I’ve been experiencing a whirlwind of emotions in the last twenty-four hours. Even before Karl Rove said it around lunchtime, it was obvious who our next President would be. I listened to the speeches of both McCain and Obama, then went to bed. I went right to sleep. Why? Well, I was tired! And, I know Who is ultimately in charge.

This morning I have struggled to articulate my own feelings about the situation, which is why I want to encourage you to read Al Mohler’s post from today. Mohler is a master wordsmith and I could never say it quite the way He did, so read…

America Has Chosen a President.

Barack Obama has been declared, at this point, President-elect of the United States. My reaction? Welcome. I didn’t choose him, but God did. I could not and did not vote for him because of some serious values-clashes. But now, It’s time for us to prayerfully support the man God has chosen for this position. Let’s be obedient to 1 Timothy 2:1-2 and undergird him in prayer daily. God has granted us this man as President in His sovereign wisdom. We may agree or not, but “the powers that be are ordained of God.” (Romans 13:1-5)

Now is the time for believers in Christ to pursue the lost with a white-hot passion. We need to reach the soul of America by reaching souls in America with the gospel. Whatever you think of the outcome of this election, this is an historic moment. My six-year-old will grow up under the first African-American president in America’s history.

I won’t belabor this point, but I think the Republican party has kind of blown this election on a number of fronts. I perceived McCain to attack and Obama to simply react to the attacks with attacks of his own - the fault, in my estimation, usually fell on McCain in that regard. I also think McCain and the Republicans failed to properly estimate the power of open media in this presidential race. The blogosphere, micro-blogging in particular, and the fund-raising successes of social networking made an enormous difference in the race. If you don’t see the power of new media evident now, you must be stuck in the 1980’s.

It’s a great privilege to be an American. I got to go to the voting booth today and voice my own opinion. Sunday, I’ll get to attend church and carry my Bible. Daily, we walk in the freedom purchased with the price of the blood of men passionate about the cause of liberty. Thank God for all of this, and thank God for our leaders - may God lead and carry them, and may we become a nation God can truly smile upon.

photo credit: bobster1985

The great thing about this map is the lack of commentary from any major media group - just real-time reporting of election results. Enjoy… feel free to add your comments along the way. Be the media.

In this presidential election, moreso than others in the past, those who vote on the basis of the issue of the sanctity of life have been increasingly classified as “narrow-minded” and “single-issue obsessive.” Yep, that’s me. Well, I appreciate this well-worded post from Denny Burk. I don’t know that I’ve heard my own opinion on the issue clarified as well. No matter what happens tomorrow, Christians ought to be confronted with these words…

Denny Burk » My Closing Argument for Life on Election Eve.

Al Mohler published a blog article today entitled Is the Abortion Argument Changing?. It’s excellent. At the end, he references a sermon by Russell Moore that makes the argument that Joseph (Jesus’ step-father) was a “single-issue evangelical.”

I’m fairly progressive. I’m quite forward-thinking. But when it comes to the issue of life in relationship to politics, elections, legislation, etc., abortion is still a deal-breaker for me. Am I a narrow-minded single-issue evangelical? Absolutely. Why? Because the whole time we’re focused on…

• The environment.
• Unemployment.
• Taxes.
• Welfare.
• Healthcare.
• The war.
• Foreign relations.
• The economy.
• Defense.
• New energy sources.

God is focused on the innocent. He always has been. He always will be. We can say “just look beyond this one issue.” As far as I’m concerned, that’s like asking the guy who is having a heart attack to focus on his runny nose. We have a problem for which God will surely pour out His wrath. They are ultimately his babies, after all.

And here’s another point: Abortion IS Racism! Read or watch…

John Piper posted a great article about the Christian’s attitude toward voting. I love the fact that voting, though an important privilege, doesn’t ultimately determine eternal outcomes - evangelism and worship do. Voting is not the end-all, be-all of our approach to impacting culture. Read for yourself…

Let Christians Vote As Though They Were Not Voting :: Desiring God Christian Resource Library.

Between Two Worlds: Executive VP of Ottawa’s Society of Obstetricians & Gynecologists: Worried That Palin’s Example Will Mean Less Downs Babies Killed.

Now here is a witness and a testimony. Some are upset that Sarah Palin’s choice to keep her baby in spite of advance warning of Down’s Syndrome. The philosophy of the pro-choice movement never ceases to baffle me. Shame on those who do right for tempting others to do the same??

I love Rick Warren. I attended a conference on preaching at Saddleback in 2000 that changed the way I approach my pulpit ministry. I’ve ReadThe Purpose Driven Church and The Purpose Driven Life. I’ve led one church through 40 Days of Purpose. So I’m not anti-Rick Warren. I think people who have barely heard what he has to say are far to harsh toward him. Nonetheless, I’m dissappointed.

