As a pastor and a preacher, I want to urge all Christians this election season: Get out and vote. I believe it is our duty as citizens of our state and country, but I also believe it’s especially important given the issues represented in this election. Many of these are not strictly “political.” They are moral and spiritual.

While both candidates are sinners and will say things we don’t agree with, that is not a reason to neglect voting. There is no perfect candidate. But I don’t vote for personality. I vote for policy.

It is my belief that we should vote for the candidates and policies that best reflect the values we find in Scripture.

Christians have been in politics since the beginning of the United States. We are a nation built on Judeo-Christian principles.

Ratifier of the US Constitution, Patrick Henry, said it very clearly: “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by Religionists but by Christians.”

And in his 1776 farewell address, George Washington said, “Reason and experience both forbid us, that national morality can prevail in the exclusion of religious principle.” In other words, this morality we should have—our sense of right and wrong—comes from religious principle.

Even some of our most liberal universities today were founded on Christian principles, like Harvard and Yale.

Rather than denying or running further away from these spiritual roots, we must pray to get back to them. And if we, the church, must also take up our responsibility to vote, we must acknowledge what the Bible says about today’s hot button issues.

Okay, so let’s all go into this week with a steadfast prayer for our nation, the election and for those who are elected.

Sincerely, Pastor Larry