Republican Party

Just Go Vote…

/ pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

Yes, this is a post about the election. Yes, it will probably offend a few people. No, I’m not going to tell you who to vote for, which will probably offend at least half of the people who read my blog. If you haven’t made up your mind, you have two days to do so. Just go vote, even if you don’t make up your mind until you enter the voting booth.

Actually, I’m writing this morning to a select number of people who may be reading–those who haven’t voted yet. My wife and I cast our ballots early, which it seems people are doing in record numbers this year. That’s great, but if you haven’t voted, let me remind you that your vote still counts. Go vote! Yes, it’s that important.

It is important that you go vote because we live in the United States of America and voting is a gift that the founders of our nation gave to us to help preserve our republic. Don’t take that gift for granted.

Voting has become so much easier (for better or worse) through the years that there really remains no excuse (save an emergency or illness) for registered voters not to vote.

Here are a few things I might suggest you do before heading to the polls. First, pray. Ask for the Lord’s guidance as you prepare to make this most important decision.

Second, turn off social media. You’ll only end up more confused.

Can I say that I hate the terms “misinformation” and “disinformation?” They seem like made-up words. I rather prefer to call all of that stuff “competing information.” Don’t the folks who want to censor all the “dis” and “mis” information believe the American people are smart enough to sort through the competing information to make an informed decision? I believe we are and I don’t need anyone censoring anything. I LOVE the First Amendment!

Third, remember that the Lord doesn’t love one candidate more than the other, nor does He love the people who vote for one candidate more than He loves people who vote for the other candidate. He loves all His children regardless of which candidate they vote for. Suffice it to say that each (every) candidate has his/her own foibles (just like the people casting their ballots). There is no perfect candidate. Never has been. Never will be.

Please also remember that no single candidate or political party ever won one soul to Christ. That’s our job. It’s called evangelism and we should be engaged in it regardless of who our leader is. People who need Jesus will never find Jesus in a political party. They will find Him in us.

Finally, maintain a biblical perspective. I remind us of Romans 13: 1–

“Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.”

Or, Psalm 47: 7 – 9–

7 For God is the King over all the earth.
    Praise him with a psalm.
8 God reigns above the nations,
    sitting on his holy throne.
9 The rulers of the world have gathered together
    with the people of the God of Abraham.
For all the kings of the earth belong to God.
    He is highly honored everywhere.

The Bible repeatedly reminds us that God is sovereign in the affairs of men. God is God before this election, and God will be God after this election. Neither candidate will change that fact. If you trust the Lord now, you’ll trust Him then.

Don’t, however, use God’s sovereignty to blame Him for the outcome. That’s too easy! Can we, as disciples, acknowledge that the state of our nation is not God’s fault? It would also be too easy to blame one political party over the other, but the reality is that BOTH political parties have contributed to the steady progression away from the Judeo-Christian values upon which our nation was formed.

Let’s face it. It’s OUR fault for not holding our leaders to account to the Judeo-Christian values of our founding. One way we can hold them accountable is by just going to vote.

So, go vote. Vote your values. Vote for the candidate you believe the Lord is leading you to vote for. Regardless of who you vote for, please treat those who may vote differently than you with the respect and love due a fellow human being. That’s what we’re called to do as disciple of Jesus Christ.

So, just go vote. It’s that important.

Until next time, keep looking up…

It’s Time for a Change…

/ pastorlynnmalone / Leave a comment

This blog post will be a bit different. I’m jumping into the political realm again for some reason, and we know that’s probably something pastors shouldn’t do. Maybe it will be okay. Maybe it won’t. Here goes anyway.

I have always been interested in politics. I registered to vote on the day after my 18th birthday. I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to vote. I once thought I might have a future in politics. I ran for and was elected to my local school board and served until the Lord decided I needed to go to seminary. I resigned my position and that ended whatever political career I thought I might have. Moving from community to community as a Methodist preacher doesn’t lend itself well to political aspirations in most cases.

I never stopped following politics, though. I was always aware of the candidates, even for little-known offices like Justice of the Peace and Constable (Do you know who your constable is?). It might be because my step-father was the local constable when I was growing up, but I always knew who the local officials were and who was or might run against them. I guess you could say following politics was somewhat of a hobby. Some people hunted and fished. Others played golf. I followed politics.

