Welcome to a 2020 Election Special brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In 1 Timothy, chapter 2, verses 2 and 3, the Apostle Paul said, “Pray for kings and others in power, so we may live quiet and peaceful lives as we worship and honor God. This kind of prayer is good, and it pleases God our Savior.” As we approach our upcoming election season, Crystal Sea Books is sponsoring this special election show to encourage everyone to follow Paul’s admonition to pray for our government leaders and to participate in our democratic system of government by voting in the upcoming election.
Script Notes: (dramatic opening music)(music under voice over)
Trust the LORD and live right! The land will be yours, and you will be safe. Do what the LORD wants, and he will give you your heart's desire. Let the LORD lead you and trust Him to help. Then it will be as clear as the noonday sun that you were right.
Psalm 37, verses 3 through 6. Contemporary English Version
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RD: Hello! Welcome to this 2020 special election show sponsored by Crystal Sea Books. Given how close we are to a very important election we thought it might be helpful to listeners to reflect on what the Bible has to say about how Christians should approach their civic duties. As most people know the Bible was written in a time when most governments were monarchies or kingdoms ruled by a single ruler. In Biblical times there really were no participative democracies the way we know them today. But that doesn’t mean that the Bible is silent when it comes to how Christians are to interact with their civil government. The Bible is clear that Christians are expected to be productive and contributing members of their communities and that includes participating in the selection of elected officials when that choice is available to them. To help us think about this very important topic, today we are joined on the phone by Ken Connor, noted trial attorney and former head of the Family Research Council and Center for a Just Society. Among his other accomplishments, several years ago Ken authored a very significant book called Sinful Silence in which Ken and his co-author discussed what the Bible has to say about Christians in democratic societies. Ken would you like to make a few opening comments to the listeners today?
• Thanks for inviting me, RD. It’s always a pleasure to be with you and back on the radio in Tallahassee. These are turbulent times in which we live…times in which great wisdom is required…and I appreciate the work of Crystal Sea Books in pointing people to the wisdom and the truth that is to be found in the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God.
RD: Ken you have been involved in advocating for public virtue for a few decades now and you have been prominent in many of issues at the national level. This has given you time to form some thought about the major issues facing a culture that many think is abandoning its Judeo-Christian origin. Would you mind sharing a few of your thoughts about where we are today as a nation and as the church within the nation (question #1)?
Ken: Answer to number 1.
• At very critical cross-roads in our history…so much is at stake:
◦ Future of our democratic process (i.e., whether we will be governed by our elected representatives or ruled by a judicial oligarchy);
◦ Future of the lives of millions unborn children (i.e., whether we will continue with the slaughter of innocent unborn children);
◦ Future of religious liberty (i.e., whether people will be able to make religious and social decisions informed by their faith and consciences or whether they will be required to fall in line with the dictates of the politically correct thought police;
◦ Future of the institution of heterosexual marriage (i.e., whether we will embrace historic understanding of the meaning of marriage, or whether we fill be forced to accept the devolution of marriage into any arrangement that suits the participants);
◦ Future of our economy (i.e., whether we will exchange our market driven, free enterprise system – a system that rewards risk and success-- for a socialist model that suffocates individual initiative and redistributes wealth in accordance with the whims of government bureaucrats who pick winners and losers -- a failed system that has been rejected all over the world when the people had a choice;
◦ Future of America in the realm of foreign policy (i.e., whether American soldiers will be pressed into service in endless wars in which the security of the United States is only marginally at stake or not at all);
◦ The list goes on and on and the stakes could not be higher
RD: Ken, thanks for being here today to share some of your unique insights about this truly essential topic. It’s been said repeatedly that this is one of the most consequential elections that we’ve ever had in American history. Not only is the leadership of our nation on the ballot but a very large number of other elected offices and, in some places, individual questions for voters to consider. Maybe we should start with this question. Ken, are there any basic principles that a committed Christian believer should always keep in mind when they’re thinking about who or what they are going to support in any election (question #2)?
Ken: Answer to number 2.
• Christians are accountable to God for the choices they make and they can count on receiving guidance from God, if they ask for it, when making hard choices.
RD: Thank you for that observation. I think it’s really important for Christians to know that in all areas of our life we can look for guidance from Jesus and the Holy Spirit and that we ultimately accountable to God for all of our decisions. So, given that we are all accountable to God, that definitely means we should be sober about how we approach the choices before us. So, let’s start with a really hard question. Ken, at one point you campaigned to become the Governor of Florida so you’ve experienced “up close and personal” the tension voters sometimes have in reconciling a candidate’s policy views with their preferred leadership style. How can Christians go about balancing the many factors that go into making a decision on any individual person who is on a ballot? (question #3)
Ken: Answer to number 3.
