A Perplexing Decision...

This week I have received a lot of feedback regarding the message from Sunday, admittedly one of the most politically charged sermons we have had in a while at Southern Acres.

While most of the feedback was positive, there were a few who had concerns...here is an email I received from a young mom in our church.

"Hey Cameron! So I was (out) yesterday and heard I missed a great sermon. So, I have a question, how do we vote for a Mormon? In my mind it's a cult religion w a lot of "make believe" stories. Sure, they might be good people, but they are not Christians. A lot of my moral views align w Romney, but I have a huge hang up w his faith and if someone that truly believes the Mormon religion as fact can lead our nation. Not that I think Obama is doing a better job, but I am so confused on the right thing as a Christian. Anyhow, (my husband) mentioned praying before the polls and praying As God wants us to vote, but how do you discern that when both candidates go against God's will in some form? Anyway, I thought maybe you get this a lot....thanks for your help!!"

She's right that is a question I am hearing more frequently as the election draws closer.

Here is sort of my off the cuff response:

I too have had those exact same struggles, one of the reasons I mentioned that apathy forming inside of me that I need to repent of. 

I agree mormonism is a cult...and in many ways the writings of the book of mormon are down-right fallacious. There are certain tests that all ancient texts have to undergo to make certain they are reliable and not spurious, the accuracy test, the authenticity test and the historical test. The Book of Mormon fails the historicity test so badly that when the Smithsonian Institute researched the book of Mormon they issued a statement declaring it "Devoid of any historical reliability whatsoever." In other words there were places in the book of Mormon where a river or a mountain or a group of people were talked about and yet there is not one shred of historical evidence to tie that to historical reality. That is certainly not a problem we have with the Bible. There have been over 25,000 archeological discoveries that validate Scripture. Archaeological expert, Nelson Bloch said "It may be categorically stated that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference." Easily one of the world's greatest archeologists, William F. Albright said, "There can be no doubt that archeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of the Old Testament tradition."

So how do thinking evangelicals reconcile the fact that a candidate who shares their views believes erroneous doctrine? How do we vote for a man to be the leader of the free world who buys into the fairy tale? 

That's a tough one...indeed a perplexing decision.

Here is my opinion, in an election when there is a conflict in the person of the candidate, thats when you have to look at the platform and select the lesser of the two evils. One platform is against the sanctity of marriage and against the life of the unborn, those two issues, in my opinion take precedence over any other, the economy, immigration, education, poverty, etc. If you are an ER doctor and its a busy day what you must do is start a triage, certain ailments take precedence over others, a heart attack takes precedence over a broken nose for example. In my opinion the rights of the unborn and the sanctity of marriage prevail. So your vote is cast for the platform that most closely aligns with those issues. And again, the question we have to ask, and we must ask it, because I believe one day we are going to have to give an account on this, is "Father, who would you have me vote for?" And we surrender even our votes to the Lordship of Christ.

Yes, this Fall the choices are more mirky and not as fun, but the believer must vote for the platform that most closely aligns with the biblical worldview.

*I am so excited for Sunday, October 28th! Your Pastor's Pastor will be here at SoAcres to preach. Bob Russell, became the minister at Southeast Christian in Louisville in 1966, at just 22 years of age he took over the 120 person church meeting in the basement of a house. In 40 years as Pastor God blessed the church in incredible ways...growing from 120 to nearly 20,000 people each weekend. But under the numbers is a heart for the lost and a commitment to teaching God's word as truth. In addition to that 10's of millions of dollars have been invested in Kingdom causes and missions throughout the world, no telling what the day of judgement will bring when no doubt hundreds of thousands of people will be able to say "I am here in heaven today, because of the impact of Southeast Christian Church and the obedience of a humble farm boy from rural America who was faithful in his calling." So mark your calendar's for this incredibly special day when your Pastor's Pastor comes to town! All that to say, he recently wrote a blog on this issue and he spends more time going a little more in depth than I do, and he uses the same triage logic. I have pasted his blog below.

Should Christians Vote For A Mormon For President?

While conducting a Question and Answer session at The Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, N.C. last week I was handed this question:

"What do you think about a Mormon becoming a president?  What is the basic difference between the Christian and Mormon religions?"

A second, similar question was more sarcastic:

"How does a Bible-believing Christian choose between a Mormon and an anti-American Muslim who professes to be a Christian?"  (While President Obama claims to be Christian many followers of Christ are perplexed by his anti-Christian positions and pro-Muslim comments)

My answer, as closely as I can recall, was as follows:

The primary difference between Christianity and Mormonism concerns the deity of Jesus Christ.  The Bible teaches that Jesus is Immanuel, which means, "God with us."  John's gospel begins, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…The Word became flesh and lived among us."

