Faith and Freedom, Part 2

Saturday was too good to cram it all into one post, so here is a bit more... The event was hosted by the Faith and Freedom Coalition of Delaware, and the President of that group, John Radell, worked tirelessly to make it happen. He started the morning by reminding us of our common beliefs. He cited Psalm 33 and stated that we were gathered together because of our common faith in one God whose son died for our sins and our love for our nation. After all of the pastors and Dr. Gray spoke, the event turned more towards applied politics than principles. Gary Marks from the national Faith and Freedom Coalition spoke about that group's plans for reaching evangelical voters in the upcoming elections. He laid out their strategy for getting the message out that Christians need to not only vote in greater numbers, but consider their values and core beliefs as they do so. He delivered a rapid-fire dose of statistics, only a few of which I was able to record. Some interesting numbers to consider: In 2008, 17 million evangelical voters didn't bother to cast a vote, yet they still accounted for 23% of the total votes. That number rose to 32% of the voters in 2010, and FFC is working hard to increase that number even more in 2012. Social conservatives don't necessarily vote on social issues: in 2010, 43$ of these voters said the economy was the number one issue, and only 15% cited 'Obamacare' as their biggest concern. Many people will disagree with me on this, but I believe that honoring the God-given gift of life trumps all other issues. It is the first test of a candidate for me, and always will be. After the event, I spoke to Dr. Bryant and asked him what he found to be the most effective arguments to use in speaking to Christians who support the current administration. He suggested I ask them if they support abortion rights or gay marriage. If they answer no to both, then they can't stay true to their own convictions by supporting a candidate who does. The Affordable Care Act will require all of us to pay for abortion-inducing drugs, so any vote for a supporter of President Obama's health care plan is a vote for federally mandated abortion funding. That is a simple fact that no amount of political spin can alter. Newt Gingrich was the final speaker of the day. He used the opportunity to remind us of our history as a nation of faith and condemned the "gradually increasing anti-Christian bigotry" of our government. He pointed out the difference between our current leaders and President Lincoln, citing the 14 references to God that Lincoln made in his second inaugural address. I also gained a new perspective on Jamestown, the early settlement that I always thought of as a strictly commercial enterprise. I was surprised to learn that the very first act of the settlement founders was to erect a cross, and that they held church services 14 times a week. Good luck finding that information in a history textbook! God has blessed this nation abundantly, but in many ways we have turned away from Him and rejected His commands. There is no hope of restoring our nation's honor until God's people are willing to take a stand for the truth. I pray that you will join me in speaking out for the truth with a clear courageous voice!