On the day after my 18th birthday, I went to the Registrar of Voters office and registered as a Republican. It was 1981 and Ronald Reagan was riding high as President of the United States. I loved Ronald Reagan and I wanted to be a Republican. I’ve been a registered Republican ever since. That’s forty-two years, but who’s counting.

I’ve never voted for a Democrat for a national office. Not in 42 years. Actually, I’ve voted for very few Democrats for any office. I did vote for Edwin Edwards for governor of Louisiana once, but that’s because the best candidate Republicans could come up with was David Duke. If you know anything about Edwin Edwards, you know what a sacrifice it was for a died-in-the-wool Republican to vote for him. I have also voted on the local level for Democrats whom I knew personally and knew their values. Ironically, some of those who were Democrats when I voted for them switched to become Republicans later. Go figure!

It’s not like I was raised to be a Republican. My grandparents were Democrats. Even had a grandfather who was elected to the local school board as a Democrat (it was the same seat to which I was elected years later). My step-father was a Democrat and was elected as the local constable as a Democrat. No problem. As a matter of fact, in 1981 when I registered as a Republican, it wasn’t the fashionable thing to do. There were far more Democrats in Louisiana at the time.

I registered as a Republican in 1981 because of Ronald Reagan, and because as I surveyed the party platforms of both the Republican and Democrat parties (yes, I did that as an 18 year-old–I told you politics was a hobby), the Republican Party platform more aligned with what I believed and with my core values of what a government should look like. And for 42 years, that has pretty much been the case.

I’ve probably divulged more than I should have, and probably more than you ever wanted to know (not that you even care), but I’ve offered this more as confession than anything else, and perhaps this blog is a means of repentance, too, because after 42 years I’ve decided that I am no longer a Republican. Oh, don’t worry! I’m not a Democrat either. After 42 years as a Republican, I will henceforth and forever be an Independent.

Why? Two reasons. One, Donald Trump, and two, the recent chaos in the leadership of the Republican Party.

Honestly, I didn’t like Donald Trump is 2016 and I didn’t like him in 2020. I still don’t like him today. In each of those elections, I held my nose and voted for him, much like I did for Edwin Edwards for governor many years ago. Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden were not legitimate alternatives for me. As much as I dislike Donald Trump, there was no way I could support the Democratic candidates because many of the policies and positions they held/hold were counter to my core values as one who seeks to follow Jesus Christ. Don’t take that last statement as a condemnation of any “Christian” who voted for Clinton or Biden. It’s not intended to be such. It’s a simple statement that as I seek to follow Jesus, I could not reconcile my values with their positions. If you can, more power to you.

I’m also not certain that the Trump phenomenon is not the reason there has been such chaos in the Republican Party. I certainly believe it is a major part of the reason for the chaos, but I also believe there has been a lot of egotism and narcissism involved as well. I’ve watched with interest over the last month as Republicans in Congress struggled to identify and elect a Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The Republicans have been in chaotic disarray until this week when they were able to elect Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) to the speakership. Oh, I’m elated that Congressman Johnson was elected. I believe that his values and mine are not that far apart. He’s my Congressman! He’s the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States! He’s the third in line to the Presidency of the United States. This is a really big deal–for him and his family, for the State of Louisiana and for our District. I pray for his leadership. I prayed for his election to the position. I pray he represents Louisiana and our nation well.

The process of his election, though, exemplifies the broken nature of the Republican Party. At my age, I’m just tired of the politics that played out over the past month. Some wise sage once said (I don’t remember who and Google was no help) that the only difference between the Republican Party and the Democrat Party is the speed at which they want things to change. The “establishment” of the Republican Party and the “establishment” of the Democrat Party want the same things, they just want to get there at a different rate of speed. After watching the Republicans over the past month, I’m not so sure that isn’t true. My prayer is that Speaker Johnson’s leadership will prove me wrong.

Speaker Johnson’s election notwithstanding, it’s time for me to take a step back from party affiliation. Jesus is neither a Republican nor a Democrat. I just want to be more like Jesus. I suspect Jesus would have plenty to say to both Democrats and Republicans were He present today. Oh, wait! He is! He is present in His body, the Church. The Church should be holding both Democrats and Republicans to account. The Church should be speaking the prophetic Word on His behalf, but that’s kinda’ hard to do if it is too closely aligned to a political party, either on the right or the left.

My loyalty is to Jesus, not to a political party. It’s time for me to be free to speak prophetically whenever the Spirit stirs. I’m just sad it took me 42 years to come to that conclusion. For that, I repent!

Until next time, keep looking up…