David K. Bernard is the founder and senior pastor of New Life Church, Austin, Texas. He is also superintendent of the South Texas District United Pentecostal Church and president of Urshan Graduate School of Theology. He has earned a doctor of jurisprudence with honors from the University of Texas, a master of theology from the University of South Africa, and a bachelor of arts in mathematical sciences and managerial studies with high honors from Rice University. He is currently a doctor of theology candidate in New Testament at the University of South Africa. He is an ordained minister of the United Pentecostal Church International.
Thoughts on the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election
By David K. Bernard
Political Significance
The 2008 U.S. presidential election is certainly historic in that an African-American was elected to the highest office of the land less than 150 years after the end of slavery and about 50 years after the Civil Rights Movement began. Regardless of political views, we can appreciate and celebrate this significant accomplishment. We should take this opportunity to emphasize that we must not evaluate candidates by the color of their skin but by their character, ability, platform, and agenda. (We should also note that many leaders have long operated on this basis and have worked to make it a reality. For example, our current president appointed the first African-American man and the first African-American woman to be Secretary of State, and everyone acknowledges that these two appointments were not token but were made on the merits.) Despite this positive and commendable development, there are some major concerns:
1. We face major foreign challenges, including Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran. Moreover as Vice President-Elect Biden noted, it is quite possible that some challenges will come because President-Elect Obama is relatively inexperienced, unknown, and untested and has made strong pledges to withdraw military forces and to negotiate with enemies.
2. We are facing major economic challenges, probably the most significant since Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980. (Unemployment was at 7.5%, annual inflation was at 13.5%, prime interest rates were at 21.5%, and mortgage interest rates were at 15%.) To a great extent, the current financial crisis was brought about by the selfish greed of individuals who did not act in the best interests of their companies but maximized personal bonuses, by the neglect of proper oversight, and by the irresponsible interference of government officials in pressing for massive private loan programs without regard to people’s ability to repay. Since the last factor was largely caused by politicians allied with the president-elect, there is concern as to whether they are the best ones to solve the problem.
3. Since the electorate seems to be looking primarily to the government for solutions, and since President-Elect Obama consistently favors strong government intervention, there is the danger of excessive government control. Once government expands its role to meet a crisis it seldom relinquishes control afterward. In the twentieth century, the U.S. government expanded far beyond the historic meaning of the Constitution and the intention of the Framers. Now, we could be poised for a further expansion that would curtail our free-market economy, alter our political system, and undercut America’s uniqueness and greatness.
4. Of particular concern is that a greatly expanded government could use its power to turn our nation further away from moral values by promoting such things as abortion on demand, homosexual marriage, and adoption of children by homosexuals. President-Elect Obama has pledged that the first law he will sign is the Freedom of Choice Act, which will remove all limits to abortion, including those that the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade acknowledged to be reasonable. Among other things, it would provide federal funding for abortion, reverse the federal ban on partial-birth abortions (meaning that babies in the womb can be legally killed up to the moment of birth), and eliminate state parental notification laws.
As an example, Texas law requires that before a child can have an abortion, one parent must be notified, or in certain situations a judge can be notified instead. Pro-abortionists claimed this law would cause an increase in unwanted pregnancies, but instead it has caused a decrease in both teenage pregnancies and abortions. The reason is that many adult men have been sexually involved with underage girls, which is statutory rape or sometimes child molestation, but before the passage of this law abortion clinics refused to report such situations, even though everyone in Texas is a mandatory reporter for child molestation. Under the new law, many men are apparently choosing not to get involved with underage girls, because they realize parents will now find out about any pregnancy and will likely file criminal charges.
5. Over the long term, one of the most important presidential powers is the appointment of federal judges, and President-Elect Obama has promised to appoint very liberal ones. Since many important Supreme Court decisions have recently been decided by a 5-to-4 vote, even one change could become highly significant. We could soon have a Supreme Court that would reinterpret the Constitution so as to diminish moral values as well as individual rights. For instance, an Obama Court might well decide that homosexual marriage is a constitutional right under the concept of a “living Constitution,” much as the California Supreme Court held with regard to its state constitution. We might then see federal mandates in support of homosexuality such as affirmative action, advocacy in public school curricula, restrictions on private organizations such as Boy Scouts that refuse to follow suit, and removal of limits on adoption. Next, these “rights” could be extended to transsexuals, polygamists, and so on.
