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Christians, 'Values Voters' Reassured That Their Vote Is Critical


(AgapePress) - Do the vote and voice of one Christian really make a difference? Spokesmen for three pro-family groups believe strongly that they do -- and one offers concrete examples of the positive change that can occur when thousands of those "single voices" band together to stand for what they believe in.

Dr. Kenyn Cureton serves as the vice president of church outreach for the Washington, DC-based Family Research Council. The family advocate believes it is time for those who are the Church to accept the challenge of the culture war in America and face up to their responsibility as believers. He advises, however, to do things in the proper sequence.

"We need to pray. We need to seek the face of God for our churches, for the government," says Cureton. "And I believe the people of God, like never before, need to get on their knees." And there is more to do after that, he says.

"After we're on our knees in prayer, we need to get up on our feet and take a stand," says Cureton. "We need to take a stand for the value of human life. We need to take a stand for the value of traditional marriage. And we need to take a stand for our religious freedom."

The FRC spokesman feels the upcoming election will be crucial to the direction America takes over the next decade. And for that reason, says another Washington, DC-based activist, individuals need to pay close attention to the value of their single vote. Mike Mears, director of state legislative relations for Concerned Women for America, says those who find themselves wondering if their one vote makes a difference need to change their perspective.

"Your one vote [by itself] may not matter," he says, "but other likeminded votes together matter a whole heck of a lot."

Mears says history has shown that every vote counts. "In 2004, there were a couple of races, one in South Dakota -- with John Thune barely beating Majority Leader Tom Daschle -- where it was less than 400 votes between them," he recalls. "So don't tell me that your vote doesn't matter."

And every vote cast in the upcoming midterm elections is crucial, he says. "The Senate races seem to be very, very close -- and, again, that's where one vote very well may matter," he urges. "We need every available values voter out there voting."

According to Mears, when all of the "individual" votes are cast, the agenda of the nation will be finalized. There is more to this election, he says, than just the candidates.

Band Together and They Will Listen
Tim Wildmon is one pro-family leader who can attest to the difference that Christians' votes and voices can make when it comes to social and moral issues. As president of the American Family Association, he has witnessed the enormous influence that thousands of unified voices can have on corporate conglomerates.

In a recent interview with Associated Press, Wildmon shared that, in his opinion, evangelical Christians can have enormous influence -- whether it be on political or moral matters.

"Christian conservatives are among the most committed in terms of their voting and in terms of their attention to the moral issues that they care about," says the AFA president, "and they will stop shopping with companies they feel like are violating their religious or moral sensibilities." And when hundreds of thousands of people join together, "then you can pack a punch," he says.

Wildmon knows of what he speaks. He believes that an AFA-initiated boycott by nearly 600,000 Christians has contributed to Ford Motor Company's financial crisis, and that an e-mail campaign in which 750,000 Christians responded helped convince NBC to cut Madonna's mock crucifixion scene from her upcoming TV special. He explains that the boycott against Ford centers around a moral issue.

"If Ford continues to support the gay causes, then we will continue to boycott and they'll continue to lose money -- it's as simple as that," he states, adding that the automaker is eventually going to have to make a decision. "We're not asking Ford to buy ads in Christianity Today or in the American Family Association Journal or to support Christian conservative causes," he says. "We're just asking them to be neutral in the culture war."

And in the case of the Madonna broadcast on Thanksgiving Eve, Wildmon says NBC has responded to Christian pressure. "They did remove the scene inside that concert special where she mocks the crucifixion of Jesus Christ," he says, "but ... only after we asked our supporters to send e-mails and also contact their local NBC affiliate."

In a similar fashion, the pro-family leader believes "values voters" will play a critical role in the outcome of the November 7 elections, in which traditional marriage (eight states) and an abortion ban (South Dakota) appear on voter ballots. Wildmon feels that despite recent media accounts of the conservative voting bloc being "discouraged," such issues will bring out the values voters.

"I kind of doubt that Christian conservative voters will sit out the election," he tells AP. "They may drop off some percentage, but I don't think [to] a large percentage because there's too much at stake in each election now in terms of the direction the country will take."

AMEN AND AMEN!

Christians can and do have an impact on the moral norms of our society. AFA and Christian groups like it have proven this over and over again over the years.

Our Christian organizations that many laugh at have brought major corporations to their knees, and that involves nearly every facet of our society - from television to the oval office.

WIN OR LOSE - the important thing in the article remains completely true:  1) Become informed;  2) Pray;  3) Take a stand. In the case of an election, that definitely includes voting. Remaining silent is many times calling evil good or calling good evil. Win or lose, we should never let the devil have his way unopposed. One of the main reasons is that we should never be ashamed of the things of the LORD. It doesn't matter if we're outnumbered 100 to 1, we should still stand up for right and stand against wrong. I give thanks for the (AFA) American Family Association, Agape Press, and many other Christian organizations that are keeping us informed and reminding us about when and how we can take a stand for the things of the LORD.

If you would like to stay completely informed on Christian News, I highly recommend the Christian News Page on Christians Unite. It's EXCELLENT! Click below and mark it as one of your favorites in your browser:

http://news.christiansunite.com/

Love In Christ,
Tom

Isaiah 5:16 NASB  But the LORD of hosts will be exalted in judgment, And the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.

Isaiah 5:17 NASB  Then the lambs will graze as in their pasture, And strangers will eat in the waste places of the wealthy.

Isaiah 5:18 NASB  Woe to those who drag iniquity with the cords of falsehood, And sin as if with cart ropes;

Isaiah 5:19 NASB  Who say, "Let Him make speed, let Him hasten His work, that we may see it; And let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel draw near And come to pass, that we may know it!"

Isaiah 5:20 NASB  Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Isaiah 5:21 NASB  Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes And clever in their own sight!

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Isaiah 5:23 NASB  Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!

Isaiah 5:24 NASB  Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble And dry grass collapses into the flame, So their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust; For they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 5:25 NASB  On this account the anger of the LORD has burned against His people, And He has stretched out His hand against them and struck them down. And the mountains quaked, and their corpses lay like refuse in the middle of the streets. For all this His anger is not spent, But His hand is still stretched out.

Isaiah 5:26 NASB  He will also lift up a standard to the distant nation, And will whistle for it from the ends of the earth; And behold, it will come with speed swiftly.

Isaiah 5:27 NASB  No one in it is weary or stumbles, None slumbers or sleeps; Nor is the belt at its waist undone, Nor its sandal strap broken.

Isaiah 5:28 NASB  Its arrows are sharp and all its bows are bent; The hoofs of its horses seem like flint and its chariot wheels like a whirlwind.

Isaiah 5:29 NASB  Its roaring is like a lioness, and it roars like young lions; It growls as it seizes the prey And carries it off with no one to deliver it.

Isaiah 5:30 NASB  And it will growl over it in that day like the roaring of the sea. If one looks to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress; Even the light is darkened by its clouds.