"THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF OUR LIFETIME" - By Franklin Graham • September 30, 2016; https://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/september-2016/from-franklin-graham-the-most-important-election-of-our-lifetime/ [AS I SEE IT: Too many Christians have allowed cynicism and despair to throw up their hands and give up on our leaders, and in doing so have given up on our nation. I believe that Christians have been given a solemn responsibility to be good stewards of this great land God has called us to be a part of. If the 30 million evangelicals (see below) who didn't vote in the last election - and the many who are inclined to "sit this one out" - were to carefully study the issues and make the best decision before God and then leave the results to God, America can still have a chance of being all that God has called her to be. I hope YOU are registered to vote and that YOU will be one of those Christians. For without you doing your Godly duty, America's days are truly numbered. P.S. - I know that we're used to hearing how critical each national election is these days. But rather than becoming cynical, let it remind us that we live in such perilous times that EVERY election these days IS critical and EACH one does deserve our participation. - Stan]
In just [5] weeks, our nation will select a man or woman who will become the 45th president of the United States of America. Whomever we elect will take the helm of a nation that has grown increasingly hostile and intolerant of the very foundation and principles upon which it was so nobly founded—the Christian faith and Biblical values.
That’s why I believe this election is the most significant since Abraham Lincoln was chosen to guide a divided country through a bloody and protracted civil war. For if the forces of evil that are allied against the free exercise of our faith succeed—and they have done severe damage already—then I have no doubt that the nation we love will devolve into moral anarchy more quickly than we can imagine.
Earlier this summer, I had the privilege of meeting with the Stormans family, devout Christians who own a local pharmacy in Olympia, Wash. The Stormanses refused to dispense a drug called Plan B that induces abortion. After a series of state and federal court battles, they filed a petition before the U.S. Supreme Court. The day before we met, the Supreme Court refused to hear their case. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas said they would have heard the appeal, but unfortunately they were in the minority. In his dissent, Justice Alito said, “If this is a sign of how religious liberty claims will be treated in the years ahead, those who value religious freedom have cause for great concern.” He is absolutely and frighteningly right. The generations of Americans who have treasured and enjoyed the blessings of religious liberty, of being one nation under God, now have “cause for great concern.”
Same-sex marriage zealots have launched an all-out war on traditional marriage, which is defined in Scripture—and virtually every civilization in history—as a union between one man and one woman. Human sexuality itself is being completely redefined by elite sexual revolutionaries who seek to impose their warped views on society, resulting in fierce battles over such things as transgender bathrooms—supported by none other than the president himself.
The same anti-Christian forces are seeking to strip funding from Christian colleges to keep them from educating students with a Biblical worldview. Business owners across the nation have been forced to close their doors because they refused to participate in same-sex ceremonies due to their religious faith.
The skirmishes over moral standards have turned into pitched battles over the last decade and now have become an all-out war on religious liberty. Think of the moral degeneration that has transpired under our current president, who has helped lead the fight to promote ungodly sexual behavior while failing to protect basic religious liberties.
What if that depraved trajectory continues over the next few decades? Can you imagine what our great nation, whose foundation was laid by a moral and religious people, will look like? The next president will appoint several Supreme Court justices (three of the current eight are 77 or older), so this election will profoundly affect generations to come.
That’s why this fall we must take pains to examine where the candidates for our nation’s highest elected office stand on the critical issues that face our troubled nation.
Will they do everything they can to protect the life of the unborn child? Will they fight for the religious freedom that is guaranteed under the Constitution? Will they fully support the rights of men and women of faith to act in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs? Will they defend our nation against Islamic terrorists who have slaughtered and killed innocents across our country in the name of their god? Will they call the enemy—radical Islam—by its name? Will they work to strengthen our military so the United States of America can continue to be the dependable guardian of the free world?
Will they defend the Biblical sanctity of marriage as between one man and one woman, and do all they can to protect the family unit? Will they continue to lead us down the road of irresponsible socialism, where the Biblical injunction for hard, honest work is ignored? Or will we embrace a resurgence of vigorous entrepreneurship and industry that has been a hallmark of our nation since its founding?
