Consequences of Choice  

Some folks have taken offense to my discussions concerning this (and past) elections, and one reader even suggested that I was "politicizing the Lord" with my commentary.  It's a shame when folks only see the commentary from a "conservative" or "liberal" point of view instead of recognizing the spiritual consequences of our choices.

Although I am a registered Republican, and have been for all of my adult life, I am more constitutionalist than Republican -- at least from today's political perspective -- and that view is a product of having spent literally hundreds of hours (perhaps as much as a thousand or more) in studying our nation's early history, the history of our founding fathers, and the events that shaped their coming together to form a cohesive nation and create America's Constitution.

Our Constitution was created as an anchor, a solid foundation from which this nation would function and govern itself for centuries to come.  Furthermore, it was created for the specific purpose of establishing a place on earth from which the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ would have free course.

Today's Coffee Break is partially a review of commentaries I've made over the years; it is a discussion on the consequences of the choices our founding fathers made., and a Biblical perspective on the consequences of the choices we make today when we vote for various political candidates.

With that as our introduction, pull up a chair, and let's get started.  Both the Expresso Machine and the French Press are brewing with some of the oiliest, dark-roasted Columbian coffee I've made in a long time -- and what an aroma!  If you're anywhere close, come on in and join me for a cup.

John Adams, who was Vice-President under George Washington, and went on to become our nation's second President, made the following comment concerning the Constitution of the United States, "it is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand.  Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.  It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

John Adams' first cousin (and also signer of the Declaration of Independence) put things like this: "If men of wisdom and knowledge, of moderation and temperance, of patience, fortitude and perseverance, of sobriety and true republican simplicity of manners, of zeal for the honour of the Supreme Being and the welfare of the commonwealth; if men possessed of these other excellent qualities are chosen to fill the seats of government, we may expect that our affairs will rest on a solid and permanent foundation.�?/SPAN>

Ever wonder how and where America's founding fathers came up with such a concept?  Well, here it is!

"Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.  Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee."  (Exodus 18:19-22)

There you have the plan for the kind of republican (not the political party) representation that makes up the core of our nation's governance.  When you read the history of our forefathers' deliberations as they contemplated the means to establish a government that would stand the test of time, you find the Word of God at the very root of all their discussions.

Folks, this is civil government we're talking about!  This was and is God's plan for the governance of a people under His leadership.  The biggest lie that's ever been foisted off on America (and it began in 1947 with Justice Hugo Black in FDR's Supreme Court) is that our Constitution somehow defines a "separation of church and state."  No it doesn't!  Nowhere in the writings of our nation's early leaders do you find such a concept -- except when Thomas Jefferson objected to the Danbury Baptist Association's intent to incorporate into our Constitution and Law the doctrines of their denomination.  "Separation of church and state" didn't mean separation of the government from involvement in church activities, in worship, or in speaking out on spiritual issues.

Jefferson simply wanted to avoid enshrining in Law a church denomination as England had done with the Anglican Church.  Because America was specifically founded by folks who honored the Lord for the purpose of having one nation in the world where the Gospel of Jesus Christ would have complete liberty, and from where the Gospel could be preached throughout the world -- without regard or preference to church denomination, nor restraint thereof -- Jefferson wanted to honor the intent of our founders.

I quote from John Winthrop's charter of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, "...and for the directing, ruling, and disposing of all other Matters and Things, whereby our said People, Inhabitants there, may be so religiously, peaceably, and civilly governed, as their good Life and orderly Conversation, may win and incite the Natives of Country, to the Knowledge and Obedience of the only true God and Savior of Mankind, and the Christian Faith, which is our Royal Intention, and the Adventurers free Profession, is the principal End of this Plantation."

Once the charter was approved, Winthrop wrote in his own diary, "We must be willing to give up our superfluities to supply others' necessities...We must delight in each other; make others' conditions our own; rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together... So shall we keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. The Lord will be our God, and...make us a praise and a glory, that men shall say of later plantations, "May the Lord make it like that of New England."

John Winthrop's son (John Winthrop, Jr.) was part of the founding of the Connecticut Colony, and as part of its charter incorporated the following: "[We] do therefore associate and conjoin ourselves to be as one Public State or Commonwealth; and do for ourselves and our successors and such as shall be adjoined to us at any time hereafter, enter into Combination and Confederation together, to maintain and preserve the liberty and purity of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus which we now profess, as also, the discipline of the Churches, which according to the truth of said Gospel is now practiced amongst us; as also in our civil affairs to be guided and governed..."

I could go on and on with each of the original colonies, but you get the picture.  Our founders made specific covenants and choices by the which their heirs and successors could live.  When America's Constitution was finally formed, the choices and purposes of the founders were incorporated in such a way that a nation "under God" could grow and take shape.

The consequence of their choices and decisions was the founding of a nation that has prospered throughout history like no other nation on earth.  With the constant Blessing of the Lord, the United States has been the help of the afflicted around the world; we have spent more blood and money to lift whole nations out of repressive regimes and poverty than any other nation in history; we have been the defense of the fatherless and the hope of the needy; we have been the source of the Gospel of Jesus Christ being spread throughout every nation on earth.

For something like two hundred and seventy years (1629 to 1892) Americans clearly understood that this nation was founded for the propagation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  In 1892, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled, "If we examine the constitutions of the various states, we find in them a constant recognition of religious obligations. Every constitution of every one of the 44 states (the number of states in the union in 1892 -- RAC) contains language which, either directly or by clear implication, recognizes a profound reverence for religion, and an assumption that its influence in all human affairs is essential to the well-being of the community."

