It is the election that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends. Some people started counting it not knowing what it was, and they’ll just keep on counting it forever just because it is the election that never ends…
I stuck that annoying song in your brain, so, you are welcome. That may be the least annoying thing I do in this post. Let me share my theme.
It is time for Christians, and for Southern Baptists, to honor God by accepting the results of this election with grace. We must stop acting silly and spouting nonsensical conspiracy theories about “stealing elections.”
See, the little ditty I started with seems less annoying now, doesn’t it?
What I Believe
- There have been some fraudulent votes cast and counted in this election (as there have been in every election).
- These fraudulent votes are not enough to swing the elections in any state, and certainly not enough to turn the election to Donald Trump. Trump lost the election to Biden. It is time for him to show some class, concede, and start the transition process.
- Christians who spread the false accusations about “stealing the election” and who pass along unsubstantiated memes about it are wrong to do so and are embarrassing themselves, the church, and the cause of Christ.
- Every legally cast vote should be counted. Ties go to the voter – in other words, if it’s close, count the ballot.
- Every credible accusation of voter suppression, voter fraud, or counting irregularity should be investigated and prosecuted.
- Hypocrisy is rampant. I saw a video yesterday of Republicans in 2018 chiding Democrats for making wild accusations of election fraud and refusing to accept the will of the people because they would not accept the results of close elections. Here, in 2020, when that close vote went the other way, the GOP is doing EXACTLY what they accused the Democrats of doing.
- We live in a deeply divided country. Some states are red and some are blue but many are deep purple. Presidential elections will be this way until one side or the other gains ground. Trump narrowly LOST states this time that he won last time, but if I am not mistaken, he was actually closer in the popular vote than he was against Hillary.
- The most important thing, right now, is seeking to win those Senate elections in Georgia. While I am independent, I want the GOP to win those because I think the Democrats having the White House and both houses of Congress is a bad idea. Republicans should stop being sore losers and seek to win in Georgia.
All of that leads me to say that while it was without my vote and I lack any enthusiasm in saying it, Joe Biden is the president-elect, will be the next president, and it is time to apply the principles we have been trumpeting for 4 years about respecting the president because “the powers that be are ordained of God.”
Observations
Here are some thoughts I have about all of this.
1. Conspiracy theories defy logic. I saw this on someone else’s Twitter feed, but it wasn’t someone I follow and I can’t remember his name. Jacob something, perhaps? He said that the conspiracy theories assume that a political party that spent months putting together a nationwide primary search and chose Joe Biden, was then capable of organizing a national effort to steal an election. Um…uh…yeah.
One aspect of a conspiracy theory is granting high intelligence and organizational ability to the enemy. Was it Will Rogers who said, “I am not a member of any organized political party. I’m a Democrat.” It strains credulity to believe the Democrats could have pulled this off – the scope of the steal would have been too great.
2. Christians have come to the point where an accusation, if made against the other side, is assumed as fact whether the facts support it or not. We are now guided as much by memes and fake news on social media as we are by truth. When did Christians become so gullible? We should be Berean truth-seekers, not those who sacrifice our brains to blindly follow right-wing extremists, QAnon conspiracies, and any lie that makes its way across Facebook.
3. We are undermining our stated beliefs as this drags on. For four years, we have been told that we must support Trump and pray for him and such because of verses such as these.
He changes the times and seasons;
he removes kings and establishes kings. Daniel 2:21
Of course, our presidents are not kings, but I believe the principle applies. God is in control in this world and he sets up one and takes down another. People who hammered that verse for four years are suddenly refusing to believe that God could possibly take Donald Trump down and set up Joe Biden.
Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God. Romans 13:1
This was lots of folks’ favorite verse, but does it not apply now? Of course, Biden is president-elect, not president, but the principle would seem to apply. When we refuse to accept that God has instituted a new authority do we not violate this verse?
1 Timothy 2:2 instructs us to pray for “kings and all who are in authority.” Will we pray for Biden as we did Trump? Our obedience to Scripture is at stake here folks.
4. For those who still believe in the (unproven) accusations of widespread voter fraud, I have some questions.
- Can man thwart God’s plan?
- If Biden gets in based on shenanigans, does that free you from praying for him, respecting him, and accepting him as your God-ordained president?
- Are we using these accusations of election shenanigans to excuse ourselves from obeying God’s word in the next four years?
I believe in a sovereign God. Read Habakkuk. Habakkuk complained to God about sinful Israel and God said, “I am raising up the Babylonians to deal with them.” The prophet had a cow, saying the Babylonians were worse than the Israelties. God said, “I will deal with the Babylonians after I am done using them to do my work.” Then Habakkuk recognized God had it all in his control and worshiped.
God is in control in America. He raised up Trump. Some think that was a blessing, others think it was a judgment, but God did it. Now, God has raised up Biden.
As Christians, we must submit to God’s will and support our leaders, at the end of January of 2021 as much as at the beginning. It is time that we honor God’s word MORE than we fight for any political party.
The work of the church continues.
