Tag Archives: elections

Now What? November 9, 2020

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

I’m preparing this podcast on election day. By the time you hear it, I hope we have elected our officials for the coming terms. I don’t want this to drag out forever, as some elections have in the past. Many decry our electoral college system, but I’d like to share why that system is so crucial to our “United” States. The last census, remember that was ten years ago, showed that 50 percent of the population resided in only 146 of more than 3,000 counties in our country, 3141 to be exact. That means less than 5% of the counties hold more than half the population.

Why is that important to elections and the electoral college? Consider the outcry we get when we talk about the power of the small percentage of billionaires and multimillionaires. We scream that everyone should have a voice. We want equality and justice. If that’s the case, shouldn’t those other 3,000 counties, the other half of the population, not concentrated in those 146 counties also have a voice?

Fifteen of our states do not have a single county among those 146. Should they not be included in the election of our highest leader? Our founding fathers were pretty smart people giving one electoral vote for each senator and representative from each state when choosing the president in a representative election. The states with a higher population get more votes since they have more representatives, but every state gets at least three votes. West Virginia and North Dakota and Wyoming aren’t left out of the decision just because they have smaller populations than California, Florida, and Texas.

The magnificence of our Constitution is really pretty incredible. It’s a shame more people don’t take the time to read it, study it, understand the beauty of its language and fairness to all people within the country. Is it perfect? No. But we need to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. There is a reason we have millions trying to escape to our country, not from it. It’s not just our capitalism that allows you to earn a decent living; it’s the freedoms we embrace through our Constitution.

Most, not all, of our founding fathers were deeply religious people. Yes, some were deist, some were even atheist, but most were Christian with deep roots in their faith. And they wanted the government to stay out of their religious practice. They would not separate their religious practice from their operation of government, as we see in their prayers, letters, speeches, books, and biographies. But because of the kings’ suppression of religious freedom in Europe, they made sure the government stayed out of the church. That is what separation of church and state is about, not the other way around.

It was Eisenhower who included “under God” in our pledge of allegiance. “In God We Trust” became the nation’s official motto in July 1956, replacing “e Pluribus Unum.” So what happened? In the 1960s, we allowed ourselves to get turned upside down. We let satan’s minions convince us that church and state separation meant church could no longer be a part of politics. Politics and our political system has declined ever since. When you take God out of the state, the state destroys itself. Listen to Joshua’s warning to the people of Israel as he stepped away from leadership.

¹⁴“Now then,” Joshua continued, “honor the Lord and serve him sincerely and faithfully. Get rid of the gods which your ancestors used to worship in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve only the Lord. ¹⁵If you are not willing to serve him, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors worshiped in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living. As for my family and me, we will serve the Lord.”

¹⁶The people replied, “We would never leave the Lord to serve other gods! ¹⁷The Lord our God brought our fathers and us out of slavery in Egypt, and we saw the miracles that he performed. He kept us safe wherever we went among all the nations through which we passed. ¹⁸As we advanced into this land, the Lord drove out all the Amorites who lived here. So we also will serve the Lord; he is our God.” (Joshua 24:GNT)

What happened? They didn’t get rid of their idols. Within a generation, they forgot God, who led them out of Egypt through the wilderness and defeated their enemies. They ignored Moses and Joshua and the commands God had given them. The book of Joshua ends with the horrifying words that echo what goes on in too many streets in cities in this country and around the world today – “everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” It’s called anarchy. We saw it in Portland and Seattle and Chicago and too many other places over the last several months leading up to the election that, as I mentioned, takes place as I prepare this podcast.

What are we to do? As Christians, we wholly support the person who will sit in the Oval Office until and after January 20^th, whoever that might be. Paul tells us, and Jesus tells us people are allowed into places of authority to keep order. I would refer you to Romans 13:

Everyone must obey state authorities, because no authority exists without God’s permission, and the existing authorities have been put there by God. ²Whoever opposes the existing authority opposes what God has ordered; and anyone who does so will bring judgment on himself. ³For rulers are not to be feared by those who do good, but by those who do evil. Would you like to be unafraid of those in authority? Then do what is good, and they will praise you, ⁴because they are God’s servants working for your own good. But if you do evil, then be afraid of them, because their power to punish is real. They are God’s servants and carry out God’s punishment on those who do evil. ⁵For this reason you must obey the authorities—not just because of God’s punishment, but also as a matter of conscience. (Romans 13:1-5 GNT)

Paul could not put it more plainly. Whoever sits in office deserves our support. Whether you like the person or not, God allowed him to sit in the seat to provide order and justice to the nation. We, as Christians, do good. Period. We encourage others to do the same. We pray for those in authority. We encourage those in authority to do good. We help the helpless, voice our opinions, but do so in orderly and right ways, not that would cause chaos and disorder. Jesus did not riot. Paul did not riot. The Jews that opposed him did, but neither of them did. They preached the truth.