6. If an Obama Court creates new constitutional rights, there could possibly be interference with religious liberty. For example, if homosexual marriage becomes a constitutional right, churches and church agencies could be required to accept homosexuals as nonministerial employees and adoptive parents, to promote homosexuality in church school curricula, and to curtail public opposition to homosexuality on the ground that it is “hate speech.”
Spiritual Significance
How should Christians view this situation and respond to these concerns?
1. We must realize that ultimately God is in control. “For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another” (Psalm 75:6-7). (Scripture quotations are from the NKJV.) He sees the future, including events that will fulfill end-time prophecy. His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).
This does not mean that every election is His perfect will, for Psalm 75:8-10 speaks of God’s judgment on leaders who do evil. God sometimes allows people to have what they ask for, even in politics. When Israel insisted on a king, God finally told the prophet Samuel, “Heed their voice, and make them a king” (I Samuel 8:22). Sometimes nations get what they deserve. In this regard, we should note Proverbs 14:34: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”
“The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Proverbs 21:1). Since God is in control, we should pray for God to influence our political leaders in a positive direction, for the good of both the nation and the kingdom of God. Regardless of the president’s agenda or political views, through our intercession God can influence him for good. Abraham’s intercession for Sodom reveals that prayer can make a difference and that even a small minority of righteous people can positively influence a nation. The story of Josiah shows that one righteous leader can delay divine judgment.
Moreover, God can accomplish His purpose regardless of how human leaders respond. In Exodus 9:16, God told Pharaoh that He had raised him up to declare God’s name throughout the earth. If Pharaoh had followed God’s will and allowed the Israelites to leave freely, then Pharaoh would have been blessed, God’s people would have been delivered, and God’s name would have been exalted. However, since Pharaoh resisted God’s plan, he and his army were destroyed, but God’s people were still delivered, and God’s name was still glorified.
2. We must respect governmental authority and pray for political leaders. Specifically, we should pray that our government (a) administers justice, (b) provides security and peace, and (c) provides an opportunity for the spreading of the gospel. (See Romans 13:1-8; I Peter 2:17; I Timothy 2:1-4.) These biblical instructions were given under the Roman Empire, which exercised dictatorial control over Palestine at that time. Thus, we are to follow these admonitions even if we do not agree with our leaders or form of government.
3. The church can be a bulwark against evil and a strong supporter of true liberty. While the church should not identify itself with a political party or endorse candidates, the church can take a stand for truth, freedom, justice, and morality. Individual believers can work for these goals by prayer, voting, social involvement, and political involvement.
4. No matter what happens, we can discern possible preparations for the end time. If social, economic, and political conditions get worse, we can still take comfort in God’s redemptive plan for the church in the end time. In this regard, let us note some signs of the times:
a. People have a great hunger for a secular savior. Many people have quasi-religious faith in Obama as the answer to national and world problems, and he has received unprecedented positive treatment from the media, which has described him as “transcendent.” Faith in him indeed transcends his record. For example, he embodies the hopes of many who identify themselves as conservative or moderate, even though he has the most liberal voting record of all 100 U.S. Senators. He is the focus of amazing expectations although he has minimal experience, especially executive experience. (He served only four years as Senator, with no major legislative accomplishments. His greatest executive position was directing his presidential campaign.)
The point is not to disparage his abilities. He is intelligent, articulate, organized, focused, motivated, and inspirational. These qualities will likely serve him well as president. The point is that we have an extraordinary display of faith in a human, especially by nonreligious people. This unusual phenomenon seems to result from two factors: (i) Our culture is dominated by media and entertainment, so that people focus on symbolism, image, and feelings more than substance. (ii) Our culture denigrates and mocks religion, but a desire for faith and transcendence is inherent in human nature, so people unconsciously look for secular substitutes.
b. We could experience a dramatic extension of government power leading to the type of governmental control described in the Book of Revelation.
c. There is a new emphasis on world opinion and collective action that could lead to the type of world government described in the Book of Revelation. We now see how America could join the rest of the world in concerted action against Israel.
5. In conclusion, this is a great opportunity for the church to shine as a city on a hill. It is clear that the world does not have solutions for its serious problems, but people are desperately seeking answers. They want to believe, to hope, and to see transformation of society. Our hope is in God, and we proclaim Jesus Christ as the answer for the world today. As social systems crumble and as immorality seems to triumph more and more, some people will seek for spiritual answers, and the church will become a beacon of light to them. Contrary to the prevailing culture of postmodernism, which accepts all beliefs and lifestyles as valid, we still proclaim truth. In the face of sin and its consequences, we preach a message of love, forgiveness, deliverance, and transformation.
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