• At the end of the day, I think we have to put policy over personality, substance ahead of style. What does the record show about where the candidates will take our country in the future? And while past performance does not guarantee future results, it sure gives us some insight about the direction the candidates will take our country.
• And it’s important to realize that this election comes down to a binary choice: Donald Trump and Mike Pence vs Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and perhaps I should add, Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Occasio Cortez, because they have had, and will continue to have, such a dramatic impact on where the Democrat candidates will take us.
• It’s important to remember that we are not picking between our idealized vision of what we would like to see in a candidate…we are picking between the candidates that are actually in the field.
Question List:
4. You were the first person I remember talking about the dangers posed judicial activism. Do you still see that as a problem in America? Has it improved in the 30 years since you first began talking about it? Or gotten worse?
• First let’s define our terms. Judicial activism occurs when unelected judges substitute their own ideas and agenda for those of our elected officials. Effectively, they make law from the bench, rather than merely interpreting it, as it came to them from our elected officials.
◦ They do so by treating the words and intent of the statutory or constitutional provision under consideration as wax, molding them to mean whatever they need them to mean to reach their desired outcome.
• It’s a very dangerous practice because it short-circuits the democratic process. Activist judges usurp the role of our elected legislators. A simple majority of 5-4 on the Supreme Court then prevails over the large majorities it takes to pass a bill into law in Congress
• The consequence of all this is that the will of a small number of unelected lawyers wearing black robes prevails over that of our elected officials. That’s why the writers of the Federalist Papers said the concentration of the power of one branch of government into that of another branch is the very definition of “tyranny.”
RD: Ken, what is court packing and how can it affect the operation of our government? Could a subsequent legislature decide to expand the court to 15 members? Could another legislature decide to expand the court to 25 members?
5. There has been a lot of controversy about the issue of abortion for the last 40 years. And sometimes it can be hard to reconcile some politicians’ claims about their faith and their public policy positions on abortion. For instance, both Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi are Catholics but they support abortion on demand. How should voters begin to approach deciding how these kinds of issues should affect their vote?
• First, let’s talk about what abortion really is: It’s the deliberate destruction of an innocent unborn child.
• And, it occurs in the most horrific way:
◦ Children are literally torn limb from limb by the vacuum suction machines of abortion providers.
◦ Or they are poisoned or scalded to death by toxic chemicals that are introduced into the womb.
◦ And in the case of the partial-birth abortion, the child is partially delivered and a hole is drilled at the base of her skull, a suction catheter is introduced and the baby’s brains and sucked out. The skull is then crushed so that, when the delivery is complete, a dead baby is assured.
◦ These are the kinds of procedures that can only be conceived in the minds of ghouls!
• And make no mistake about it: if Mr. Biden and Ms. Pelosi and Senator Harris have their way, these kinds of procedures will continue unabated.
• Yet the Scriptures declare that human beings are created in the image of God and God is described as the Author of Life. The Catholic Church affirms both of these propositions. That said, I’ll let the voters decide whether Mr. Biden and Ms. Pelosi are the “good Catholics” they claim to be.
• And one more thing is important to remember: The right to life is the foundational right of all other rights. If you don’t first preserve the right to life, no other right can exist. The right to worship as you please, vote as you please, speak as you please…these rights are meaningless to a corpse.
• So, when you cast your vote, be sure to keep first things first.
6. As an attorney with more than 40 years of trial practice, what do you think of the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court?
• I think she is a terrific nominee! She has a keen intellect, unimpeachable integrity, and a sound judicial temperament.
• She will resist the temptation to make law from the bench. She understands that the role of the Court is to interpret the law, not make it.
• She understands the roles of the various branches of government and the importance of keeping those branches separate, but equal.
• And the whole of her life and marriage shows that she respects the sanctity and dignity of marriage and human life.
• I can’t forecast how she will vote, but it’s hard to conceive of a better candidate having been put forth by the President.
7. We like our politicians to live up to our ideals, but it clear from the Bible that God often used less than perfect men for his purposes. How do you integrate the Bible’s standards for our behavior with how you view whether any particular person deserves our vote?
• Well, the Lord truly does work in mysterious ways. King David, widely acclaimed as Israel’s greatest king, was a murderer and adulterer. Yet, the Scripture declares him as a man after God’s own heart. And the Apostle Paul, who persecuted and tyrannized the fledgling Christian church, became its greatest defender.
• Again, for me, it comes down to policy rather than personality. What policies will the candidate advance? Do they align with my own beliefs and values? More importantly, do they advance the values that emerge from the Judeo-Christian tradition? Or do they undermine those values?
• Let’s not be become enamored with the packaging? Ask yourselves, what’s in the box? What will be the fruit the candidates bear?
• As Martin Luther once said, “I’d rather be governed by a just Turk than an unjust Christian.”
8. What is the danger if Christians today fail to vote in the Nov 2020 elections because they are put off by a candidate’s strong personality?
