Your Responsibility as a Citizen

"Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked."- Proverbs 25:26

It is not uncommon for concerned Christians to know fellow believers who could care less about politics and government.  Personally, I wish I could care less about them; unfortunately, neglecting them has led us into a great deal of social and economic woes lately.  For a Christian to turn a blind eye to the affairs of government is to issue them a blank check to do as they please with your freedoms and liberties.

I am convinced that August's Washington earthquake was a result not of seismic activity, but of the founding fathers of this nation rolling over in their graves.  Under your very eyes a menacingly large government prowls, fueled by your ever-increasing tax payments.  The danger of this growth is blood-curdling.  President Gerald Ford said, "a government big enough to give you everything you need is a government big enough to take away everything you have."  If you turn to the news, you will see examples of various liberties, especially religious and economic liberties, being taken away from those who once held them dear.

Fortunately, we have a hand in this.  In the same way that people voted these chains onto themselves, they can also vote them off.  Many people, out of what they call "generosity", support a nanny state that enables the poor rather than encouraging them to walk in the ways of self-reliance that generations of "under-privileged" Americans walked.  These types of people re-produce in droves, encouraging each new generation to become a full-fledged burden of society from cradle to grave.

Our job is to show people the error of their ways.  I will write later on the values of conservatism, but will focus primarily on the importance of being involved in government for now.  As I've mentioned previously, too many Christians, feeling shunned by an increasingly secular demographic, are more concerned with their own affairs and prefer not to "meddle" with society's dealings, thus withdrawing themselves from being a difference maker in the real world.  That is not what Christ calls us to do in the Great Commission of Matthew 28.  We are called to go out to all nations and shine as light.  "All nations" can be read as "Fiji, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea", which is in itself correct, or as "the United States and all that is within it, like the government, entertainment business, food industry, and educational system."  If you look closely at that latter list, three of those four are led by and composed primarily of the secular liberal mob.

To simply give up is not one of your options.  I believe this course will correct itself in one of two ways. The first and best way would be for Christians to step up and take a stand of faith and courage, hoping that our influence will rub off on society.  Don't forget that you have divine power on your side.  Consider the words of Paul and his efforts:

"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow."- I Corinthians 3:6

Do you ever stop and wonder if God is waiting for us to make a move so he can pour out his blessings on our land?  When we share the Word of God with others, we are acting in faith.  We are hoping that that individual will be receptive to what we have to share, but we also realize that God will ready the heart of the listener when, if ever, that time is right.  Similarly, truth, including the logic that brings forth sound governance, comes from the same Word.  Truth always gets through when God wills it to.

The second way the course will be corrected is more drastic, but equally effective.  Evil and foolishness simply cannot sustain themselves.  If we don't take a stand, the entire political and economic system may fail so miserably that we Christians will then be forced to step in and re-establish order.

I like to use California as an example when it comes to voting.  Though California hasn't voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1988 (George H.W. Bush), the state is not as hopeless for Republicans as some of the ones in New England are.  Outside of California's many large coastal cities lies a vast sea of red on the electoral map.  Unfortunately, the tendency for the state to elect liberal candidates has certainly dimmed the hopes of these conservatives.  The problem is this- what if five million people feel like their one single vote is pointless and don't vote because the state "always goes blue"?  If this year's Iowa Caucus proved anything, it's that a handful of votes often matters.

Finally, if you don't vote, you have no reason to complain about the way things are going.  I'd be willing to bet that if every Christian showed up to the polls for any election that he or she could cast a vote at, we'd have none of the issues that we anguish over today.  Furthermore, the futures of your children and grandchildren are based largely on the legislation and policies set forth by the elected leaders of today.  We presently live under a dying social security system and crushing debt incurred through many failed programs that were intended to help society.

If you want to live in freedom, start being a responsible citizen.  Be educated on the platforms and voting histories of those that you may potentially vote for and be sure to pass that information on to your fellow voters.  To simply not care is to make yourself into the polluted fountain described in Proverbs 25:26.  Many have died to protect your right to suffrage.  Voting is not just your right, it is your responsibility.