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Merry Christmas from the Baird house to yours…

True story…

As a pastor, I would always arrive at the church early on Sunday to turn on the lights and prepare for worship service. At the time, we were worshiping in a renovated mall, which had a few, easily missed holes in the walls leading to the outside. One Sunday, upon arrival, I found that a small bird had somehow found its way into the building and was flying desperately to find a way out. Anytime I would get close to potentially drive the bird out the open double doors, the bird would panic and fly away further into the building. My attempts to “save” the bird were futile and creating more trauma to the animal, despite my good intentions. As a human being there was no way I could communicate with this bird to tell it I could save it from harm. If only there was a way, I might transform myself into a bird to save it. That would indeed be “good news” for that bird.

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“How do I participate in voting when there are no E18 candidates on the ballot?”

The time has arrived for the “rubber to hit the road” and to move from the theology of Exodus 18:21, to the application of the principle. Since I function and minister in the civic arena as my primary focus, I have, what I think, is a unique vantage point to make these applications. Allow me to say clearly, I do not consider myself the final say or even a notable “expert” on such matters. That said, I find it fascinating to note that one recognized expert, Dr. Wayne Grudem, in his 600+ page text book, “Politics According to the Bible”, makes absolutely NO reference to the Exodus 18:21 principle in its pages. A glaring omission from my vantage point as all politics starts with an election. (By the way, his book is well worth the time reading for many other considerations.)

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“What if I can’t find a qualified E18 candidate to vote for? What am I to do?”

This is the big question and it will take both posts 9 and 10 to give my full take on the solution. This post (part 9) is the long term strategic answer (IMHO) and part 10 is what I endeavor to do immediately as I approach the voting booth (for your consideration).

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Before we can answer the questions of, “Who do we vote for when no E18 candidate appears to exist?” and “Is not voting an option (or even sin)?”, it might serve us well to explore the process of election (selection) and analyze what it means to vote.

Few Christians have stopped long enough to consider whether or not the Bible has anything to say about “voting”. While it is partially true that the “how” of selecting leaders is never explicitly mentioned, the assumption is that since most of the Scripture was written under the concept of monarchies and dictators that there is nothing to be learned with regards to the election of leaders in a democratic-republic. Nothing could be further from the truth. If the Scriptures are indeed the blueprint for all of life then it should be assumed that there will be, at the very least, some precepts that would be applicable to the way a believer approaches voting.

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The last standard Jethro tells Moses to identify for civic leadership is that those who are selected must be men of “truth”. The Hebrew word is EMETH and like most Hebrew words has a variety of meanings and nuances. It certainly communicates the character of one who doesn’t lie, but it also gives the vibe of firmness and faithfulness. Truth doesn’t change. It is reliable and objective. There isn’t a spectrum of truth. Truth is never subjective and tied to one’s feelings or the prevailing deceptions of the era. Truth in Hebrew is trustworthiness. God is always reliable. He can be trusted to always be exactly what He says He will be and do what He says He will do. That’s the living, personal character of truth.

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