LIFE TALK Podcast

Here's how you can Understand the Issues ~ Evaluate the Candidates.

How To Gather Information About Candidates?  

~ Campaign websites and social media
~ Campaign literature
~ Press releases
~ Radio and television ads
~ Candidates’ speeches
~ Candidate debates

Some people wonder, "Since you are a pastor, why are talking about politics? Should you not focus on your ministry instead?"

Here's my take on that concern.

HOW TO CHOOSE A CANDIDATE?  

God puts a high value on CHARACTER.   
Wise policies and actions flow out of strong character.    

There are many dimensions of character—honesty, integrity, courage, fairness, humility, compassion, righteousness.  

Candidates can be judged in two ways:  
1. the positions they take on issues
2. the leadership qualities and experience they would bring to the office.   
Both are important.   

Your first step is to decide which ISSUES YOU CARE ABOUT and the QUALITIES YOU WANT IN A LEADER.  

When you consider issues,  think about community, city and national problems that you want people in government to address.  
When you consider leadership qualities, think about the characteristics you believe an effective leader would have.  
Do you look for intelligence, honesty, an ability to communicate, organize, execute strategies, etc.?

Justice.   

We believe it is clear from Romans 13 that a fundamental purpose of government is to administer justice.  Promoting justice includes, in part, making sure that wrong-doers are restrained and punished,  that laws of the land are applied to all citizens equally and fairly, to make sure all citizens have access to legal recourse, etc.   

Question: Which political candidates hold the greatest promise of administering justice?

Protection  
A fundamental purpose of government is to protect its people from threats, both internal and external; to ensure peace and physical safety, and well-being. Leaders who through inaction or misguided actions threaten our safety and security are not fulfilling their biblical mandate.    

Question:  Which political candidates can best protect their citizens from internal and external threats?

In Genesis 1 and 2 we read that God created all things and entrusted to people the management of the rest of creation.   

God is the owner and has appointed us as His managers or stewards.  

Question: Which political candidates appear best capable of managing  God’s creation?   

But we believe stewardship extends to more than the physical world God has created—it extends to every area of life—our finances, our time, our abilities, the people we lead, etc.  

Question: Which candidates create an environment for us to exercise personal stewardship in all of life?

Productivity and Industriousness

As a counterbalance to concern for the poor,

it is clear from the Bible that God puts a high premium on hard work and being industrious.

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (Genesis 2:15)

and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,

so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12)

Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.

For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it,

but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you.

It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.

For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:6-10)

A few important exceptions (i.e., those who are permanently mentally or physically handicapped).

Our approach should be to help people struck by adverse circumstances to “get back on their feet”,

rather than permanently depending on the government or private individuals and organizations.

Question: Which political candidates propose policies to help the poor in time of need yet encourage them to be independent and productive members of society?

Poor and Underprivileged.

In the Bible

God places a high priority on helping and protecting the most vulnerable members of society

—the poor, homeless, immigrants, orphans, the aged, the fatherless and widows.

Christians must seek to apply biblical wisdom

in appraising HOW the political parties address them.

Question: Which political candidates show the greatest willingness to meet the needs of underprivileged, vulnerable members of our society?

A Christian cannot open their Bible and ignore God’s call to care for the poor.

God’s concern for the poor is a pervasive theme throughout the Bible.

Exhortations to care for the poor

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you. (Prov. 3:27- 28)

Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate, for the Lord will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them. (Prov. 22:22-23)

Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Prov. 31:8-9)

learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. (Isaiah 1:17)

Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice

and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!

What will you do on the day of punishment, in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth? (Isaiah 10:1-3)

And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another,

do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” (Zech. 7:8-10)

Jesus himself displayed remarkable concern and compassion for the poor in his healing and teaching ministry

And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk,

lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Matthew 11:4-6)

Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ (Matthew 25:45)

Jesus’ half-brother, James, wrote that “pure and undefiled religion” includes care for orphans and widows

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:27)

Question: Which political candidates show the greatest willingness to meet the needs of underprivileged, vulnerable members of our society?

What Does The Bible Say About Marriage, Family, and Sexuality?

We believe there is no question that…

On Marriage.

God created one man and one woman to share an intimate, life-long relationship.

The Bible is straightforward and defines marriage as a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24) (Matthew 19:5)

But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’  

‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.

What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Mark 10:6-9)

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. (Ephesians 5:22-23)

Sanctity of the Family.
He created us as sexual beings with the ability to procreate and told us to have children (multiply).

Sexuality.

Scripture is clear regarding the moral status of homosexual conduct.

(Genesis 19:1-5) Sodom

You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. (Leviticus 18:22)
If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. (Leviticus 20:13)

(Romans 1:24-28) Depravity of man

(1 Corinthians 6:9-11) The unrighteous and the Kingdom of God

(1 Timothy 1:10-11) sexually immoral

Question: Which political candidates are most likely to uphold the biblically mandated family structure and promote healthy family relationships?

What political or moral issues does the Bible address?  Are there policies that are explicitly condemned by the Bible?  

There are far too many political issues for us to discuss here. What we want to focus our attention on are the biblical values that should guide our voting behavior. Christians face the same issues that all citizens in a community face. But if we take our faith seriously, we will approach them differently than others.  