After a rather voluminous examination of those state constitutions, the Supreme Court ruled, "These and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation."

THAT, Ladies and Gentlemen, is what our nation's forefathers chose; and up until 1947 with Justice Hugo Black's ludicrous decision, America prided itself on being "one nation under [the Lord] God" -- NOT a Muslim nation, not a Hindu nation, not an atheistic or agnostic nation, but a nation where Jesus Christ was Lord!  That didn't mean that Muslims, Hindus or followers of various religions couldn't have the liberty in America to practice their religious beliefs (atheism IS a religion, by the way; it just makes man to be God instead of the Lord Jesus Christ) as they saw fit, it just meant that they did so cognizant of the fact that America was founded and established as a nation where the Lord God was worshiped.

Black's decision began the opening of floodgates with a rush of wickedness designed to overthrow our Constitution and deprive Christians of the liberties they'd enjoyed for centuries.  How was it that Black was even in a position to make such a striking blow against our Constitutional freedoms?

Easy.  It was the consequence of choices made by voters who elected (and kept re-electing) Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Presidency of the United States.  Despite FDR's public acknowledgement of God and his leading the nation in prayer during the early days of America's involvement in WW-II, he lacked a true foundation in his relationship with the Lord; and further, he lacked the true Biblical worldview of our earlier founders.  In order to pursue a personal political agenda, he added more justices to the Supreme Court without regard for where they stood on Constitutional issues.  I doubt he could have possibly foreseen how far-reaching his choices would be, and what consequences those choices would bode for America's future.

This brings me to the crux of today's discussion.

We can (and do) spar with one another over the subject of where a presidential candidate stands on the subject of abortion, how that candidate treats the subject of marriage and family, and whether he/she is a promoter of the homosexual agenda.  Those issues are of critical importance in choosing our nation's leaders, but of almost overriding importance to all is how that candidate will choose the next justices of the Supreme Court.

Will he/she choose to appoint judges who will uphold the intent of our nation's founders, or will he/she appoint justices who -- like Hugo Black, and successors of his ilk -- reinvent the Constitution by judicial fiat and take away fundamental liberties that have made America the standard of the world?

It matters not what a candidate says he will do.  The life record must be the standard by which we vote.  What track record has the candidate established to back up his claims?  Does that candidate have a record of supporting issues which undercut our liberties?  Does the candidate have a track record of standing up for that which is right in the sight of God?

In the current crop of candidates, all of them profess to be Christians.  That means we have to look at what their lives have stood for, how they've voted, who their companions in life are or have been, and whether their words match their deeds.  One is NOT a Christian simply because they say so.  One is a Christian because he or she walks with the Lord Jesus Christ and demonstrates the fruit of the Spirit in their life.

The economy, the war on terror, immigration, issues of poverty and health-care are not, and MUST NOT be, the deciding issues upon which we choose our next President.  Where the candidate stands on the fundamental issue of the integrity of our Constitution as written and established by our founding fathers MUST be the most important criterion.  Where the candidate stands on abortion and homosexuality as a "right" under the Constitution must be a guiding factor.

As Dutch Sheets noted in his letter to prayer partners, "The scriptures teach that if we choose first to exalt righteousness and turn from evil, God promises to heal our land (see Proverbs 14:34; 2 Chronicles 7:14).  It is righteousness that exalts a nation, not wealth, prosperity or armies.  If we will finish the process of removing the curses of death and anti-God laws off of America by electing a president that will continue to shift the Court, God will grace us with breakthrough in other areas such as the economy, the war against terrorism, etc."

We have choices before us, folks!  We will either benefit as a nation with the Blessing of God, or we will suffer the curse of our own disobedience to God's Word based on how we vote.

Della has an aging aunt who is so upset with the choices before her in this election that she has vowed not to vote for anyone.  We've made it abundantly clear to her that is not an option.  There are a fistful of folks just like her across this country.  There's a problem with that stance.  Not voting IS voting just the same.  We are responsible before God for our choices.  If we don't vote, we've chosen.  If we do vote, we choose.

If we vote for righteousness in our leaders -- notwithstanding the fact that anyone we choose will have flaws -- based on their Biblical worldview, God will honor us, and He will honor this nation.  If we do not vote, OR we vote for someone simply because we want "change," we'll get change all right -- and it will be change for the worse.  It will be "change" with a curse upon us and this nation!  I simply cannot say it any stronger.

The curse will not be "causeless:" it will be caused, and we will be the cause thereof because of our rebellious and angry choices.

Whoever wins on November 4th will play a huge role in determining the course of this nation for decades to come.  Whatever you do, VOTE!

"A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader."  -- Samuel Adams (Letter to James Warren, 12 February 1779)

"In the supposed state of nature, all men are equally bound by the laws of nature, or to speak more properly, the laws of the Creator."  -- Samuel Adams (Letter to the Massachusetts Legislature, 17 January 1794)

"No country upon earth ever had it more in its power to attain these blessings than United America.  Wondrously strange, then, and much to be regretted indeed would it be, were we to neglect the means and to depart from the road which Providence has pointed us to so plainly; I cannot believe it will ever come to pass."  -- George Washington (Letter to Benjamin Lincoln,  29 June 1788)

The Blessing of the Lord: it makes rich and He adds no painful toil and sorrow!  (Proverbs 10:22)  Be blessed!

 

Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
700 South 6th Street
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
(509) 837-4657

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