--- -- --WHAT"S AT STAKE IN AMERICA'S 2020 ELECTION ~ // MOST IMPORTANT!~~
--{ARTICLE BY: R. ALBERT MORHLER, JR // ELECTION GUIDE~
--DECISION ~~

Every four years, citizens of this nation face a massive decision and vote to elect a president of the United States. The framers of the Constitution understood that the presidency itself was both revolutionary and unprecedented. The role was outlined in the Constitution, but it was made real in the person of George Washington—the only man the founders could envision as the nation’s first chief executive.

In war and in peace, in prosperity and in pandemic, Americans have exercised the vote because we understand that this is the most important role we play in deciding the future of the nation, the shape of its laws and the character of its government.
“Our two political parties represent two radically different visions of the nation and its future, two different understandings of the role of government, two very different ways of reading the U.S. Constitution and even two different moralities.”

Every four years, we are told that this election is the most important vote of our lifetime. In a very real sense, it is. The reason is now clear— the issues that loom before this nation and its voters are growing more urgent, and the divides between the two major political parties grow only wider. In 2020, America’s Christians must realize that our two political parties represent two radically different visions of the nation and its future, two different understandings of the role of government, two very different ways of reading the U.S. Constitution and even two different moralities.

So much is at stake, and Christian voters must think clearly, carefully and Biblically about the choice before us. Just consider some of the issues directly involved in this election.

ABORTION AND THE SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE

Abortion is a great moral scar on the modern age, and it is to the great shame of the United States. Since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, more than 61 million human lives have been extinguished in American wombs. This is only possible because of the subversion of human dignity and the denial of the sanctity of human life. Biblically minded Christians understand that all human life is sacred because God makes every single human being in His image.

Protecting and respecting human life is the baseline responsibility of any government, but our two parties represent two diametrically opposed worldviews when it comes to human life and abortion. One party is committed to respect and defend life in the womb. The other is determined to support and defend abortion as an unconditional right—even to coerce American taxpayers to pay for abortions against their conscience by repealing the Hyde Amendment. The platform of the Democratic Party opposes all restrictions on abortion, effectively supporting it up to the moment of birth. In truth, we are a nation confronting the reality of legal infanticide. The logic denying human dignity at the beginning of life will lead to the undermining of dignity at every stage of life. The sanctity of human life is at stake in this election.

THE FAMILY

The natural family—starting with the husband and wife and their children—is the most basic unit of human society. The responsibility of government is to respect marriage and the family, which existed before the government.This means respecting marriage as the union of a man and a woman and respecting parents as those who are entrusted with the raising of their children. This nation is divided between those who honor this limited and respectful role of government and those who see the state—the government and its regime of “experts”—as the ultimate authority, even in matters God has delegated to the family.
“Every vote is a decision about the future of our society. Each election serves to define us as a people.”

Every society orders itself by its vision of the family, and we now see what happens when the Biblical understanding of the family is rejected by a society that claims to know better. Just consider the hostility directed toward homeschooling families and parents who resist in any way the demands of the cultural elites. One side in our great divide resists this hostility toward the family. The other side wants to “liberate” humanity from the constraints of the natural family. From tax policy to educational regulations to challenges to parental rights, the future of the family is at stake in this election.

HUMAN SEXUALITY AND GENDER

We are witnessing a revolution in morality that is nothing less than a revolt against human nature. The LGBTQ revolution is like a tsunami, reshaping the entire society. Marriage has been redefined, morality has been revolutionized and the ordering of human relations has been turned upside down. The most radical front of this revolution—the transgender movement—has now demanded the rejection of the “gender binary” and the embrace of a totally fluid concept of human gender and personal identity. We are becoming a society of total confusion about what it means to be human, male and female.

The movement to deny biology and human nature is progressing with unbelievable speed. A society that, for example, allows biological males claiming to be female to compete in athletics against biological women is a society that is embracing a confusion that would be fatal to any human society. We all know that the revolutionaries are demanding much more than boys competing in girls’ athletics. One side in our political divide is enthusiastic about pushing this revolution and using the coercive power of government to advance it. The other side will resist it. This divide is at stake in this election.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

The dangers to religious liberty we see today would shock the framers of our Constitution. We now see an ardent and aggressive hostility to religious freedom and any substantial religious belief. A rapidly secularizing culture presents entirely new challenges to religious liberty. Will Christian schools have the right to operate on Christian principles? Must a Christian wedding photographer, cake designer or florist be compelled to celebrate same-sex marriage? Will the Christian Gospel and the preaching of the Bible be classified as hate speech?
---"When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan."
[—Proverbs 29:2, ESV]

These are not hypothetical questions. Every one of these issues has been in the headlines in recent years. The political divide in the nation extends to these headlines. By its own acknowledgment, the Democratic Party has drawn the support of more secular Americans. The Republican Party has drawn great support from America’s evangelical Christians. Given the leftward shift in the larger culture, this pattern will grow more acute election by election. America’s cherished First Freedom is at stake in this election.

