Whose side is God on, the Republican's or Democrat's? Shhh...Neither one (see Joshua 5:13-15). God is on God's side. But as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are called to support candidates with positions consistent with biblical teaching. So as it relates to the 2004 election (described by many as the most important in modern history) -- what role will you play on God's side?

This month we consider these issues by examining how God's people can make an impact for His glory. We begin by suggesting a better balance in the debate over "separation" Of Church & State, which tends to marginalize Christians.

We follow this up with a couple of articles provided by the Christian Coalition, which suggest specific ways to make a difference in this election, as we Join God's Army, while being mindful of What Churches Can and Cannot Do.

Lastly, we provide an article by Reverend Jerry Falwell, entitled Calling all pastors of courage. Specific information is included here on the upcoming pastoral summit "Politics and the Pulpit" (Sept, 26-29). In effect, all of these articles comprise a balanced Call to Action for the Church.

As mentioned in We Will Pray for Election Day, by Thomas Freiling & Michael Klassen, in this upcoming election, let's not ask for God to join our side, or to assume that He's already there. Rather let's pray, "God, give us your heart. Show us your way. Help us to know where You are so we can join You in Your work -- and taste the fruit of Your blessing."

Roy Tanner

Of Church & State

Christians in America face a historic opportunity this November.

Elected leaders will make decisions that determine the nation's direction for the next four years...and beyond. There will be nomination and ratification of Supreme Court and State Supreme Court justices. Legislation that defines what constitutes a family and what constitutes a viable human life will be decided. Tax and economic determinations that dramatically affect the rich and poor will be passed. And decrees that ensure our freedom to worship God and share our faith in Christ will be voted on.

In We Will Pray for Election Day, Thomas Freiling & Michael Klassen report that "many political observers say that more than any other election in modern history, the 2004 race could change the course of the United States of America. That is because the government is almost evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. If either party takes a majority of the races on November 2nd, we would soon see a major shift in the kinds of laws that get passed and enforced."

So what impact can Christians make in the 2004 national elections? According to the NAE, "we make up better than one quarter of all voters in the most powerful nation in history. Never before has God given Christians such an awesome opportunity to shape public policy in ways that could improve the well being of the entire world." With all that's at stake, "disengagement is not an option. We must seek God's face for biblical faithfulness and abundant wisdom to rise to this unique challenge."

We engage in public life because Jesus is Lord over every area of life. Through Him all things were created (Col. 1:16-17), and by him all things will be brought to fullness (Rom. 8:19-21). "To restrict our stewardship and political concerns to the private sphere alone, would be to deny an important part of His dominion, and to functionally abandon it to the Evil One. We know that we must wait for God to bring about the fullness of the kingdom at Christ's return, but for the interim, the Lord calls the Church to speak prophetically to society and to work for the renewal and reform of its structures."

In Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, Dr. R. C. Sproal noted that "in our day, the concept of separation of church and state has been widely misinterpreted to mean the separation of state and God. More and more civil government seeks to be out from "under" God. It seeks autonomous power and authority. When the church cries "foul' the church is criticized for intruding into the domain of the state. The church, however, is not trying to be the state. The church, in offering prophetic criticism, is calling the state to be the state as God ordained it and rules over it."

In their Faithful Citizenship statement, Catholic leadership also suggests that when we bring our moral convictions into public life "we do not threaten democracy or pluralism but enrich them and the nation. The separation of church and state doesn't require division between belief and public action, between moral principles and political choices, but protects the right of believers and religious groups to practice their faith and act on their values in public life."

According to Bishop Wenski, "the stakes are high. For Christians today, flight from the world or surrender to the world cannot be options. For if we flee from the world -- including the world of politics -- we would just relegate ourselves to second class citizenship. But when we enter the world on politics, we must do so as Christians. To make our faith "private," without consequence for our public positions, is to surrender to the world. In doing so, we lose our identity as Christians."

The NAE recently drafted an evangelical declaration, "For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility." In this document they concluded that you and I are to "commit ourselves to support Christians who engage in political and social action in a manner consistent with biblical teachings. We call on Christian leaders in public office or with expertise in public policy and political life, to help us deepen our perspective so that we might better fulfill our civic responsibility."