MORMONISM DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEITY OF JESUS

The Mormon faith contends that Jesus is not equal with God.  In their teaching He was birthed from God's wife (as was Satan).  Jesus became God-like as an example of how we all can become God-like.  That's a huge difference!  Second Corinthians 11:3-4 warns against those who preach another Jesus.  The Jesus of the Mormons is not the Jesus of the New Testament.

That's why our forefathers in the Christians faith categorized Mormonism as a cult.  There are several definitive characteristics of a cult. Cults regard a book other than the Bible as divinely inspired, follow a person other than (or in addition to) Jesus Christ and believe salvation is secured through good works rather than by grace.

The book of Mormon is considered a divinely inspired book superior to the Bible even though it contains passages that have been proven to be plagiarized and erroneous.  Joseph Smith is revered as a prophet even though he was a polygamist and many feel he was dishonest.  Salvation is promised to Mormons who perform enough works to earn God's favor.  Admittedly, many Mormons are very good moral people  and upstanding citizens but that doesn't make them Christians. (See 1 John 4:1-3.)

Governor Mitt Romney is apparently a good family man and a good moral person but that doesn't mean he will be an advocate for the Christian faith.  Nevada Senator Harry Reid and Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah are both Mormons but represent diverse political views.

WE ARE NOT ELECTING A PASTOR-IN-CHIEF BUT A COMMANDER- IN-CHIEF

On the other hand, President Barak Obama professes to be a Christian but has stirred up strong opposition from Evangelical believers for his pro-abortion, pro gay marriage and anti-religious liberty stances.  In a recent television interview, Franklin Graham hesitated to affirm the President's assertion of being a Christian by quoting Jesus who said, "By their fruit you shall know them."  While God is the ultimate judge, President Obama has not taken Biblical stands on issues vital to most Christians.

So this fall, Bible-believing Christians will face a choice between voting for a man who belongs to a cult and a man who claims to be a Christian but promotes causes that are diametrically opposed to what conservative Christians stand for.

If you were adding a room onto your house and had a choice between hiring a Christian contractor with stellar credentials and an equally gifted non-Christian which would you choose?  Most of us would probably choose the Christian contractor.

But what if you had a choice between a non-Christian contractor who had 30 years of experience and excellent recommendations and an eighteen year old Christian carpenter who wanted to do your additional room as his first project which would you choose?  Most of us would probably choose the man who was the most capable.  We recognize that being a dedicated Christian does not necessarily equip a person to perform a task that demands considerable knowledge and expertise.

When voting for a President we need to understand we're not electing a preacher but an administrator.  (One military chaplain at The Billy Graham Training Center commented that we're not electing a pastor-in-chief but a commander-in-chief.)  That's an important distinction!  Jimmy Carter, a Sunday School teacher and a very outspoken Christian is generally considered one of the poorest presidents in recent memory.

SIGNERS OF THE MANHATTAN DECLARATION CONSIDER THREE MORAL ISSUES AS TAKING PRECEDENT OVER ALL OTHERS

All things being equal let's vote for the Christian.  But since all things aren't equal we would be wise to consider experience, philosophy of government and the track record of the candidates when casting our vote.  Even more important to Christians should be the politician's stand on vital moral issues.

Hospital emergency rooms find it necessary to prioritize cases.  A heart attack takes precedent over a broken arm for example.  Christians need to prioritize political issues.  The sanctity of life, traditional marriage and religious freedom are the three issues the 600,000+ signers of the Manhattan Declaration* (of which Chuck Colson was co-founder) consider of utmost importance.  Those are the game-changers on which those of us who have signed that pledge will not budge.

I, personally, will not support candidates who are pro-abortion and pro gay marriage regardless of their stance on economic matters and regardless of their stated religious affiliation.

When voting for a President, if we must choose between a non-Christian who pledges fidelity to the right to life, Biblical marriage and the freedom of the church and someone who calls himself a Christian but who undermines those critical values, it's certainly not an ideal choice…but it's not really a difficult one for me to make.

________________
* The Manhattan Declaration was released on November 20, 2009 by a group of prominent Christian clergy, ministry leaders, and scholars  at a press conference in Washington, DC. The 4,700-word declaration speaks in defense of the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty.  It issues a clarion call to Christians to adhere firmly to their convictions in these three areas.

America is great because...

This Sunday in my message I mentioned a quote from the French historian Alexis De Tocqueville...in my research I came across this quote from his work "Death of a Nation," by John Stormer.

A French philosopher who visited our shores when America was a new young nation left a similar warning. Alexis De Tocqueville said he came to the United States to learn what magic quality enabled a handful of people to defeat the mighty British Empire twice in 35 years. He looked for the greatness of America in her harbors and rivers, her fertile fields and boundless forests, mines and other natural resources. He studied America's schools, her Congress, and her matchless Constitution without comprehending America's power. Not, until he went into the churches of America and heard pulpits "aflame with righteousness" did he understand the secret of her genius and strength. De Tocqueville returned to France and wrote: "America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."

 

An Inconsistent God?

