In just a few days, voters across America will head to the polls for what I believe is a critical moment in our nation’s history—a moment that I never believed would be possible in our great and storied republic.
In a number of states and cities, from coast to coast, ballots will be cast for candidates who are proudly running on a radical political platform that praises and embraces the bankrupt ideology of socialism.
I don’t know about you, but I never thought the day would come when a socialist would not only be on the ballot, but would actually stand a good chance of winning an election.
It’s no secret how a socialist agenda has completely wrecked the economies of the nations that have embraced it. Just look at Venezuela; once the richest, most prosperous country in South America, it is now among the very poorest, with dilapidated infrastructure, horrible healthcare, and abysmal personal freedoms. Or, closer to home, just observe Cuba, a country impoverished by socialism for more than six decades.
Of course, it’s no coincidence that socialism is often just another brand name for communism, where corrupt rulers gain total control while promising freedoms and benefits that are mere propaganda. Has there ever been a communist government that did anything other than brutally oppress its citizens and become a pariah nation?
Worst of all, communism—like socialism—is godless, even anti-God. The socialists have always been the enemy of the church. They hate God because they want to be the final authority, not God. Allegiance to the atheistic state is commanded and supersedes worship and devotion to the one, true God. Religion is a clear and present danger to the all-powerful state and must be suppressed, so in almost every socialist country, churches are marginalized and even persecuted.
Sadly, you don’t have to search abroad to see just how empty socialism really is. Look no further than New York City and Seattle, where two of the most prominent and influential cities in the U.S. are being led by self-identified socialist mayors.
I’m grateful that the House of Representatives last month confronted this evil ideology by passing a resolution titled: “Providing for the condemnation and denouncement of socialism in all its forms.” I couldn’t agree more.
King Solomon’s declaration in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “And there is nothing new under the sun,” seems prophetic for the 21st century’s rendition of what former U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill summed up as the blight of the 1900s when he said: “Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy.”
But socialism isn’t the only fight we face. The rising threat of Islam in the West should concern us all. We just marked the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 Islamic terrorist attacks on our nation. Yet from Michigan to New York to even Texas, we see too many of our fellow Americans staying silent or in some cases applauding when Muslim leaders exert greater control, when Sharia law influences public policy, and when radical Islamic groups seek to establish strongholds in our nation.
As voters prepare to cast their ballots in next week’s midterm elections, the Apostle Paul’s instructions for the Colossians couldn’t be more timely: “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8).
This is precisely why Christians must base their vote on Biblical values by supporting political candidates who recognize the sanctity of human life and Biblical marriage between a man and a woman; national borders and law enforcement; and the value of work and productivity. Socialism seeks to undermine all of this.
More than ever, Christians should steward their vote faithfully, as Paul told the church at Corinth, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
We have many Biblical examples of the influence godly leaders can have in government and politics.
Three thousand years ago, when King Jehoshaphat ascended to the throne of David, his country, like ours, was surrounded by threatening foes. Earnestly and sincerely, King Jehoshaphat sought peace for his people. This great ruler was a man of God. The Bible says that “he walked in the former ways of his father David” and that he “sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments. … And his heart took delight in the ways of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 17:3-4, 6).
When King Jehoshaphat sought peace and social progress for his people, what was his course of action? Did he try new laws, new social plans, new educational projects and new financial programs? No. He went back to the Word of God. Jehoshaphat demanded that his people learn the Word of God, that they live by it and that they humble themselves before God.
And when Judah returned to the teachings of the Bible, one of the most striking triumphs of military history occurred. When Jehoshaphat’s enemies—the Ammonites, the Moabites and the Edomites—made an alliance against Judah to destroy her, Jehoshaphat trusted God. And he sent into the field the strangest army that the world of warfare has ever witnessed. Ahead of his forces marched not infantry or cavalry, not men with swords and bows, but singers who chanted the Lord’s praises and the words of Scripture. No wonder that without fighting a battle, without losing a man, Judah put the enemy to flight!
Obedience to the Word of God brought peace then and it can bring peace now if God’s people—by His mercy and power—lead our nation back to Him.