THE COURTS

This nation’s founders would be shocked beyond belief to be told that the federal courts have become a major issue at stake in a national election. Alexander Hamilton famously described the courts as “the least dangerous branch” of government. No longer. For the last several decades, the federal courts have usurped the democratic process. Moral and political progressives, frustrated at their inability to win in the legislative process, decided to transform the courts into engines of moral and cultural revolution. Advocates of a “living Constitution” invented new “rights” like abortion and same-sex marriage and facilitated a massive expansion of government. As Americans, we do not elect federal judges, but we do elect a president, who has the sole power of judicial nomination, all the way to the Supreme Court. State by state, we also elect the United States Senate, which must confirm judicial appointments. Thus, the future of the federal courts is at stake in this election.

Christian voters must understand that every vote matters—all the way from the county commission to the Oval Office. Every vote is a decision about the future of our society. Each election serves to define us as a people. Character matters, personality matters, history matters and issues beyond those considered here matter. National elections involve foreign policy, party politics, economic plans and current developments, like the coronavirus pandemic. But Christians must know that the issues discussed here are genuinely and urgently important. And every one of these issues is at stake in America’s election of 2020. Make sure your vote counts. ©2020 R. Albert Mohler Jr.
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[-R. Albert Mohler Jr. is president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He hosts two programs, “The Briefing” and “Thinking in Public,” and he writes a popular blog at AlbertMohler.com. His most recent book, “The Gathering Storm: Secularism, Culture and the Church,” deals with many of the issues facing our nation in this election/.
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~~Friends, PLEASE BE SURE TO VOTE! YOUR VOTE MATTERS TO HOW AND WHAT WAY OUR CHRISTIAN NATION WILL PROCEED THIS NEXT FOUR YEARS! PLEASE VOTE! ABSENTEE, IF YOU MUST! but vote, please vote according to 'WHAT THE BIBLE REPRESENTS', IN GOD WE TRUST! THE LIBERALS [DEMOCRATS] ARE DETERMINED TO DESTROY AMERICA WITH THE SOCIALISM AGENDA. **NO!** IN GOD WE TRUST!

-- --WHERE THE PARTIES STAND ~~

---“I think it’s the duty of every individual Christian at election time to study the issues, study the candidates, then go to the polls and vote.”
—[Billy Graham, 1952---]

Every four years, as delegates from both major American political parties gather to officially nominate a presidential candidate and running mate, the party platforms are finalized and adopted, and policy positions are set for at least the next four years.

In August, with the coronavirus altering how the conventions conducted their business, the Republican Party met in Charlotte, North Carolina, streamlining its official proceedings and relying on its 2016 platform to stake out a consensus of who it is and what it believes. The Democratic Party, meeting in Milwaukee, chose to adopt a new party platform. What follows is a comparison—drawn from those platforms, the Democratic and Republican party websites, and public statements—on where the two major parties stand on key issues for evangelical voters.

Issue
Democratic
Republican

Abortion on Demand & Federal Funding / NO! This is against G-D's Word/ The Holy Bible

Democrats say they will “restore funding for Planned Parenthood” and will oppose and “fight to overturn federal and state laws that create barriers to women’s reproductive health and rights. We will repeal the Hyde Amendment, and protect and codify Roe v. Wade.” Congressional Democrats have repeatedly defeated “born-alive” protection bills and supported increased funding for abortion domestically and internationally.

--REPUBLICAN-- In keeping with the belief that “the family is the bedrock of our nation,” the GOP platform affirms, “The unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed.” The GOP supports a Human Life Amendment and state laws requiring informed consent, parental consent, waiting periods and clinic regulation. The GOP has broadly supported President Trump’s ending of funds for international abortions and partial defunding of Planned Parenthood.

Religious Liberty & Conscience Rights

Although the party states: “Democrats celebrate America’s history of religious pluralism and tolerance,” the platform says they will “reject the Trump administration’s use of broad exemptions to allow businesses, medical providers, social service agencies and others to discriminate,” meaning policies would aim to give preference to LGBTQ rights in cases in which religious exercise and rights of conscience conflict with liberalized interpretations of sexuality.

Republicans affirm that religious freedom in the Bill of Rights protects the right of the people to practice their faith in their everyday lives. The platform endorses the First Amendment Defense Act, which would protect faith-based institutions and individuals from government discrimination. Additionally, the Trump administration has instructed federal agencies to accommodate rights of conscience for government employees, reversing Obama-era policies.