They went on to say, "We call on Christians to vote and communicate biblical values to their government representatives. We urge Christians to take their civic repsonsibility seriously even when they are not fulltime political activists, so that they might more adequately call those in government to their task."

Essentially, the Bible affirms the following key points:

1. In this dispensation, church and state are two distinct institutions ordained by God and answerable to Him for their respective tasks.
2. Civil authority is ordained by God and given the power of the sword.
3. No government is autonomous or separated from God.
4. When governments seek to be autonomous, it is the duty of the church to criticize them.
5. However, obedience to government authority is a sacred duty for every Christian. Civil law must be scrupulously followed, unless it is contrary to the Word of God.

(For additional reflection refer to 2 Chronicles 26:16-20; Psalm 2:10-12; Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; and 1 Peter 2:13-17)

Last but not least, we are reminded "above all, we are to commit ourselves to regular prayer for those who govern, that God may prosper their imperfect efforts to nurture life, justice, freedom, and peace."

Roy Tanner

For additional reading on this subject also see Lausanne Covenant (Quixote Ministries, May) and Till Kingdom Come, American Citizen (Regent Forum, March)



Join God's Army
Make a Difference

Today, Christians are playing an active role in government again by uniting to stand up for families and people of faith. Hundreds of pro-family political leaders have been elected to local, state, and federal office. Pro-family activism is changing policy and influencing decisions from school boards all the way to the US Congress. You can help by joining with us.

Add your voice to the millions across America who have said it's time for people of faith to speak up and become involved. With your help, innocent human lives will no longer go unprotected by our laws, more public schools will at least meet minimum standards, and fewer of our young people will be snared by drugs, violence, and sexual promiscuity.

Your becoming involved means that Christian Coalition of America can distribute more voter guides and scorecards, train more activists and sway more crucial votes in Congress and the states. By joining with us, you won't just sway one vote -- you will impact America forever.

Set a Christ-centered example for others to follow. It seems there is an incredible void of worthy role models suitable enough for our kids to admire and emulate. Action item: Become a Prayer Coordinator

Pray daily for our nation and for it's leaders. For the believer, this is more than just merely a good practice. God's Word instructs that we pray for our leaders. Action Item: Join the Christian Coalition prayer email list.

Become involved. This is exactly why The Christian Coalition of America came into existence. For far too long people of faith have sat on the sidelines watching as their values and principles have been walked on and regarded as invalid. The Christian Coalition of America involves people of faith in having a voice in their government. You don't have to be a politician in order to make a difference. All that you must do is be willing to let your voice be heard, then exercise the privilege of voicing it. Action Item: Join a Local Christian Coalition Chapter

Be a Church Liaison. Studies indicate that as many as three-quarters of church attending, self-identified Christians do not vote regularly. And, only half of those eligible to vote are registered. The role of a Church Liaison, although not difficult, is one of the most important positions in the organization and one that can have the greatest impact. Becoming involved as a Christian Coalition Liaison in your local church provides a means for enabling you to make a difference in your town, state, and even the nation. Action Item: If you would like to talk with someone about you or your church's involvement please call (202) 479-6900.


What Churches Can and Cannot Do

The impact of The Christian Coalition can easily be traced one election at a time. With your help, we print and distribute tens of millions of non-partisan voter guides give to the electorate an impartial and accurate record of where candidates stand on issues of importance to pro-family voters.

With the approval of your pastor, you can become a participant and have a positive impact on our great nation by becoming a Church Liaison. As a liaison you may: 1) Conduct voter registration drives in the church; 2) Distribute non-partisan voter guides and legislative scorecards; 3) Form and oversee a Citizenship Ministry in order to help involve fellow church members in Christian citizenship.