Here’s a link: http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Aug16/0,4670,CandidatesReligion,00.html

Angie and I were flipping through the channels and stumbled up on the airing of Pastor Rick’s interviewing of both Obama and McCain on the stage of Saddleback at a “Forum on the Presidency.” Rick was pretty neutral and allowed both candidates to speak equally and fairly without much argument. Therein lies the problem for me. We can’t be neutral in this current culture war. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »

In a recent blog, I strongly supported President Bush’s stance against government-supported embryonic stem-cell research. I am a pro-lifer only because of the Bible’s teaching (which I believe to be absolute truth) that life begins as an act of God at conception, and further that the responsibility to terminate life lies solely in His hands. Any society that does not recognize murder as a crime has little basis for any law at all.

This past week, however, President Bush commended Dr. Andrew on Eschenbach (FDA Commissioner) for his decision to allow the “Plan B” pill to be sold over-the-counter to adults. I’m surprised at the President’s tone considering his desire to foster a “culture of life” in America. The data from research on the pill shows divided evidence. The company that produces the pill, Barr Pharmaceuticals, claims that the pill prevents fertilization up to 72 hours after intercourse, but some research has shown that fertilization takes place but implantation is prevented. Essentially, the pill may equal an immediate abortion.

Beyond the issue of aborting life is the issue of sexual responsibility, which America seems to shun as an old-fashioned ideal. I believe that the last forty to fifty years have been a period of rediculous cutting lose of all responsibility in sexuality. Yes, I’m for sex only in the context of a covenant marriage between a man and a woman, but the issue is larger today than mere domestic partners and pre-marital sex. We live in a society akin to that of ancient Corinth or Ephesus. Sexual activity outside the bonds of matrimony has become idol-worship for Americans. Promiscuity and perversion is simply part of our culture.

This pill will further encourage a stripping away of sexual fidelity and responsibility. Sexual predators will see an easy out - lure a young girl into intercourse, then have her take a pill. Whatever happened to the very simple, common sense idea that if we reserve sex for a God-ordained scenario of marriage only, we’ll stay out of trouble?

The bleeding hearts among us will instantly cry “freedom” for women who are inconvenienced by the natural (that means God-designed) results of their own choices. They will also cry “tyranny” toward women who have been victimized through rape or incest. But the bottom line for me has little to do with the woman in question. I have the utmost compassion for a woman who has been the victim of rape or incest, but the reality remains that life only begins if God wills! Think of the face of that beautiful baby that comes forth from the young woman’s womb who became pregnant by no volition of her own. God declared He wanted no child to ever suffer and wants them all to be saved and to live in heaven with Him forever.

Mr. President, I believe we not only need a “culture of life” which would have been supported better by keeping this pill out of the hands of irresponsible people, but we also must have a revival of a “culture of responsibility.”

I know that we cannot change the hearts of sexually irresponsible people by making abortion (even in pill form) illegal. Nevertheless, conscience compels me to speak out continuously on behalf of the innocent unborn and young girls, who will really bear the brunt of this decision. Sex is not a toy! A pill cannot provide the easy out from the emotional damage done by sexual irresponsibility.

Mr. President, I love you and pray for you daily. I agree with your basic philosophy of life, but you kind of blew it on this one.

“Marriage is honorable in all…” -Hebrews 13:4

Perhaps the hottest social topic of the moment is the Federal Marriage Amendment, scheduled for vote on the Senate floor in the next few days. The liberal pundits have come out screaming that this is simply a ploy by President Bush and conservative Republicans to drum up votes for the November election. That may, in some respect, be true as no politician is immune to the temptation to “play politics.” But as a Christian, am I merely being duped into focusing on an issue because my conservative leaders have pulled the wool over my eyes? Hardly.

For me, as a conservative Christian, the Federal Marriage Amendment is an issue today because of the pressing need to defend the basic institution of society against attack by a liberal minority. Scripture is an eternally binding revelation of God upon my life and I’m to stand for its truths. If Jesus is Lord of who I am in church on Sunday, then He is equally Lord of who I am as a citizen in the voting booth.

The fact is, no Amendment would be necessary were it not for the imminent threat that at some time and place, a judge will reinterpret the law, override the will of the people, and choose on the side of immorality to defend gay marriage and thereby redefine what marriage is. This judicial relativism has the potential to stray far beyond the realm of normality. Who is to say what marriage is? Perhaps it could be polygamy? If such radically immoral groups such as the “Man-Boy Love Association” had their way, it might be that marriage could be a union of a grown man and a young boy. Will that be the future of marriage?

I cannot presume to speak for the world, but I can, as a Bible-believing Christian, stand for my beliefs in the public square and I’ll not be shamed into the corner for doing so. The Old Testament revealed that a marital union was to be between members of the opposite sex. The New Testament plainly clarifies that marriage should be between one man and one woman, thereby excluding polygamy. For me, as a Christian, there is only one alternative - marriage must be preserved as between one man and one woman alone. If a Federal Marraige Amendment is what it takes to protect this timeless institution from the threat of jucial activism (a reality, not just a “Bush term”), then so be it.