Human Rights & Global Religious Freedom

Democrats laud religious freedom as a “fundamental human right,” but will never “use it as a cover for discrimination.” The platform vows support for Iraq’s Christians and Yazidis, China’s persecuted Uyghurs and other religious minorities. Also: “We will restore the United States’ position of leadership on LGBTQ+ issues” in diplomacy and foreign policy, advancing the GLOBE Act and making LGBTQ issues a priority at the State Department, USAID and the National Security Council.

The GOP favors integrating human rights issues into every level of diplomatic relations. Beginning in 2018, the U.S. has hosted an annual Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, drawing an international coalition to defend and promote global religious freedom. “Religious freedom for all people worldwide is a foreign policy priority of the United States, and the United States will respect and vigorously promote this freedom,” President Trump wrote on June 2.

Federal Judges

The Democratic platform says: “Our courts should reflect our country. Democrats will appoint people to the bench who are committed to seeing justice be served, and treating each case on its merits. We will nominate and confirm federal judges who have diverse backgrounds and experiences, including as public defenders, legal aid attorneys and civil rights lawyers.” Candidate Biden has vowed to seek judges who “respect” the Roe v. Wade abortion ruling.

The GOP platform states: “A critical threat to our country’s constitutional order is an activist judiciary that usurps powers properly reserved to the people through other branches of government.” The party supports the appointment of justices and judges who respect the constitutional limits on their power and respect the authority of the states. President Trump has promised to continue working to appoint conservative federal judges.

Economic Empowerment & Poverty

The platform says: “Americans deserve an economy that works for everyone … it is a moral and an economic imperative that we support working families by rebuilding the American middle class.” The party supports raising the minimum wage to $15/hr., helping make home ownership more attainable, eradicating homelessness, “ending poverty and enabling all Americans to live up to their God-given potential.”

The GOP supports eradicating welfare dependence by proposing “the dynamic compassion of work requirements in a growing economy, where opportunity takes the place of a handout, where true self-esteem can grow from the satisfaction of a job well done.” The Trump administration included Opportunity Zones in the 2017 tax reform law to spur economic opportunity in poor areas.

National Defense

The platform says the U.S. military “must be the most effective fighting force in the world.” To keep it that way, Democrats “will bring forever wars to a responsible end,” rationalize the defense budget, invest in future technologies, repair civil-military relations, and strengthen the covenant with service members, veterans and military families. They vow to reverse the Trump administration’s transgender ban and rebuild trust in the VA while improving mental health outcomes for veterans.

The Republican platform favors building and maintaining a strong military as the path to peace and security. The party’s Principles for American Renewal says: “Keeping America safe and strong requires a strong military, growing the economy, energy independence and secure borders.” The party platform seeks to restore the nation’s military might and to rebuild troop numbers. Military pay has risen more than 2% each year since 2017, after six years of raises below 2%.

The ‘Equality Act’ & Sexual Orientation Gender Identity (SOGI) Laws

Candidate Biden has vowed to fast-track the Equality Act, which would federalize sexual orientation and gender identity in laws across the nation with detrimental outcomes for public education, domestic religious liberty and many other arenas. The Democratic Party has not taken a position on SOGI laws per se, but the party platform and party position statements, as well as legislative actions, have strongly supported “LGBTQ+” rights when they have conflicted with the religious beliefs of faith groups.

President Trump has continued to signal opposition to the Equality Act—a bill that would create legal chaos as sexual rights collide with the religious beliefs and practices of millions of Americans. The GOP platform doesn’t mention SOGI laws, but it includes strong statements in support of “traditional marriage and family” as “the foundation for a free society, and has for millennia been entrusted with rearing children and instilling cultural values.” It laments the Supreme Court ruling legalizing national gay marriage.

Israel & Jerusalem

“Democrats believe a strong, secure, and democratic Israel is vital to the interests of the United States. Our commitment to Israel’s security, … its right to defend itself, and the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding is ironclad.” Democrats support Jerusalem as the capital and oppose efforts to “unfairly single out or delegitimize Israel.” They oppose settlement expansion and any steps that “undermine prospects for two states.”

Republicans express “unequivocal support for Israel,” pointing out that it is the only Middle Eastern country with freedom of speech and freedom of religion. The GOP recognizes “Jerusalem as the eternal and indivisible capital of the Jewish state.” The party opposes the U.N.’s treatment of Israel as a “pariah state.” In 2018, President Trump moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, fulfilling a campaign promise.
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[b]--DECISION ~~ October 2020--PLEASE BE SURE TO VOTE!

--"BLESSED IS THE NATION WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD~"
--[Franklin Graham / Decision]--

--Four years ago, I said that the 2016 presidential contest was the most important election of our lifetime, affording America a window of opportunity to reverse nearly a decade of government hostility toward the Biblical values that undergird our great nation.

