A Call To Action

1. A Call To Action Calling Christians to the Voting Booth November 2014

2. Three Institutions Established by God By definition, “Institution” implies a purpose and the need for authority. Anytime there is more than one person involved, there has to be an authority structure.

3. Three Institutions Established by God The Family The Church Civil Government God is the authority over each of these Institutions and His Word provides instruction for their proper operation.

4. Three Institutions Established by God The Family (Genesis 18:19 KJV) For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

5. Three Institutions Established by God The Church (Matthew 16:18 KJV) And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Titus 1:5 (KJV) For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:

6. Three Institutions Established by God Civil Government (Romans 13:3-4 KJV) For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. We have been instructed from God’s Word regarding family and church, but most have received very little instruction regarding God’s will for civil government. As a result, our government has become increasingly godless.

7. At the time of the Founders, it was a common practice for ministers to preach "Election Sermons," and it was very common for a clergyman to be invited to give a sermon before the newly-elected government officials. This 1790 election sermon by Rev. Daniel Foster was given before the Massachusetts Governor (John Hancock), Lieutenant-Governor (Samuel Adams), and both houses of Legislature. Rev. Foster admonished these elected officials using Proverbs 8:16 (By Me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth), and encouraged them to govern according to God's ways. The Election Sermonan early tradition There was no “separation of church and state” as we hear of it today. Christians and Christianity were integrated into the fabric of the nation.

8. The Influence of the Church on the Founding of our Nation Though many founders were godly devoted Christians, they were not the main reason America was founded upon Christian Principles. It was the influence of the Church upon our founders, some of whom probably were not true Christians, who were used to accomplish God’s purposes in America. The church was prepared and empowered for this influence through the revival known as The Great Awakening.

9. The Great Awakening1730-1755 Some estimate that, between 1740 and 1742, 50,000 people were added to the churches in New England. The movement continued into the middle and southern colonies into the 1760’s, shortly before the Revolutionary War. John Wesley Jonathan Edwards George Whitfield

10. The Great Awakening1740 Joseph Tracy, the minister and historian who coined the term in his 1842 book “The Great Awakening”, saw it as a precursor to the American Revolution and as playing a key role in the development of political thought in the period. The Great Awakening shaped the moral and religious character of those who would write the Declaration, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. It is time once again for the people of God to take a key role in the development of political thought in our nation. It may be that doing so, will provide the spark for the next great awakening!

11. Developing Political ThoughtFrom the Bible

12. National Righteousness vs National Sin Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people. -Proverbs 14:34 The Holy Bible

13. The Purpose of Civil Government Defined in the Bible (Romans 13:3-4 KJV) For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. The Purpose of Civil Government is: To encourage those who do good. To punish those who do evil.

14. The Purpose of Civil Government Defined in Declaration of Independence …all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men … The Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence To encourage those who do good. To punish those who do evil. Bible: To secure citizens’ God-given rights. Declaration:

15. The Source of Good Government “The Declaration of Independence [was]... founded upon one and the same theory of government... expounded in the writings of Locke.” John Quincy Adams

16. The Source of Good Government “Declaration itself was copied from Locke’s Treatise on Government.” So…. Who was “Locke?” Richard Henry Lee Signer of the Declaration

17. The Source of Good Government In Locke’s book, of only 400 pages, there are over 1500 Bible references to show the proper operation of civil government. This was the text book of the framers of the constitution. Therefore, the Bible is the source of our founders ideas for government! John Locke 1632-1704 English Philosopher, Physician, and Author

18. The Source of Good Government Example: Separation of Powers (the three branches of our government) For the LORD is our Judge, The LORD is our Lawgiver, The LORD is our King… (Isaiah 33:22) Judge: Judicial Branch Lawgiver: Congressional Branch King: Executive Branch The Holy Bible

19. The Source of Good Government Example: Our President Must Be A Natural Born Citizen "you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.” (Deuteronomy 17:15) The Holy Bible

20. The Source of Good Government Example: Witnesses on Capital Punishment “Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness.” (Deuteronomy 17:6) The Holy Bible

21. The Source of Good Government Example: Tax Exemption for Churches …it shall not be lawful to impose tax, tribute, or custom on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Nethinim, or servants of this house of God. (Ezra 7:24) The Holy Bible

22. The Source of Good Government “The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were ....the general principles of Christianity... Now I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.” John Adams

23. The Purpose of Civil Government To encourage those who do good To punish those who do evil. To secure citizens’ God-given rights. What we are seeing now is government that… …encourages those who do evil …punishes those who do good. …restrict citizens’ rights and replaces God as the source of rights. Such rulers do not qualify as “the ministers of God” spoken of in Romans 13:3-4, and no longer should be viewed as such. In a free country, we have the means and the duty to change rulers if they don’t qualify as God’s ministers.