Will they appoint judges to the Supreme Court and federal courts who respect and uphold the safeguards of the U.S. Constitution? Judges who refuse to interpret the law based on decadent ideology and liberal political agendas that are directly opposed to the fundamental tenets of religious freedom?
It’s also crucial for us to examine the positions of candidates who are running for office on the state and local level. Check their stance on pivotal moral issues, and vote for those who best reflect Biblical values. We must be willing to do our homework on those men and women who represent us, and go out on Nov. 8 to do all we can to exercise our voting privilege.
Remember: Nearly 30 million evangelicals failed to make their way to the voting booth in the last election cycle. We must not repeat that mistake again this November.
Samuel Adams, one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence, reminded us of the staggering responsibility of casting a ballot. “Let each citizen remember, at the moment he is offering his vote, that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual—or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society, for which he is accountable to God and his country.”
As I have visited state capitols for our Decision America Tour, beginning in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 5 and ending in Raleigh, N.C., on Oct. 13, it has been clear that multitudes of Americans know our nation is in deep trouble. They have come by the thousands because they love their country and are willing to call on God in prayer. Standing shoulder to shoulder at every stop, they have come repenting of their sins and asking the Lord to heal our land. I believe God hears the cries of His people, and that there is still time for our nation to turn once again back to Almighty God for a renewal of righteousness.
I’ve made it clear from the beginning that I am not endorsing any candidate. I don’t have any hope in either the Republican or Democratic party. My hope is in Almighty God alone, who can turn hearts back to Him so that we can sincerely say that “righteousness exalts a nation” (Proverbs 14:34). Yet, a careful vote could extend the time we have to freely preach the Gospel.
In our nation’s history, we have witnessed such spiritual and national renewal in seasons like the Great Awakening. I believe it can happen again, because I believe that God is full of mercy and forgiveness to people who come in genuine repentance.
The Bible says, “Sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). The disgrace of America due to persistent, willful, rebellious sin is shameful. We will not survive as a “city set on a hill” (Matthew 5:14) without God’s help.
I want God’s blessings on America, but that will only come to a people who forsake sin and pursue righteousness. That’s the vision of America that I have, and one that I hope will once again hold sway for our children, grandchildren and generations to come. ©2016 BGEA
[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]
"Franklin Graham: 'God Cannot Bless a Nation That Embraces the Murder of Innocent Children'” - Micaiah Bilger, OCT 4, 2016; http://www.lifenews.com/2016/10/04/franklin-graham-god-cannot-bless-a-nation-that-embraces-the-murder-of-innocent-children/
In just [5] weeks, our nation will select a man or woman who will become the 45th president of the United States of America. Whomever we elect will take the helm of a nation that has grown increasingly hostile and intolerant of the very foundation and principles upon which it was so nobly founded—the Christian faith and Biblical values.
That’s why I believe this election is the most significant since Abraham Lincoln was chosen to guide a divided country through a bloody and protracted civil war. For if the forces of evil that are allied against the free exercise of our faith succeed—and they have done severe damage already—then I have no doubt that the nation we love will devolve into moral anarchy more quickly than we can imagine.
Earlier this summer, I had the privilege of meeting with the Stormans family, devout Christians who own a local pharmacy in Olympia, Wash. The Stormanses refused to dispense a drug called Plan B that induces abortion. After a series of state and federal court battles, they filed a petition before the U.S. Supreme Court. The day before we met, the Supreme Court refused to hear their case. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas said they would have heard the appeal, but unfortunately they were in the minority. In his dissent, Justice Alito said, “If this is a sign of how religious liberty claims will be treated in the years ahead, those who value religious freedom have cause for great concern.” He is absolutely and frighteningly right. The generations of Americans who have treasured and enjoyed the blessings of religious liberty, of being one nation under God, now have “cause for great concern.”
Same-sex marriage zealots have launched an all-out war on traditional marriage, which is defined in Scripture—and virtually every civilization in history—as a union between one man and one woman. Human sexuality itself is being completely redefined by elite sexual revolutionaries who seek to impose their warped views on society, resulting in fierce battles over such things as transgender bathrooms—supported by none other than the president himself.