Whatever the outcome of the election, it is time to act as Christians, pray for our current and next leaders. Do whatever we can to stop the chaos plaguing our country and show both sides there is a better way. King Jesus can solve our problems if we let him. It’s not called distribution of wealth; it’s called helping the poor. That comes from a generous heart, not from a government tax or community fund. It’s time Christians begin to act like Christ and show the world there is a better way – the way of love. Show the world King Jesus is still and always will be in charge.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible-based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

Scriptures marked GNT are taken from the Good News Translation®: Scriptures taken from the Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) Copyright © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.

Fake News, August 31, 2020

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

Well, it feels like we’re snowed in one more day in Central Texas. The coronavirus seems to make it feel like that, anyway. People are staying indoors a lot more than they used to. But folks are learning to get around a little better with social distancing. Schools opened in many areas with varying degrees of success – some with masks, some without, some online, and some hybrid in-person and online. These are strange times, indeed.

At least in San Antonio, our hospital census continues to drop from COVID-19 cases. The danger stays with us, and we can expect another spike with school starting, but we hope trends continue with kids less susceptible to the disease. Then with good hygiene practices, we hope families can keep it from spreading from the schools to their homes. We will soon see.

Of course, fall and winter are almost here, with the expectation of a second wave of the virus. Scientists talk about a vaccine, but getting one in 12 to 18 months when they usually take 11 to 14 years to pass FDA standards makes one a little leery of what might come out of the laboratories. How effective will they be, and what side effects will they have that are unknown after just a few months of testing?

The pandemic in this country seems like the good news right now. The thing that fills the headlines everyday concerns the politics of the riots and upcoming elections. What’s suddenly different about the post office that delivery might be delayed by weeks? Why do they need to $25 billion when they asked for $2.5 billion, and their profits and cash flow have been positive for the last five years? But since the newscasts tell us they can’t deliver the mail, it must be true, despite their balance sheet figures and their ability to fill my box with enough junk mail to fill my 70-gallon recycle bin every week.

I mentioned last week, we need to stop listening to the news and social media and do our homework. This is one of those areas. Find the numbers and the statistics about the Postal Service testimonies that go to the Government Accounting Office, not the questions that make it to C-SPAN, and you’ll see an interesting picture. It’s also interesting to read the Congressional Budget. That’s the legislative branch that spends our money. Talk about fascinating reading! It is unbelievable where taxes go every year.

Enough about that. Time to turn toward the words that hit me from the lectionary this week. Paul wrote to Christians in Rome to talk about how they should act living in that pagan city. The church felt heavy persecution. The Roman government wanted to destroy mystic religions, defined as those worshipers did not bow to idols crafted for their gods. Any invisible god was no god to them. Christians and Jews were particularly singled out as atheists because they believed in a single god. How could one God control the world? It required pleasing a pantheon of gods to make sure things progressed correctly.

Paul had this to say in Romans chapter 12:

⁹Love must be real. Hate what is evil, stick fast to what is good. ¹⁰Be truly affectionate in showing love for one another; compete with each other in giving mutual respect. ¹¹Don’t get tired of working hard. Be on fire with the spirit. Work as slaves for the Lord. ¹²Celebrate your hope; be patient in suffering; give constant energy to prayer; ¹³contribute to the needs of God’s people; make sure you are hospitable to strangers.

¹⁴Bless those who persecute you; bless them, don’t curse them. ¹⁵Celebrate with those who are celebrating, mourn with the mourners. ¹⁶Come to the same mind with one another. Don’t give yourselves airs, but associate with the humble. Don’t get too clever for yourselves.

¹⁷Never repay anyone evil for evil; think through what will seem good to everyone who is watching. ¹⁸If it’s possible, as far as you can, live at peace with all people. ¹⁹Don’t take revenge, my dear people, but allow God’s anger room to work. The Bible says, after all, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord.’ ²⁰No: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. If you do this, you will pile up burning coals on his head.’ ²¹Don’t let evil conquer you. Rather, conquer evil with good. (Romans 12:9-21 NTE)

The emperor didn’t know what to do with that. How do you persecute people who are feeding the poor, the widows, and orphans? How do you get the populace to turn against individuals who refuse to fight back when attacked? How do you get a Roman soldier to think it okay to run a spear through a mother who gives him a blessing as he does so?

Love wins. Unfortunately, what we see in social media and on the streets of our cities today is not love. We see a lot of hate. The riots, violence, destruction, disregard for human life in our major cities, says we don’t care about each other. And too often I see some of those actions coming from people who call themselves Christians. I am not God, but I expect many of those will be among that crowd. Jesus turns away and says, “I never knew you.”

And they will say, “But didn’t we bomb abortion clinics in your name? Didn’t we face the mob in your name? Didn’t we defend our rights in your name? Didn’t we stand up for our laws in your name? Didn’t we march in the streets for your name? Didn’t we scream at midnight as the voice for the voiceless in your name? Didn’t we try to right injustice in your name? Didn’t we try to rid the world of socialism in your name? Didn’t we try to swing the vote right or left in your name? Didn’t we…?”

And he will retort, “Sorry, I never knew you. You might have used my name, but my name means grace, mercy, love, forgiveness, just as I showed you. You never showed those characteristics in your zeal for what was right in your own eyes. Now I stand in judgment. I never knew you. Turn aside.”

