The Value of an Informed & Moral Electorate

“Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.”

Isaiah 58:12 (NASB)

People sometimes argue that because of the “separation of church and state” in our country, Christians should neither concern themselves with, nor be involved in politics. This is a complete misunderstanding of Thomas Jefferson’s original intentions when enshrining this principle. The purpose of the separation of church and state was to protect the church from incursions by the state on their liberty, not the inverse. Rather than surrendering governance to the irreligious, Christians are called to mirror Christlikeness, promote kingdom principles and do works of righteousness in their communities.

As citizens of this nation, we are all called upon to take up the responsibility to be informed voters

Isaiah 58 presents a powerful picture of the role of the believer in public life. In it, we are called on to engage in acts of mercy and righteousness. Isaiah says we have the potential to “rebuild the ancient ruins and raise up the age-old foundations”, to distinguish ourselves as “repairers of the breach, and restorers of streets in which to dwell”. Rather than absenting ourselves from public and political life, the Bible calls upon us to live and act in such a way that men will see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. We can accomplish this on many different levels – as individuals, as members of a religious community, and also as part of the body politic in our cities, states and nation. God calls each of us to serve Him in unique ways and different settings; but as citizens of this nation, we are all called upon to take up the responsibility to be informed voters. It is not enough just to go to the polls and vote; we have to know for whom - and what - we are voting. Jefferson also said, ““Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government”. The gathering of information is as vital as the voting. Think of the example of the Bereans in Acts 17, how they examined everything they were told and held it up to the standard of Scripture to see if it was true. Though for them the information they were receiving was spiritual in nature, we can apply this same principle of investigation in light of Scripture to the policies, personalities and actions of our public officials. ChristFirstConservatives.org exists to help you find the information you need to make prudent, fact-based decisions, and to encourage you to decide, vote and act in ways that bring glory to God. We begin this week with a primer on the Idaho political structure and where you can begin to find out who’s running in your area (See “Information” section below.)

If we Christians fail to engage thoughtfully in the democratic process, we weaken the ranks of the moral and religious by our absence.

John Adams is famously quoted as saying “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Think about that. If we Christians fail to engage thoughtfully in the democratic process, we weaken the ranks of the moral and religious by our absence. It is a true statement to say we get the kind of government we deserve. Brothers and sisters, it is time for us to actively engage, to seek out truth and vote for those who will uphold biblical and conservative values. We realize this takes time; we are here to help you in this process, not promoting a particular viewpoint or slate of candidates, but showing you where and how to gather information. Also, to maximize your efforts, we suggest you try working in tandem with other likeminded believers to gather and share information. In this way, you can multiply your efforts and inspire those who might not otherwise be inclined to get involved.

If ever there was a time when our nation needed the conspicuous political involvement of its moral and religious citizens, it is now. The realm of politics has become spiritually charged as the influence of principalities and powers and a distinct anti-God agenda can be seen at work just under the surface of public policies. You don’t have to look too far to see the breach that needs repairing or the devastation that needs to be restored. Believer, it is our privilege, our blood-bought mandate to take up this challenge. We pray we can work together to this end and make a real, transformative difference in the towns, counties, state and nation that we love. Have specific questions? Please reach out to us at ChristFirstConservatives@protonmail.com.