The same anti-Christian forces are seeking to strip funding from Christian colleges to keep them from educating students with a Biblical worldview. Business owners across the nation have been forced to close their doors because they refused to participate in same-sex ceremonies due to their religious faith.
The skirmishes over moral standards have turned into pitched battles over the last decade and now have become an all-out war on religious liberty. Think of the moral degeneration that has transpired under our current president, who has helped lead the fight to promote ungodly sexual behavior while failing to protect basic religious liberties.
What if that depraved trajectory continues over the next few decades? Can you imagine what our great nation, whose foundation was laid by a moral and religious people, will look like? The next president will appoint several Supreme Court justices (three of the current eight are 77 or older), so this election will profoundly affect generations to come.
That’s why this fall we must take pains to examine where the candidates for our nation’s highest elected office stand on the critical issues that face our troubled nation.
Will they do everything they can to protect the life of the unborn child? Will they fight for the religious freedom that is guaranteed under the Constitution? Will they fully support the rights of men and women of faith to act in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs? Will they defend our nation against Islamic terrorists who have slaughtered and killed innocents across our country in the name of their god? Will they call the enemy—radical Islam—by its name? Will they work to strengthen our military so the United States of America can continue to be the dependable guardian of the free world?
Will they defend the Biblical sanctity of marriage as between one man and one woman, and do all they can to protect the family unit? Will they continue to lead us down the road of irresponsible socialism, where the Biblical injunction for hard, honest work is ignored? Or will we embrace a resurgence of vigorous entrepreneurship and industry that has been a hallmark of our nation since its founding?
Will they appoint judges to the Supreme Court and federal courts who respect and uphold the safeguards of the U.S. Constitution? Judges who refuse to interpret the law based on decadent ideology and liberal political agendas that are directly opposed to the fundamental tenets of religious freedom?
It’s also crucial for us to examine the positions of candidates who are running for office on the state and local level. Check their stance on pivotal moral issues, and vote for those who best reflect Biblical values. We must be willing to do our homework on those men and women who represent us, and go out on Nov. 8 to do all we can to exercise our voting privilege.
Remember: Nearly 30 million evangelicals failed to make their way to the voting booth in the last election cycle. We must not repeat that mistake again this November.
Samuel Adams, one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence, reminded us of the staggering responsibility of casting a ballot. “Let each citizen remember, at the moment he is offering his vote, that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual—or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society, for which he is accountable to God and his country.”
As I have visited state capitols for our Decision America Tour, beginning in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 5 and ending in Raleigh, N.C., on Oct. 13, it has been clear that multitudes of Americans know our nation is in deep trouble. They have come by the thousands because they love their country and are willing to call on God in prayer. Standing shoulder to shoulder at every stop, they have come repenting of their sins and asking the Lord to heal our land. I believe God hears the cries of His people, and that there is still time for our nation to turn once again back to Almighty God for a renewal of righteousness.
I’ve made it clear from the beginning that I am not endorsing any candidate. I don’t have any hope in either the Republican or Democratic party. My hope is in Almighty God alone, who can turn hearts back to Him so that we can sincerely say that “righteousness exalts a nation” (Proverbs 14:34). Yet, a careful vote could extend the time we have to freely preach the Gospel.
In our nation’s history, we have witnessed such spiritual and national renewal in seasons like the Great Awakening. I believe it can happen again, because I believe that God is full of mercy and forgiveness to people who come in genuine repentance.
The Bible says, “Sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). The disgrace of America due to persistent, willful, rebellious sin is shameful. We will not survive as a “city set on a hill” (Matthew 5:14) without God’s help.
I want God’s blessings on America, but that will only come to a people who forsake sin and pursue righteousness. That’s the vision of America that I have, and one that I hope will once again hold sway for our children, grandchildren and generations to come. ©2016 BGEA
[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]
"Franklin Graham: 'God Cannot Bless a Nation That Embraces the Murder of Innocent Children'” - Micaiah Bilger, OCT 4, 2016; http://www.lifenews.com/2016/10/04/franklin-graham-god-cannot-bless-a-nation-that-embraces-the-murder-of-innocent-children/
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