• A wise man once said, “All that’s necessary for evil to triumph if for good men to do nothing.” Wisdom and experience tell us that is true. Nature abhors a vacuum.
• If we fail to vote our values, someone else’s values will prevail.
• And I’ve got to tell you, I’m worried sick about where the values espoused by the Democrat candidates will take us.
If this election leads to a progressive-left government in the White House and Congress how could that affect the society and civil government we have passing to our children and grandchildren?
• I’ve gotta tell you, I don’t like the term “progressive” in that context. There’s nothing ‘progressive” about a socialist secular agenda. It stifles freedom, initiative and incentives. It elevates government in the place of God and demotes man from “bearer of God’s image” to simply the best of the beasts.
• How we view man (created in God’s image or creature of chance) determines how we treat him. And when we view our fellow citizens as simply creatures of chance, history shows that the sanctity of life and the dignity of man goes out the window. Government becomes unbridled. Power is what counts. Might makes right and it’s the weak to the wall.
9. Do you encourage people to vote in person (if possible) during these challenging election times to ensure their votes are properly counted?
• Absolutely! We are already seeing how mail in ballots are being diverted, destroyed or dumped. If you can vote in person, I encourage you to do so. It’s the surest way of ensuring that your vote counts.
10. There are often conflicts between the political promises made by politicians or candidates that are at odds with the evidence we see from their prior time in public office. How should we go about evaluating the proof of performance by deed and campaign promises when choosing our leaders?
• As the old saying goes, “The proof is in the pudding.” Both sets of candidates have proven track records.
• On one side you have a candidate who has shown respect for human life, the ability to foster vibrant economy, a willingness to confront the evil of terrorism, a respect for the importance of creating and preserving a strong military, and an understanding of the importance of law and order in protecting our rights and preserving a free society.
• On the other side, you have a candidate that embraces abortion on demand; promotes a disposable man ethic; favors a government driven, rather than a free market, economy; has shown timidity in confronting terrorism; and is a willing tool of the liberal left.
• To the extent that the past really is prologue, the choice could not be clearer.
11. The current Democratic Platform has removed all references to God. Do you think that this is simply a reflection of the principle of the separation of church and state or does it reflect a hostility toward the traditional value system that was embodied in our Constitution?
• To me, it’s an indication of a complete hostility of the values embraced in our Declaration of Independence and in our Constitution.
• It portends a secular society in which government is elevated in the place of God, human beings are diminished in standing and become pawns of government, and our God-given rights are no longer “unalienable”, but rather, subject to the whims of government bureaucrats.
• It’s not a scheme in which individual liberties flourish, hard work is rewarded, and a respect for the Almighty and our fellow man is embraced.
12. Years ago, you wrote the book Sinful Silence to take a detailed look at the intersection of Biblical principles and civic duty. What prompted you to write Sinful Silence?
• At the time, we were faced with another important election. We wanted people to understand the nature of the stakes. And just as important, we wanted Christian voters to understand that they have a shared responsibility and accountability for the decisions our leaders make…because, after all, the voters elect the leaders.
RD: Ken, we’d really like to thank you for joining us on this election special.
Ken: Closing comments – near end of track.
RD: Today for our closing prayer how about if we pray for the outcome of our upcoming election.
---- Prayer for the election.
RD: Thank you to all our listeners. This show will become a podcast so if it has been helpful to you we’d suggest that you might want to share it with some of your friends. It will be available on your standard podcasting app. Just search for the Crystal Sea Books 2020 Election Special. We pray that the Lord would guide each of His children to exercise the most valuable privilege they possess in a democracy and vote and we pray we will all seek the Lord’s face as we do so.
(Bible Quotes from the Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 37, verses 3 through 6. Contemporary English Version
Prayer for Upcoming Elections
Father of life and Lord of Power, You are the One who ordains the times and seasons of all things. You are the Lord of the sun and the rain. Just as we need the sun for light and warmth, we also need the refreshment of the rain for growth and increase. We pray today Lord, because we believe we have come to a season where we need renewal and regeneration and especially your guidance and instruction.
As we approach the upcoming election in our nation we know that there are great differences of opinions among the people. We pray that you would not permit those differences to become divisions that will separate families, friends, or communities from one another.
We pray that You would superintend the outcome of the elections so that our cities, states, and nation would be led by trustworthy people who rely on the power of Your spirit. We ask that You would inspire and direct your people to regard their vote as a matter of sacred trust. We pray that You would give us wisdom, guidance, and direction so we may know how to cast our vote wisely and for people in whom you would invest leadership.
We pray that all who seek your face in these matters would have their faith further mature and deepen. We know that many will struggle with the decision that they must make and we pray you would guide them in this and all matters.
We pray that Your holy Son would be constantly among us, teaching, loving, and inspiring. We give Him all the glory and we pray confidently in His blessed name.
