Last week I had a meaningful lunch with Stuart Ray, a successful businessman running for Kentucky’s 3^rd Congressional District this November. Although in recent years, our congressional district has not elected candidates who share conservative, spiritual values, I am hopeful the next election will be different. I am a passionate pro-life voter, and Stuart Ray shared with me that, as a believer, he shares that same conviction. Stuart also supports Christian and charter schools because he is convinced that competition is good for both public and private systems. Unfortunately, his opponent in the upcoming election holds opposite beliefs on those issues.

Some “progressives” suggest Christian leaders should never take a position or get involved in anything political. However, the government has not hesitated to encroach on Biblical values such as the sanctity of life, the sacredness of marriage and family, the training and protection of children, integrity and civility in relationships, respect for people in authority, the pursuit of justice, mercy for the oppressed, restraint of immoral desires, the value of each individual, property rights, and freedom. These are all values rooted in the Bible.

I believe God has blessed America because of the Christian principles that gave us our foundations and provided moral consensus. For example, the Declaration of Independence begins, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, all men are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, and among them the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Jedidiah Morse, one of our founding fathers, warned, “Whenever the pillars of Christianity shall be overthrown, our present republican forms of government and all blessings which flow from them, must fall with them.”

Consider Russia’s aggressive action against Ukraine as an example of what happens to a nation when the pillars of Christianity are overthrown. The Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky famously warned, “If there is no God, anything goes.” When a nation’s leaders believe there is no God and therefore no validity to the Bible, then there is no restraint to their power and ambition. Truth becomes subjective and whatever advances the agenda for those in power. For Vladimir Putin, anything goes.

Daniel, in the Old Testament, is a great example of a Godly person who made a positive difference in a pagan culture. When Daniel was a young man, Israel had turned its back on God. Consequently, the Lord withdrew His protection, and most of the Jews were taken captive in Babylon for 70 years.  At the time, the prophet Jeremiah advised the Hebrews, “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:7).  The Jews were not to isolate themselves from the Babylonian culture. Neither were they to be agitators, making life miserable for the nation’s leaders. Instead, they were to be engaged in the public arena so they would be a blessing and help the country prosper. Jeremiah promised that as a result, they themselves would be blessed.

Daniel was one of those taken captive in Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar soon took notice of Daniel’s giftedness and appointed him to a position of increasing influence. Before long, Daniel was advising a foreign king. Several Babylonian cabinet members became jealous & devised a scheme to silence Daniel. They decreed that anyone who prayed to a god other than the king would be executed. Daniel stood firm in his Hebrew convictions and boldly prayed at his window as he had always done before. He was arrested and thrown to the lions. However, God delivered him from the lion’s den, and he became even more popular and influential.

One author labeled Daniel a “Prophet of God – Companion of Kings” because he was a close confidant to five kings for over a half century. None of the kings were Jewish, and none worshipped Daniel’s God. Yet Daniel’s political influence was enormous and continued long after he died.

In more recent times, some of the most significant contributions to politics have been from Christians. William Wilberforce devoted his whole life to the abolition of slavery. Billy Graham visited regularly and prayed for presidents. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was deeply involved in promoting civil rights. I have appreciated Vice President Mike Pence and Presidential candidates Dr. Ben Carson and Mike Huckabee. They have sought to make a difference in the political arena yet make no apologies about being devoted followers of Jesus.

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot” (Matthew 5:13-16). Christ-followers are not to sit passively by and watch their nation become unraveled. We are not to be intimidated into silence. We are to penetrate the culture and make a positive difference. One way we can impact society is to support candidates who align with Biblical values.

“When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.” (Proverbs 29:2 – KJV).

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