Will This Be the Last Real Election in America?
With just two weeks until one of the most historic presidential elections, many are asking, “Will this be the last real election in America?
“This election is far different than any in the past,” says American Pastors Network (APN) President Sam Rohrer. “The stakes are much higher. The nations of the world are hanging much more on this outcome than perhaps ever before. And it’s no coincidence that many are saying that this may be the last real election in the nation, as former Congresswoman Michele Bachman said on our radio program just a few weeks ago. This could be the case, particularly if patriots, evangelical Christians and other freedom-loving citizens don’t get out and cast a vote for the presidential candidate who will most likely defend freedom and justice.”
Why does this outlook permeate voters’ minds? For many, Rohrer said, it is the fear that longstanding freedoms will be taken away. For example, he said, Hillary Clinton’s spokesperson has mocked Catholics and evangelicals as “severely backward,” and she herself called Donald Trump’s supporters “deplorables,” which reveals much about what a Clinton/Kaine administration might do.
Additionally, Rohrer added, drastic changes on the Supreme Court would assure the demise of liberty and the separation of powers.
“The appointment of Supreme Court justices,” he said, “perhaps up to four, will fall to the next president. If for no other reason, Americans concerned for our nation must not sit at home or refuse to vote for the presidential position when they understand what the Clinton/Kaine team has already said it would do, namely compromise both the First and Second Amendments. Voters with integrity must look at all these issues seriously. What is required for ‘voter integrity’? It’s a commitment to justice for all; an embracing of honesty and truth; an unswerving commitment to the Constitution; a system that prevents fraud, lying and cheating; and the prosecution of anyone who attempts to cheat, lie or steal.”
So if this could be the last real, free, legitimate election, Rohrer asks, how should we respond as freedom-loving Americans and Christians?
- For churches and pastors, through prayer and bold preaching
- For those already in office, standing for and speaking out about truth even if losing an election might be the price
- For Christians and citizens, understanding the big picture—that this election is not about a contest between two people, but about two worldviews and two futures
“There is no middle ground,” Rohrer concluded, “Not voting when the stakes are so high and the futures so different is to vote for the side that is given to fraud, corruption and the destruction of our constitutional republic.”
Rohrer has also been sharing his own “Voting Integrity Checklist,” a series of questions he developed for himself to use during nearly 20 years in office as a legislator. It helps not only to ensure votes of integrity, but to also permit voters to have confidence in how candidates may conduct themselves while in office.
According to Rohrer, questions to ask when progressing through the “Voter Integrity Checklist” include: Is it moral? Is it constitutional? Does it preserve individual freedom and responsibility? Does it preserve and strengthen the traditional family? Is it in the best interest of the general public? Is it necessary? Should it be done on the federal level? Is this an effective and efficient way to do it? Do we have the money to pay for it?
Rohrer also hosts the daily, live, one-hour “Stand in the Gap Today,” the news and commentary radio program from APN that airs on about 425 stations nationwide daily at noon ET. Social science researcher George Barna is regular guest on the program, and his most recent research from the American Culture & Faith Institute finds that future appointees to the Supreme Court is a major election issue for Christians.
The research found that “while most Americans consider the economy to be the most important challenge facing the nation, most Christian conservatives perceive the future of the Supreme Court to be the single most compelling election issue that will influence which candidate they support for the presidency.”
The survey asked SAGE Cons—Spiritually Active, Governance Engaged Conservatives—how much the Supreme Court matters in their lives. Four of 5 (81 percent) said that the decisions made by the Supreme Court impact their daily life “a lot” with almost the rest (18 percent) saying the Court’s decisions have at least “some impact” on their life from day to day.
“Given that perception,” the survey information continued, “it is not surprising that half of the SAGE Cons (52 percent) say they follow the major decisions handed down by the Court ‘very closely’ and most of the remaining respondents (43 percent) follow those renderings ‘somewhat closely.’ In total only 5 percent said they do not follow the decisions closely. To place this in context, nationwide surveys of the entire public indicate that SAGE Cons are over three times more likely than the typical American to track SCOTUS decisions very closely.” Read more on the study here.
Barna will join “Stand in the Gap Today” again this week on Oct. 27. For more information on the entire lineup of APNradio programming, visit standinthegapradio.com.
APN recently launched the new “We Will Stand” initiative to help mobilize and encourage pastors to preach biblical truth about all issues, as well as unite pastors in their calling to stand boldly for truth. Pastors can sign the “We Will Stand” pledge and commit to preach passionately, pray fervently, encourage their congregations and engage as a minister together with civic leaders. Information about “We Will Stand” is available at americanpastorsnetwork.net.
APN offers pastors numerous online resources that help clergy choose sermon topics and find information for other church ministries. With some free and some paid resources, topics include abortion, apologetics, creation, the cultural crisis, economics, education, the environment, history, homosexuality, Islam and marriage, along with many others.
