Let Your Voice Be Heard in Prayer and at the Polls
First Timothy 2:1–3 (NIV) says, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” As the presidential election draws near in the United States, it is vitally important for Christians to pray and seek the face of God for the direction of our country. Take time each day to pray for our nation and its leaders. But it’s also important to vote on November 4. So let your voice be heard in prayer and at the polls!                                    

 

Know the Facts before you Vote Go to these Web sites and learn more about the issues and candidates of the 2008 Election:

www.wallbuilders.com www.votesmart.com Voters Guide (pdf) Resources for Pastors & Churches This Letter from the IRS lists activities that are and are not permissible for 501(c)(3) incorporated churches. Liberty Counsel provides this very useful chart and article regarding what pastors and churches can do politically. They also provide links to non-partisan voters guides and an article on how churches and non-profit organizations can distribute voters guides. Religious leaders often overly restrict their speech and actions because they simply don't know what they legally can and cannot say or do. Print out the Alliance Defense Fund's Pastor Guideline Letter to educate Christian leaders on their broad U.S. constitutional right to speak out. Consider adding a personal note of encouragement to your pastor or priest to not keep silent on the divisive issues facing our culture. Liberty Legal Institute has provided this guidance; and the ACLJ has posted this information for 501(c)(3) incorporated churches. This bill previously introduced in the U.S. Congress would restore the free speech rights of 501(c)(3) incorporated churches.                                         Steps for Viewing Candidates Scorecards David Barton - 2008 Steps for Viewing Candidates Scorecards: 1. Go to Project Vote Smart. 2. At the top right of the front page, click on “Presidential Candidates”. (Or type in the name of any other federal candidate about whom you are seeking information.) 3. Click on the photo of a presidential candidate. 4. When the page comes up for that candidate, click on “Interest Group Ratings,” (located under the candidate’s photo on the right). 5. Dozens of scorecards on the candidates will appear, listed alphabetically by categories. To see where the candidate stands on abortion, go to the “Abortion” section at the top; scroll down to “Civil Liberties and Civil Rights” to see the ratings of groups like the ACLU and AU and other secular groups that oppose public religious expressions and the ratings of pro-homosexual groups such as the Human Rights Campaign and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; scroll down to “Conservative” to see the ratings of many pro-family Christian groups, such as Christian Coalition, Concerned Women for America, Christian Action Network, scroll down to “Family and Children Issues” to find the ratings of Christian groups such as the Family Research Council; etc. 6. Realize that secular and religious, liberal and conservative groups are all mixed in each category; make sure that you know the philosophy of each group to understand whether its rating is good or bad for a Biblical viewpoint. (For example, National Right to Life is against abortion whereas Planned Parenthood, Pro-Choice America, and NARAL and for abortion. And pro-family groups that embrace Biblical values will include Family Research Council and Eagle Forum while Pro-homosexual marriage groups will include Human Rights Campaign and Gay-Lesbian-Straight Education Network (GLSEN). Therefore, from the "bad" groups, you want to see a low score on the candidate, while from the "good" groups, you want to see a high score. *For additional voting resources, visit our Voter Resource page for voting guides, instructions on registering to vote and much more.