It doesn’t matter which side of the issue you support. Going about solving it in unchristian ways still results in unchristian behavior and brings consequences. Paul tells us to love. Replace evil with good. In fact, he says to go further than that. He says if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. Let God be your avenger. He will do a much better job in the end, anyway. His justice is perfect. Ours is not.

So, here is your homework. It might be really boring, but it is really important. You will hear about some crisis happening in the government today or tomorrow that is about to make some department collapse. Don’t listen to any news reporter or pundit talk about it. Instead, go to the official reports of that department, the one they must give to Congress and the Budget Office. Not their talking notes, but their report that goes into the record. Take the time to read it. See what about their numbers say. You’ll probably find that both sides take pieces out of the report to fit their agenda. They will use one chart or one graph to make their point, whether representative of the whole report or not.

Fake news? Yep. Both sides of the fence. That’s why this year, more than any before, we have to do our homework for every candidate. Know who they are and what they stand for. Find the one who demonstrates love for their enemies, who returns good for evil. That’s the person you want. But don’t trust the media’s take on who that person is. Find out for yourself. Do your homework. And while you’re at it, pour a little good on your neighborhood.

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Should we vote at all? (Mark 2:14) July 10, 2016

Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Colossians 1-2

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 2:14
Jesus (calling out to him): Follow Me.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We heard these words in Matthew, and most of the time, I won’t repeat the same words we’ve talked about in another gospel, but every once in a while I will. This is one of those times because I think these words are so important to us, especially at this particular time in our history.

As I write these words, the past week has been filled with suicide bombings, mass shootings, parents killing their kids, both accidentally and intentionally, one of the largest drug busts recorded happened, the Britains voted themselves out of the European Union, but protests and riots might force Parliament to reverse the decision of the people. The world has gone absolutely crazy.

In the middle of all this turmoil, we stand in the middle of one of the ugliest, vilest, most juvinile presidential campaigns I’ve witnessed in my 62 years of life. The two candidates we are asked to follow both act like junior high schoolers with their smear campaigns and neither can came clean about themselves or their opponent. Both will cheat, lie, steal, twist the facts, degrade their opponent, do anything necessary to win the position of power as president. And both ask us to follow them into the future of our country.

I’m sorry, but neither have shown character worthy to be followed. No, this is not a political post, so don’t turn off the podcast yet. It’s to make a point. As Christians, we should be following the life of One person – Jesus. He is the One will the character to emulate. He is the One with the right agenda. He is the One with the platform that makes sense. He is the One that can lift our nation out of the terrible predicament in which we find ourselves. No one else can.

The question is will we follow Him? The answer is, some individuals will. Unfortunately, the nation will not. I was reminded, as I celebrated our 240th birthday as a nation, why those first shipload of passengers braved the treacherous journey across the ocean to settle this land 450 years ago and why we fought that war 200 years later to gain our independence from England. Those brave men and women wanted freedom to worship in the way they saw fit. They didn’t want to be bound by the King’s religious practices, so they fled persecution and came to this country. Two-hundred years later, our forefathers fought to maintain that freedom and start an experiment in democracy, a representative government in which the people determined their own fate by electing statesmen who would represent their opinions in the affairs of the nation.

Many no longer feel free given the burdensome regulations we face, the heavy taxation many carry, the stranglehold the government has on our people today in almost every area of life. Healthcare, education, transportation, housing, food, hiring and firing practices in business, monetary systems and banking, the government looks over our shoulder into almost everything. Not long ago, one mayor demanded to see every preacher’s sermon before delivery to see if it presented any negative connotations about homosexuals. If so, the sermon would be banned. Fortunately, the first amendment stopped the practice before it started, but for how long?

You see, we, the people, are electing individuals across our land who do not follow Jesus. Many say they do, because it’s still the right thing to say to draw votes and get elected in the United States. But I predict it won’t be long with the direction we’re headed that naming yourself as a Christian will no longer help a candidate, but will the death-nail in a candidate’s election coffin.

So how should we view elections? Who should we vote for in these important races? What should we do as Christians as the din of the rhetoric rises around us?

I’m not sure the answer is easy, but it is simple. We need to get on our knees and pray. Ask God for His guidance. Be good citizens and explore the character of the candidates long before going to the poll. Don’t listen to the media. Depending on whether you listen to CNN or Fox, you get a different slant that bends toward the candidate their executives want in office. News networks sell advertisements and entertainment. They are businesses, just like the grocery store down the street. If they can’t sell advertisements, they go out of business. If they can’t lure listeners with the best entertainment, juicy gossip, or twist of the news to what you want to hear, the way you want to hear it, you’ll turn to another station. So research candidates on your own. Search every source you can find to figure out what kind of character they have.

Pray a lot and vote for the person who follows Jesus. But most importantly, you follow Jesus. He tells us to. And when we follow Him, we can’t go wrong. This world is coming to an end. His book tells us it’s coming. Whoever sits in the office next, God allows it to happen. When he or she is God-fearing or God-serving or not, doesn’t matter. It’s still God who allows that person to serve for His purposes. Perhaps our next president will be part of the events that usher in the end of the world. It’s pretty exciting to think we’re voting for that person, isn’t it? So who do you think that might be?

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
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