Who Should I Vote for in the 2016 Elections? (Part 8)

By Dr. Andy Woods
Sugar Land Bible Church

How Will America Deter Terrorist Activity?

(The Word on Politics)—This article concludes an 8-part series addressing some important questions we should be asking as Christians. How do I know if the person I am voting for as he or she pursues public office properly represents a biblical worldview? How do I determine who, among the various competing political candidates, better reflects biblical values? If you are looking for answers to these questions, this series of articles will be of great benefit to you.

For purposes of organization, these issues are categorized under the following headings: economic issues (Articles 2, 3, & 4), social issues (Articles 5 & 6), and foreign affairs matters (Articles 7 & 8).

With each issue I have included some parenthetical Bible verse references in order to demonstrate to the reader that these preferences are not uniquely mine, but rather are derived from the pages of God's Word. While these issues are often irrelevant to the thinking of modern man, they are extremely important to God.

Foreign affairs matters continued

Moreover, due to man's fallen nature (Gen. 8:21; Jer. 17:9), many evil rulers and terrorists abroad will only be deterred from violent behavior through the counter threat of force. Thus, will the candidate pursue a foreign policy of peace through military strength? Does he understand the time and tested maxim "speak softly and carry a big stick"? Furthermore, does the candidate understand the nature of evil as well as the world conquest ideology that resides within both Marxism and Islam? Does he understand that the ambition of fundamentalist Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood is to establish a worldwide Caliphate? Because it is based on an unyielding commitment to the Koran and the Hadith, does the candidate understand that this Caliphate agenda is something that the devout Muslim can never relinquish or be dialogued out of despite the best of western intentions? Does he understand that these Marxist and Islamic forces relentlessly wage both an external as well as a subversive internal attack to compromise the security of America, and any other nation for that matter, that dares to pose an obstacle to this goal of worldwide domination? Without this perspective, the danger is that the candidate will naively and ineffectively seek to deter evil in the world through American military reduction and unpreparedness. Such a policy of appeasement will in turn lead to endless dialogue, treaty and peace agreements (similar to the pattern espoused by Neville Chamberlain), apology tours, and financial subsidies given to America's sworn enemies. Such an approach endangers our own national security and decreases the respect of America around the world. Such national disrespect in the eyes of potential aggressors and terrorists does nothing more that whet their appetite and embolden their resolve.

Conclusion

For me, the whole issue in selecting a political leader relates to his philosophy of government as opposed to his personal theology or party affiliation. As the old adage goes, "I would rather be governed by a competent Turk than an incompetent Christian." Jimmy Carter serves as a perfect example. While professing faith in Christ, he had a non-biblical philosophy of government. Consequently, he has gone down in history as one of our worst presidents. When it comes to governing philosophy—which is what really counts in an elected representative—this issue becomes paramount as believers contemplate who their next political leaders will be. Let us develop a biblical philosophy of government so that we can properly discern and choose wisely.

(End of Series)

Bible Prophecy Blog

Dec 12, 2013