Really?? You expected me to tell you who to vote for?
That’s not going to happen. As a pastor, I do not have that responsibility or that power. In other words – that’s not my job!
But let’s take a look at what we want to see happen in our state, in our country, and in our world. What kind of place do you want to live? What do you want to see happen in our country? What are your dreams for the world? That’s what we CAN talk about.
Here’s my dream.
- I want to see a world in which we treat all people equally. Notice I didn’t say I want to see a world in which EVERYONE treats each other equally. That would be nice, but it’s not within our power to do. What IS within our power is how WE treat others – and how we call upon others to treat each other. So my first question when looking at our presidentia
l candidates is: How do they treat others, especially others who are different than themselves?
- We live in the most powerful nation in the world. Sometimes it doesn’t seem that way anymore, but it is still true. We spend more on the military (actually more than the next 10 countries combined) and have a larger armed forces than any other country in the world. And with great power comes great responsibility. Listen to the candidates. Are they proposing using our power responsibly or are they proposing using our power to divide and/or kill?
- This one is like the first two. Over and over again God calls us to care for those who are less fortunate than us. In the Old Testament that usually means “orphans, widows, and foreigners.” So, how are we doing? According to the Pew Research Institute, the number of illegal immigrants has dropped since 2007 (from 12.2 million to 11.3 million). In addition, the number of legal immigrants coming into the United States has dropped from a high in 1991 of over 1.8 million to a low of .99 million in 2013. In other words, the number of all immigrants has been dropping in recent years. In addition, it is exponentially more difficult to come into this country legally than it ever has been before (Have you ever looked at the paperwork? I wonder if some PhD programs are less intensive.). And how is this following God’s call to care for those who are less fortunate than us? So again, listen to the candidates. Are they proposing excluding even more people in need or are they seeking to find new ways to help the “orphans, widows, and foreigners” of today?So who should you vote for? I can’t answer that one for you. But here’s what I’ll be doing. I’ll be voting for the one who I think best lives up to God’s call:
Proverbs 31:8-9 – “Speak up for the people who have no voice, for the rights of all the down-and-outers. Speak out for justice! Stand up for the poor and destitute!”and
Amos 5:24 – “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
In Christ’s Name,
Pastor Rob Moore
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