Perhaps as you read chapter 7 this week you were overwhelmed by what seemed to be the brutality of God...maybe for the first time in our journey through the story you have stopped and said, "wait a second this doesn't sound like the kind and compassionate, grace filled God we read about it the New Testament, what gives?" Well a preacher friend of mine in Florida was asked this same question, and I loved his in depth response. He wrote:

One of our Ministry Leaders stopped me in the hallway this week and said, "I hope you're going to deal with why God told them to totally destroy everything and everybody."  It was clear by the tone in her voice that she had been reading chapter 7 and had some real concerns. Because this issue troubles so many people, I want to take some time to deal with why God commanded Joshua to kill everyone – even the innocent women and children. 

I often recommend Lee Strobel's book Case for Faith. Each chapter of the book tackles a common objection to our faith.  Chapter 4 is titled, "Objection #4: God isn't worthy of worship if he kills innocent children."  Strobel mentions this section of the Bible as troubling to the faith of many people. To find a good answer to this objection, Strobel interviews a well-known Christian scholar named Dr. Norman Geisler.  I recommend getting the book – you can get an e-version and start reading it this afternoon – Case for Faith, chapter 4.  But here is a summary of the most important points that Geisler makes in that interview:

Eight reasons why this action doesn't conflict with the character of God.

1.  God has the right to take human life.  The reason he commanded us, "Do not kill," is because we didn't create human life – therefore it's not ours to take. If you create a birthday cake, you have the right to say, "I don't like what I did – I'm going to throw it away."  But you don't have the right to go smashing somebody else's cake that you don't like. God is the creator of life.  It is God's right to give life and to take life, and in fact He has promised that some day He is going to take EVERY human life.  When he takes that life is up to him.

2.  God can delegate that right to a human government.

The Bible says in Romans 13 that the government is God's "agent of wrath," and the government has the right to enact capital punishment and to kill in war. The command, "Do not kill," is better translated, "Do not murder."  The Bible allows for killing in certain situations:  In self-defense, for capital punishment and in times of war.  But the taking of innocent human life is strictly forbidden because every human life was created by God and in the image of God.

 

3. The people of Jericho and the inhabitants of the Promised Land were evil people.

Geisler points out that the inhabitants of Jericho and the Canaanites were "a thoroughly evil culture, so much so that the Bible says it nauseated God.  They were into brutality, incest, bestiality, cultic prostitution, even child sacrifice by fire. And they were an aggressive culture that wanted to annihilate the Israelites. 

4.  God had warned the inhabitants repeatedly that they would be destroyed.

In fact, if you have read the chapter, you'll recall that Rahab told the spies that the people of Jericho had heard of God's judgment and they knew the Israelites were coming to take over.  Geisler says that God had given the Canaanites 400 years – the entire time Israel was in Egypt – to repent and fear God. And they just got worse.

5.  Many women and children had most likely already fled.

Geisler says that because people knew that war was coming, many of the women and children would have already fled before the Israelites arrived. And among the people who did stay, those who feared God and turned to him were spared – those in Rahab's household.  Don't you think she tried to fill her house with people who wanted to be saved? In fact, God had commanded the Israelites that in each town they were to make an offer of peace.  But these ruthless people never wanted peace. 

6.  The justice of God demanded that sin be dealt with.

The biggest reason we struggle to understand the killing of the Canaanites is because we have a one-sided view of God's character.  We know about the love of God but we don't understand the justice of God.  The Old Testament reveals what God really thinks of sin, and how eager He is to wipe it out.  When you understand that God could snuff you out in a moment for your sin, you begin to understand just how gracious God has been to you just to let you keep living and to give you a second chance.

7.  God needed to get rid of the evil influence of that culture.

God knew that the pagan influence on the Israelites would bring them down. If you put a white glove on your hand and stick it in the mud, the glove gets muddy.  The mud never gets "glovey." God knew that the pagan Canaanites would make it even more difficult for his people to be holy and Godly. In Chapter 8 we see the period of the Judges.  In that period of history, the people stopped obeying God and tried to live side-by-side with Canaanites and the results are awful and devastating.

But what about the children:  They were innocent – they didn't deserve to die.  That's true, But…

8.  The destruction of the children show God's mercy.

What? How could killing innocent children be merciful? Where wickedness abounds, child suffering abounds all the more.  So these children were suffering greatly in a terribly immoral culture. The Bible indicates that those who die as little children go straight to heaven.  Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, for of such is the Kingdom of heaven."  Since those children were surrounded by so much evil, it's unlikely they would have grown up as God-fearing people and they wouldn't have gone to heaven.  But God in His mercy ushers more children straight into the Kingdom. God commanding the destruction of every living thing may be troubling.  But this universe is complicated.  God's ways our not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.  If you don't like the way God ordered His universe, you are free to go start your own. But lets admit its complex. Where it appears ruthless on the surface it may really be an illustration of God's judgment and even His mercy.