-Election 2012: A ‘New Moral Landscape’ in America?
by Dr. D ~ November 8th, 2012
(Photo credit: DonkeyHotey)
The election is over and it is time to take down all of the signs, pull off the now offending bumper stickers and face a new reality in America.
One good thing we can say about this Presidential election is that it was decisive. After all does anyone remember the debacle of 2000, if not just take a look at Florida this morning. They’re still counting votes and chads to determine who won there and the Florida 18th Congressional District is still up for grabs.
On the political side, the blame game has started in the Republican Party with the ‘Belt Way’ elites claiming that the evangelicals let them down and that the social conservatives need to be ignored the next time around. Meanwhile, ‘Tea Party’ folks are saying the exact opposite claiming that the candidate was too ‘liberal’ and some are even suggesting that it is time to start a new more ‘Conservative’ 3rd party.
After reading a myriad of diverse analyses of the election by political ‘experts,’ I found my opinions and gut feelings reflected best in the responses of several Christian leaders in an article from Christianity Today:
After Election 2012: Living in the ‘New Moral Landscape’
Here are several poignant quotes from the article:
Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research: "We [Christians] must face the reality that we may be on the losing side of the culture war. …
Richard Stearns, president of World Vision: "While symbols can be important, (Christians) have focused perhaps too much on them instead of the underlying reality they reflect. … Christians can stop worrying about the symbols of the decline of Christian America and get back to the mission Jesus gave us …."
Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary: "The 2012 election makes clear that Americans are divided over fundamental questions. … The election did not cause this division, it merely revealed it. … Evangelical Christians must see the 2012 election as a catastrophe for crucial moral concerns. … Clearly, we face a new moral landscape in America, and huge challenge to those of us who care passionately about these issues. We face a worldview challenge that is far greater than any political challenge, as we must learn how to winsomely convince Americans to share our moral convictions about marriage, sex, the sanctity of life, and a range of moral issues. This will not be easy. It is, however, an urgent call to action."
Response: For many of us it wasn’t just a lost election but a jolting ‘cold water’ waking up to the fact that America is in the midst of a major secular social change – a new moral worldview reality that was reflected in this election like none before.
I glanced at a number of articles on liberal sites and blogs that were crowing yesterday that it was all over for the conservative Christians as a national political force in America and maybe so. Maybe we have even lost the so-called ‘culture wars’ but that does not mean that we give up now or capitulate. Regardless, our mission goes on to bring Jesus and his Biblical teachings to a world that really needs him more than ever.
Remember, our weapons are not political or carnal but there is a spiritual dimension to Christianity that is timeless and transcends all cultures and politics. In Christ we cannot and never will be defeated. I read the back of the book and we represent a ruler that ends up reigning for all eternity. This election is merely “an urgent call to action.” *Top
November 9th, 2012 at 6:56 am
We need to see the morality in America as completely fallen regardless who is elected or how the legislative morality reflects Biblical morality on a few issues. They are nothing more than hollow attempts at self righteousness. Without regeneration morality is a sham. And the church’s obsession with a handful of issues, including economic, is so deep that evangelicals will vote for a high priest in the most effective cult in the world just because he gives lip service to a moral checklist.
I believe the Spirit is calling us back to the gospel. In an attempt to sanitize the culture through the might of democracy, the church has paved the way for millions to see Mormonism as viable. The Mormon Church has increased their missionary efforts greatly in antisipation of gaining entrance to homes which might have been closed to them before the election. That is tragic and has vast eternal implictions.
November 9th, 2012 at 10:09 pm
Rick,
Thanks for your comments. I do believe that this election was rude awakening for many and should be a clarion call for Christians and the American church to get back to its true calling and mission rather than putting so much effort and hope into trying to change the country through the political process.
I believe that Christians should always be responsible and vote their conscience and some of us may actually be called to be involved in politics but our hope should always be in Jesus and not a particular political party and in the Gospel and not a particular political philosophy.
This election was particularly problematic given the choices before us. One who opposes many of our Christian values or a cultist who supports them. Ironically, many of us put hope and effort into getting a Mormon elected as president with the unfortunate by-product, as you point out, of actually ‘normalizing’ Mormonism and potentially popularizing it in the process. In many ways a choice from hell.
Great comments, please come again.