages.
The entire House of Representatives is up for reelection along with one third of the Senate, multiple governors, state legislatures, local offices and school boards. The barrage of negative ads and long-winded speeches will be intense and no doubt irritating.
Sadly, millions of Americans, including Christians, will simply “tune it out” and not bother to vote. However tempting that may be, it would be a huge mistake, particularly for followers of Jesus Christ at a time like this in America.
With so much at stake in our country, our failure to be Christian citizens is the ultimate form of ingratitude. It mocks the sacrifices that previous generations made to give us freedom – including the freedom of worship and the freedom to elect our leaders. It also robs future generations of their liberty and opportunities if we fail to safeguard freedom and liberty. As President Ronald Reagan warned, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”
Who is elected this November in races all over the country will determine how many babies are saved from abortion, how secure your religious liberty will be, how safe your streets are, who teaches your children what to believe about life and death, love and sex and freedom, and slavery. In addition, your economic opportunities to provide for your family will be decided by the policies that these politicians enact.
We are living in a very disturbing moment in America. Innocent little children are taught about “gender fluidity” without their parents’ knowledge and consent. The House of Representatives passed a bill that would force abortion-on-demand in all 50 states, at any time in the pregnancy, for any and all reasons, paid for by the taxpayer. Teachers are ordered to use the pronouns children “prefer,” even if it does not match their gender. Many classrooms are teaching that America’s heroic founders were evil. Attacks on religious liberty are increasing. The list goes on and on.
Virtually all of these issues are moral questions. Good teaching from the pulpit from God's Word is essential to solving them. But it is also imperative that we elect government officials who will pass wise, compassionate, moral laws. That means more Christians must be active citizens and vote on Election Day.
For three years, I served on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, appointed by President Donald Trump. We found that religious liberty is under attack all over the world, and is shrinking in country after country. Christians are the most persecuted people on earth. Even in the Holy Land, the birth place of our faith, Christians are facing the equivalent of cultural genocide and violent persecution.
I have met with many of their families, who wept in my office as they recounted what happens in countries that have lost their freedom. These people are willing to give their lives to obtain the freedom we all take for granted in this nation.
The senators we elect this November will determine who is confirmed to the Supreme Court and to other lower federal courts. The congressmen you elect will decide whether we continue to immorally saddle our children and grandchildren with massive debt as big government grows.
Early voting and voter registration deadlines are fast approaching. In the weeks ahead, we will do our part to explain in greater detail the critical issues facing us as believers and Americans this November. We ask that you to do your part by registering to vote (go to Vote.gov) and showing up on Election Day.