24. Praying For The Next Revival (1 Timothy 2:1-2 KJV) I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. The Holy Bible It has been said that, according to 1 Tim 2, we should first pray for our government officials. But this is not what the text actually says. We should FIRST pray for ALL MEN. This is praying for a national revival. This is why the Constitution starts with “We the People” and why the Declaration says government gets its “powers from the consent of the governed.” This is why “we the people” must pray, act and vote in a unified grass roots fashion. Only by looking to God and His word will we be able to do this.

25. For Whom Should We Vote? Responsible Voting [I]t is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue. John Adams

26. For Christians, this is really quite simple. • We must vote. To vote, we must register and go to the polls. • We must vote responsibly. To be responsible, we must do two things. • Know the biblical position on the issues. • Know where the candidates stand on these issues. • This has been made easy with Voter Guides that are available from different sources. Vote and Vote Responsibly Think not that your interests will be safe in the hands of the weak and ignorant; or faithfully managed by the impious, the dissolute and the immoral. -Matthias Burnett

27. For Whom Should We Vote? We must elect leaders who best represent our values, even if the candidate seems to be the lesser of two evils. Failure to vote for the better of two, because neither represents the ideal, is a vote for the worse of the two. Besides, no one is perfect and regardless of who we vote for, there is some evil in them. This is due to the nature of our government, which is essentially a two-party system. Certainly, neither party can lay claim to be “the righteousness party.” But it is critical that the party which best represents our values has a majority in the congress and occupies the Oval Office. Otherwise, no progress will be made toward national righteousness. Responsible Voting Don’t Let Idealism Steal Your Vote.

28. 1992-2000 saw a 40% decrease in Christian voters. The Christian Vote 1992-2000 Out of 60 million evangelicals in America, only 15 million voted in 2000. 24 million were not even registered to vote!

29. 2002 The Power of the Christian Vote A national effort among Christians saw the Christian vote increase in 2002 by 2%. Does 2% make a difference?

30. Since Roe v. Wade (1973) Congress had not passed one bill that reduced the scope of abortions or the type of abortions, but only restricted some funding. The 2002 congress became the first to pass not just one but three bills that protected unborn life; all three were signed by President Bush The Power of the Christian Vote: 2002 1. Infant Born-Alive Protection Act 2. Unborn Victims of Violence Act 3. Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Yes, 2% makes a difference!

31. 2004 saw 27.1 million of 60 million evangelicals turn out to vote. This is progress but is still less than half of evangelicals. If 2% had such a result, imagine the power of 10% or even more! The Christian Vote 2004 What will happen in 2014? It depends upon us!

32. A SimplePlan of Action 1 Register To Vote. 2 Learn the issues and where the candidates stand. 3 Vote your values on or before November 4, 2014. (vote early at your county court house or administration building)

33. A Final Thought The Church must take right ground in politics. [T]he time has come that Christians must vote for honest men and take consistent ground in politics… Christians have been exceedingly guilty in this matter. But the time has come when they must act differently… Charles Finney

34. Feel free to use this presentation in any way you like. Use all of it, part of it, edit it. I just want to help restore righteousness to our nation. This presentation compiled by Brad Sherman Purpose Ministries P. O. Box 5004 Coralville, Iowa 52241 www.getpurpose.org Quotes and data taken from research done by David Barton WallBuildersP.O. Box 397426 Circle DriveAledo, TX 76008-0397 www.wallbuilders.com

35. AddendumThe following slides are for pastors and Christian group leaders considering thePledge.You don’t need to be a “pastor” to sign the pledge. If you lead a group and can carry out the three steps in the pledge you qualify. We only ask that you sign the sign up at:bradshermanmobile.com

36. The Pastor’s Pledge • Teach your church or group about Civic Responsibility in September or early in October before the November elections. • Help your members to register and vote. • Find a suitable voter guide to educate your group on where the candidates stand regarding Christian values and issues.

37. Sign The Pastor’s Pledgeat:  - the people who know their God will display strength and take action (Dan 11:32 NASB)

38. The Pledge By signing on at BradShermanMobile.com, your name will be automatically added to the GOPFAITH.com mailing list and you will be updated on important information.

39. Visit GOPFAITH.com for helpful Tips and Tools

40. Two Reasons to Sign Up even if you are doing this on your own or with another organization. • In off-year elections it is easy to forget. Many people have made similar pledges, but need to refresh it in their minds. • We need to make an impact on the GOP leaders. Christians are significant and we need to get their attention.

41. Standing Up Makes a Difference Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, which could keep rank: they were not of double heart. (1 Chronicles 12:33 KJV)