Thankfully, under the current administration, our religious liberties have been protected and preserved through a number of executive orders and the appointment of conservative judges and justices. Through executive actions, the right to life for the unborn and the freedom for Christian organizations and professionals to practice according to their sincerely held religious beliefs have been advanced and upheld.

However, as the 2020 election draws near, I have a dire warning for Christians: This wonderful season of progress for the cause of religious freedom and the moral and Biblical values we hold dear could be quickly—and perhaps even permanently—reversed.

Voters are choosing between two polar-opposite visions for America—one that threatens to send our country spiraling down the dangerous road of socialism, and one that promises to uphold the constitutional freedoms our nation is built upon while making America the envy of the world.
“If we truly want the blessings of the Lord on our country, then we must come humbly before Him, seek His face in prayer and fasting and repentance, and ask if He might by His grace and mercy bring healing to our troubled nation.”

Look what is happening in the streets of our cities—in Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Wisconsin, New York. Lawlessness, anarchy, violence and arson are rampant. Rioters are bent on mayhem and destruction. Police precincts have been torched, stores looted and businesses ruined. Incredibly, the authorities in some of these places have simply let it unfold without any repercussions for the perpetrators.

The progressive leftists who are driving the socialist agenda want more power to be vested in the federal government so they will have more authority to control those who disagree with them. It’s all about power and control, and preying on the weak and vulnerable. Make no mistake—socialism is the precursor to communism, where the state has absolute control over the people. We’ve seen this play out miserably in places like Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, Cuba and Venezuela.

That same agenda is driving the ridiculous call to defund the police. Can you imagine what our cities and our nation would look like if we suddenly crippled those who are called to serve and protect—so they could not respond to those in danger or need? It would be disastrous. I love what South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said: “There is no mother in this country that wants to raise her children on the streets of Portland or Seattle.” She’s absolutely right.

History teaches us that if the progressive, socialist left can seize power, Christians especially will be targeted. Believers will always refuse to bow to the power of the state if it asks us to disobey Scripture, and the left believes they can force us to betray our beliefs. It has been the church of the Lord Jesus Christ that has stood in the gap against abortion for more than six decades, held firm to the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman and led the movements to abolish slavery and establish civil rights. True Christians will never render unto Caesar the things that are God’s. They will never bend their knee to the idol of the state. That’s why communist countries do all they can to suppress and silence the church, which they regard as the enemy of the state.

This special election guide lays out the position of both the Democratic and Republican parties on the key moral and Biblical issues that face our nation—abortion, religious liberty, family, national defense and more. The contrast between the platforms of the two parties is striking. I encourage you to read each article carefully and realize the enormous consequences at stake this November.

I want to encourage you to pray for our nation, remembering that only God can transform hearts and heal our land. Then get out and vote on Nov. 3. It is our civic responsibility as Christians, and we must do all we can to support candidates on the federal, state and local level who most strongly support Biblical principles. The evangelical vote was crucial in the 2016 election, and it will be even more so in the 2020 election. I hope Christians across the nation realize the grave dangers that are poised to strike at the heart of the religious liberties we have fought so hard to protect.

One thing I am sure of: We must put all of our hope in Almighty God above all else. He alone has the power to transform lives, hearts and minds. As the Prophet Jeremiah warned, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me’” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

My hope has never been and never will be in either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party. I don’t trust in the counsel and wisdom of men, but in the sovereign, saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
“As this year’s election draws near, with all of its serious consequences, please spend time each day in fervent prayer for our nation.”

“The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:10-12).

If we truly want the blessings of the Lord on our country, then we must come humbly before Him, seek His face in prayer and repentance, and ask if He might by His grace and mercy bring healing to our troubled nation (see 2 Chronicles 7:14).

As I write this, we are preparing to hold a Prayer March on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. On Saturday, Sept. 26, we will meet at noon at the Lincoln Memorial and make our way up the National Mall to the U.S. Capitol, praying as we go. We will stop at key locations to ask God to heal the divisions in our nation, guide our leaders, protect our religious freedoms and pour out His Spirit on America. Tens of thousands of prayer warriors have signed up to come from around the United States to ask the Lord for His divine help and wisdom.

These are unprecedented times in which we live. The COVID-19 crisis has left our nation reeling. It has taken a huge toll on our economy, which may take years to recover. Unemployment soared to the highest rate since World War II. Tens of thousands of businesses have closed, some never to reopen. Suicides, drug use and mental health issues have soared. People are still frightened about what the future may hold. On so many fronts, I sense growing despair and hopelessness.

As this year’s election draws near, with all of its serious consequences, please spend time each day in fervent prayer for our nation. As Charles Spurgeon famously said, “Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscle of [God’s] omnipotence.”

And put your hope in the only One who holds the future. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).



Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version.