What Churches May Do:

• Conduct non-partisan voter registration drives
• Distribute non-partisan voter education materials, such as Christian Coalition voter guides and scorecards
• Host candidate or issue forums where all viable candidates are invited and allowed to speak
• Allow candidates and elected officials to speak at church services; if one is allowed to speak, others should not be prohibited from speaking
• Educate members about pending legislation
• Lobby for legislation and may spend no more than an insubstantial amount of its budget (five percent is safe) on direct lobbying activities
• Endorse candidates in their capacity as private citizens - A pastor does not lose his right to free speech because he is an employee of a church
• Participate fully in political committees that are independent of the church
  

What Churches May NOT Do:

• Endorse candidates directly or indirectly from the pulpit on behalf of the church
• Contribute funds or services (such as mailing lists or office equipment) directly to candidates or political committees
• Distribute materials that clearly favor any one candidate or political party
• Pay fees for partisan political events from church funds
• Allow candidates to solicit funds while speaking in church
• Set up a political committee that would contribute funds to political candidates
  

If you have questions about what is or is not allowed, please don't hesitate to contact our national office at (202) 479-6900, or visit our site at: http://www.cc.org/getinvolved.cfm

Calling all pastors of courage
Posted: August 7, 20041:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com

It is becoming increasingly evident that conservative pastors in America are being targeted for speaking out on political issues that confront our nation. And while it has become fashionable for so-called civil-libertarian groups to run screaming to the IRS if a conservative pastor speaks his mind, the fact is that pastors in this nation have a right and a mandate to confront the consequential problems of the day.

As I recently reported, Americans United for Separation and Church and State – an organization that seeks the removal of every vestige of religious substance from the American public square – has called for the IRS to investigate a recent column I wrote in which I suggested that conservative Christians almost exclusively favor President Bush in this November's presidential election.

Now, that same organization has filed a complaint against the Rev. Ronnie Floyd, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Springdale, Ark., after he preached a sermon allegedly promoting the re-election of President Bush.

In a letter to the IRS, Americans United President Barry Lynn – who dubiously calls himself "reverend" – said that when Pastor Floyd lauded President Bush's stand on issues such as abortion and homosexual rights, he was effectively urging his congregants "to be sure to vote for Bush."

Furthermore, In Kansas, the leftist Mainstream Coalition will send observers to state churches to monitor the contents of pastors' sermons.

Should pastors be frightened by these obvious scare tactics?

Of course not!

Pastoral summit

In fact, because the political heat is being turned up to intimidate conservative pastors in our nation, I am announcing today that Liberty University will be hosting a special summit for pastors and church leaders this Sept. 26-29.

This forum, which will be a part of our annual Super Conference in Lynchburg, Va., is titled "Politics and the Pulpit," and will be hosted by Mat Staver, president and general counsel of the Orlando, Fla.-based Liberty Counsel, and my son Jerry Falwell Jr., vice-chancellor and general counsel of Liberty University. (Last year's Super Conference was attended by more than 13,000 pastors and church leaders.)

My son Jonathan, executive pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church, and I serve as hosts of this annual event. New York Times best-selling author Rick Warren ("The Purpose-Driven Life") is returning this year as our featured speaker. (In addition, Dr. Ed Young Sr., Dr. Ed Young Jr., Dr. and Mrs. Jim Cymbala and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Singers will be featured.)

In "Politics and the Pulpit," we will be highlighting the mass participation of churches in the July 11 "Protect Marriage Sunday," in which thousands of pastors in our nation urged their congregants to call their senators in order to ask them to support the Federal Marriage Amendment. We literally overwhelmed the Capitol switchboard with calls and, while the amendment was voted down, we sent a message to our senators – the Church of Jesus Christ is alive and well.

In the progressively more hostile environment we are witnessing against Christians, I believe it is high time that conservative pastors become enlightened as to their rights in the pulpit. Here is a crucial fact: Pastors may endorse political legislation as long as such lobbying activities do not constitute a substantial part of their overall activities. I doubt that most pastors are aware of this fact.

Mr. Staver recently stated: "It is time for pastors and other church leaders to shed their moral laryngitis." He noted that no church has ever lost its tax-exempt status for engaging in lobbying activities.

Mr. Staver, who served as a pastor before starting Liberty Counsel, added, "Churches and other communities of faith should and must vocally and actively support the preservation of marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and must confront the culture by standing on our biblical foundations."

He has been at the forefront of many important legal issues and is rapidly becoming a key point man in the battle to retain our religious freedoms.

I am urging pastors and church leaders to prayerfully consider attending this essential conference on the rights of pastors and churches.

To learn more about this year's Super Conference, please visit our website: http://www.superconference.us/

Rev. Jerry Falwell, a nationally recognized Christian minister and television show host, is the founder of Jerry Falwell Ministries and is chancellor of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.