A Slap in the Face of God

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

NKJV

God has wonderful plans for each of us.  In fact, when we were still in the womb, we were being created to fulfill God’s plans for us (Psalm 139:13-14).  God created each of us to be male or female so that we would be prepared to fulfill his unique plan for our life (Genesis1:27).  Therefore, since God does not make mistakes, the way He created us is the way He wants us to be.  It is therefore a slap in the face of God to believe we were not meant to marry someone of the opposite sex or be the gender with which we were created. 

However, a secular world void of any reverence for God the Creator can be made to accept marriage between members of the same gender or even supporting and rewarding someone changing the gender with which God created them.  So powerful can be the pressure to accept the new societal norms of gay marriage and transgenderism that those speaking or acting out against it are soon vilified.  However, even though the pressure to accept these new norms is powerful, Jesus death, burial, and resurrection overcame the world and its new norms.  In addition, upon Jesus return to establish his millennial kingdom, the world will experience a restoration back to the state to which God intended it. 

What the secular world continues to underestimate is the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word in the life of believers.  This is nothing new for Roman oppressors underestimated even the early church.   As with today, the Romans believed persecution would cause Christians to shut up and the movement would be stopped.  However, instead of stopping the spread of Christianity, the persecution facilitated rapid growth and the spread of Christianity and prompted defenses and explanations of Christianity (the “apologies”).  (1)

However, is persecution necessary for church growth?  The answer to that is no for growth in Christ is not the result of oppression or persecution from outside but a change of heart on the inside.  However, as humans, we have a tendency to become complacent.  At times like these, God may allow some outward persecution or oppression to come with the purpose of drawing us closer to God and His Word.  As we look at the oppression and persecution now occurring against Christians in the United States, we must face the reality that God is allowing this to occur in order to wake the church up from its stupor.  

In the 2012 Presidential election in the United States, we had the case of missing white voters.  (2)  As we continually hear how racist white voters in the United States are, we would think they would have shown up in massive numbers to oust Barak Obama.  However, this did not occur.  One reason theorized is many Christians stayed home because the Republican nominee was Mormon.  Mitt Romney was also the first governor to sign gay marriage into law and until his 50’s when aspiring to the presidency, Mitt Romney also was pro-abortion.  (3)

Christians, focusing in on the faults of Mitt Romney and who could not vote for Barak Obama due to his abysmal record in office, therefore stayed home believing they did not have a dog in the fight.  However, looking at what has transpired in the nation since 2012, we must seriously question this strategy by some and come up with a strategy for victory in 2016 in order to reverse the downward slide of the culture in the United States.  In preparing for the 2016 election we must

1)      Realize that candidates for President of the United States are flawed human beings - Even though Mitt Romney signed gay marriage into law as governor and had pro-abortion beliefs, he also believed that marriage is a union between a man and a woman based on his Mormon faith.  Romney also believed the issue of marriage is a state issue so even though he may have signed legislation legalizing gay marriage as governor, his strong belief in states’ rights would have prohibited him from supporting it as President.  As we begin considering our next president in 2016, we must keep the humanity of candidates, with its flaws, in mind and vote for candidates that adhere to the rule of law (i.e. states’ rights).  I believe that under a Romney Presidency, the issue of gay marriage would not be front and center and instead President Romney would be focused on the number one duty of the federal government, keeping the nation safe.

2)      Realize we are not voting for our pastor, priest, or rabbi – As an Evangelical Christian, my preference is a candidate that shares my faith but should both nominees be of some other faith, or no faith at all, I do not believe staying home is an option.  Evangelical Christians staying home in 2012 might have believed they were making a statement of faith by staying home but in essence, they were practicing a form of complacency for their decision insured the reelection of Obama and continued the rapid ungodly slide of the culture.  Comparing the Mormon values of Romney against the Alinsky values of Obama, I prefer the values of Romney and is one reason he received my vote in 2012.

3)      Realize God is indeed in control – No matter what occurs in 2016, we can have assurance knowing God is in control.  However, I believe God would want every evangelical Christian that legally can, to vote and participate in the process.  This, I believe is the best way for we as Christians to take a stand for godly values and not staying home in the shadows.  God is in control so even if the decline in the culture in the U.S. slides and persecution and oppression of Christians increases, I can have confidence knowing God is with me.  However, I will continue to vote for candidates I believe more closely share my values as I did in 2012. 

The secular world continues to distance itself from God and now even slaps God in the face with its support of gay marriage and transgenderism.  However, we as believers in the United States still have a voice and have the privilege of voting for our leaders.  I therefore want to urge all my fellow believers to participate in the coming presidential election in 2016 and not stay home even if neither candidate professes to be a believer.  Instead of staying home, speak out at the ballot box and vote for the candidate whose values most closely adhere to godly principles. 

1. ReligionFacts. Persecution in the Early Church. www.religionfacts.com. [Online] ReligionFacts. [Cited: July 12, 2015.] http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/history/persecution.

2. Trende, Sean. The Case of the Missing White Voters. www.realcleapolitics.com. [Online] Real Clear Politics, November 8, 2012. [Cited: July 5, 2013.] http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/11/08/the_case_of_the_missing_white_voters_116106-2.html.

3. Griffin. What went wrong in 2012? The case of the 4 million missing voters. www.redstate.com. [Online] Red State, November 14, 2012. [Cited: July 12, 2015.] http://www.redstate.com/diary/griffinelection/2012/11/14/what-went-wrong-in-2012-the-case-of-the-4-million-missing-voters/.