Here are some of the biblical values that should help guide us in voting for candidates:  

Sanctity of life.  
According to Genesis 1 and 2, God is the Creator of all life and uniquely among  all creatures He has made humans “in His image.”   
Throughout the Scriptures God repeatedly  places high value on preserving human life.  

It is clear to those who take the Bible seriously that we are to maintain the sanctity of life in all phases of life, from conception to the final stages of life.  On abortion and the personhood of the unborn, the Bible is clear—life begins at conception and abortion is murder (see Ex. 21:22; Ps. 139:13-16, 22:10, 51:5-6; Job 3:3; Jer. 1:4-5; Isa. 49:1; Luke 1:39- 45; Gal. 1:15).  

Question: Where do political candidates stand on issues that deal with the sanctity of life?

10 Reasons Why Christians Should Vote  

1. To support candidates and issues that are biblically based.   
2. To practice civil obedience.   
3. To uphold biblical values.   
4. To stand against evil in the nation.   
5. To promote that which is morally good in the country.   
6. To function as Christ’s ambassadors.   
7. To be involved in government.   
8. To put our prayers into action.   
9. To maintain our freedoms.   
10. To function as “salt and light.”

Why must Christians be involved in politics?

Christians have to steward the blessings and opportunities entrusted to them.

Voting is a matter of stewardship.

Christians should seek to vote in a way that honors God and advances the wellbeing of their neighbor.

The Bible teaches that government is appointed by God.

In Romans 13:1-7, governing authorities are “ministers of God” responsible for administering civil justice.

This important role of government is one reason why Christians should care about the political process.

The government was God’s idea, and Christians should think about it and engage with it in a way that is consistent with its God-ordained purpose.

In Jeremiah 29:7, the exiles in Babylon were instructed to seek the welfare of their new city. Pray for the city “for in its welfare you will find your welfare”

A thriving society would benefit God’s people as well as the city’s inhabitants.

Jesus engaged in holistic ministry, caring for the physical and spiritual needs of people; feeding the hungry and caring for the sick were extensions of the message he preached.

“As we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone” ~ Galatians 6:10

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” ~ Ephesians 2:10

Discussion:

We encourage our listeners to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

As Christians, God is the final authority for faith and practical living (as stated in the Bible).

While our eternal citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20), God has temporarily placed us in countries here on earth and wants us to participate in their affairs in a "godly manner".

Given these three fundamental positions, we believe Christians are called to conduct their lives and social engagement according to the values of our permanent “country” (heaven) as spelled out in the Bible.

Lord's Prayer ~ "thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

When biblical citizenship is lived out, good things happen in our homes, community, and our nation.

Together, we advance Christian values in society and culture ~ which includes government policy, elections.

It begins when people of faith accept the tremendous rights, responsibilities, influence, and opportunities they have as "Christian" citizens.

Christians need to apply biblical principles to the moral issues that shape and influence the world around us.

Christianity risks losing cultural influence because of the hesitancy to apply the gospel to “pressing world problems.”

Many evangelicals are tempted to withdraw or had already withdrawn from the public witness. As a result, evangelicals are becoming increasingly inarticulate about the social relevance of the gospel.

Instead of withdrawing, Christians need to engage the public by applying the fundamentals of their faith to the full range of issues to which the gospel speaks ~ including government and politics, the sphere that fundamentally orders people’s public lives.

Unfortunately, the toxic tone and extremely partisan nature of our political system discourage many Christians from studying what the Bible teaches about government and considering how faith should inform one’s view of politics.

Some say that...

God is sovereign and controls the heart of the king (Prov. 21:1).

So why risk compromising our gospel witness by getting involved in something so divisive?

Others maintain that Christians ought to be heavily involved with politicians and partisan politics.

They say: because politics are so important, it is worth investing significant resources to educate and mobilize the congregation for political activity.

Which approach is correct?

Both have good intentions.

However, if taken to extremes, both approaches are problematic.

The former can cause us to withdraw from the public and political space.

The latter threatens to obscure the purpose of the church by elevating politics to a level of importance God never intended it to have.

Scripture advocates neither total withdrawal from the political process nor overinvestment in the political arena.

The gospel applies to all areas of life, and the Bible instructs us about government and political authority.

Thus, we need a third approach, a model in which actively engaged Christians faithfully apply biblical principles to the current political challenges.

But what does this model look like?

What are the principles that can help us navigate our divisive political landscape?

Welcome to the introduction of our series on The Christian and Politics.

Should Christians get involved in politics? 

What does the Bible say about government, citizenship, and elections?

Join me and Jotham Richard Romulus Villafranca Jr. look into what Scripture has to teach us about this important aspect of our lives as Christians in the community.

"We Are The Church - Through Uncertain Times" (Hebrews 10:19-25) was shared on the occasion of Manila Chinese Baptist Church's 68th anniversary. Due to the COVID 19 Enhanced Community Quarantine, we were not able to physically gather together and celebrate such. But we pray that we continue to be the church He has graciously called, loved, equipped, and empowered for His purposes and glory. Amen.

To know more about us, visit https://mcbconline.org