{"id":4718,"date":"2020-09-09T16:13:56","date_gmt":"2020-09-09T21:13:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/?p=4718"},"modified":"2020-10-16T16:22:05","modified_gmt":"2020-10-16T21:22:05","slug":"voting-discernment-required","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/2020\/09\/09\/voting-discernment-required\/","title":{"rendered":"Voting: Discernment Required"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The 1968 American presidential election was the first time I was eligible to vote. I quickly learned two lessons from that year: 1) Politics makes strange bedfellows of competing and divergent groups and views; 2) Politics can be divisive and cause breaches between families, friends, the workplace, sports and, yes, the body of Christ.<\/p>\n<p>Fifty-two years later the lessons from 1968 are continually reinforced. If anything, the proliferation of news outlets and social media has added to the Machiavellian fray. In light of that, I want to share some thoughts and principles I have learned over these years as we approach our national election on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong> Our unity as Christians is in the Head of the church, Jesus the Messiah.<\/strong> The New Testament affirms the Lordship of Jesus over all creation, all powers and principalities, all generations and all people in our various organizational forms (government, ethnicity, etc.). Our unity in the IPHC is not based on any political party or candidate, but solely in Jesus Christ. Our individual differences, though strongly felt, are not greater than our unity under Jesus Christ.<\/li>\n<li><strong> As Christians in the USA (as in any other nation), we have a responsibility to be salt and light.<\/strong> Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 5:13 and 16. Our responsibility as salt and light is manifested in several ways:\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>We must educate ourselves regarding what the Bible teaches us about political concerns. For the IPHC, this means understanding a cluster of issues we believe the Bible addresses. These include the priority of life from conception to the grave; the divine design for marriage and human sexuality; rejection of ideas and actions that demean and oppress others (such as racism); care for the poor; treatment of the stranger; religious liberties; violence and abuse; honesty and fairness in economic matters. The IPHC positions for many of these are available at <a href=\"https:\/\/iphc.org\/position-papers\/\">https:\/\/iphc.org\/position-papers\/<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>We must discern the spiritual battles of right versus wrong, spirituality versus carnality, and God\u2019s righteousness versus unrighteous human power. These battles are fought daily in our fallen world. This discernment must be done \u201cby the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left\u201d (2 Corinthians 6:7). We know that \u201cthe weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds\u201d (see 2 Corinthians 10:4).<\/li>\n<li>We must recognize that the IPHC is diverse within the United States, and even more so globally. Individually, we will decide for whom to vote based on numerous reasons. While the voting booth is private, we must respect those who publicly state choices different from ours.<\/li>\n<li>We must discern the difference between fundamental agreement on core issues and differing views related to specific policies. This requires listening to one another before we speak or write. We may discover we have more in common than when we first thought.<\/li>\n<li>We must register to vote, and actually vote. You can go to this website to determine what you should do in your state concerning registration requirements, mail-in ballots, absentee ballots and in person voting: <a href=\"https:\/\/howto.vote\/\">https:\/\/howto.vote\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li>We must study and discern the platforms of the political parties. The Democratic Party platform is at <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2020DemPlatform\">http:\/\/bit.ly\/2020DemPlatform<\/a>. The Republican Party platform is at <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2020RepubPlatform\">http:\/\/bit.ly\/2020RepubPlatform<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>We must carefully discern the positions of political candidates on the national, Congressional, state and local levels. In an era of information and misinformation overload, it is imperative that we confirm the accuracy of social media reports.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>I am asking each IPHC congregation in the United States to promote voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts. <\/strong>As citizens of the Kingdom of God, we have an obligation to our nation and communities to be gracefully and wisely engaged.<\/li>\n<li><strong> Most importantly, we must pray. <\/strong>Prayer brings us before the Lord of all creation. In His presence, and among His children, in His Word, we discern His lordship and love for His creation. In our prayers we pray for peace, honesty and clarity in the elections and post-elections period.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>In the 1992 U.S. presidential election I learned something important about prayer. I pastored the Franklin Springs Pentecostal Holiness Church, and there were strong opinions in the congregation about the candidates and the election. As we approached the November elections, three viable presidential candidates emerged: George H.W. Bush, William J. Clinton and H. Ross Perot. I asked three mature members of the congregation to lead in a prayer for one of these candidates.<\/p>\n<p>One of the people I asked to pray said to me, \u201cI do not support the candidate you have asked me to pray for, and at first it was hard for me to pray for him. However, the more I prayed, the more the Lord opened my heart to pray for him, that God would guide and bless him, regardless of my personal views and choices.\u201d He had tears in his eyes as he told me that being in the presence of God changed his perspective to view things from a heavenly perspective and not simply from personal views.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, we must commit ourselves to pray for whoever is elected to offices in various levels of civil government. I hope we do that now in our church pastoral prayers and in our devotional life. We should call aloud the name of the president, the governor, the mayor and others in our communities, and we should do it each Sunday. We do this in obedience to God\u2019s Word (see 1 Timothy 2:1-3 and Romans 13:1-7).<\/p>\n<p>And let us remember \u201cthat at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father\u201d (Philippians 2:10, 11, NKJV).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"excerpt","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":4719,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4718","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bishops-blog","8":"category-general","9":"entry"},"title_es":"Votaci\u00f3n: se requiere discernimiento","content_es":"La elecci\u00f3n presidencial estadounidense de 1968 fue la primera vez que fui elegible para votar. R\u00e1pidamente aprend\u00ed dos lecciones de ese a\u00f1o: 1) La pol\u00edtica hace extra\u00f1os compa\u00f1eros de cama de grupos y puntos de vista en competencia y divergentes; 2) La pol\u00edtica puede ser divisiva y causar rupturas entre las familias, los amigos, el lugar de trabajo, los deportes y, s\u00ed, el cuerpo de Cristo. Cincuenta y dos a\u00f1os despu\u00e9s, las lecciones de 1968 se refuerzan continuamente. En todo caso, la proliferaci\u00f3n de medios de comunicaci\u00f3n y redes sociales se ha sumado a la refriega maquiav\u00e9lica. A la luz de eso, quiero compartir algunos pensamientos y principios que he aprendido durante estos a\u00f1os a medida que nos acercamos a nuestras elecciones nacionales el martes 3 de noviembre de 2020.\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li><strong>Nuestra unidad como cristianos est\u00e1 en la Cabeza de la iglesia, Jes\u00fas el Mes\u00edas.<\/strong> El Nuevo Testamento afirma el se\u00f1or\u00edo de Jes\u00fas sobre toda la creaci\u00f3n, todos los poderes y principados, todas las generaciones y todas las personas en nuestras diversas formas organizativas (gobierno, etnia, etc.). Nuestra unidad en la IPHC no se basa en ning\u00fan partido o candidato pol\u00edtico, sino \u00fanicamente en Jesucristo. Nuestras diferencias individuales, aunque sentidas con fuerza, no son mayores que nuestra unidad bajo Jesucristo.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Como cristianos en los Estados Unidos (como en cualquier otra naci\u00f3n), tenemos la responsabilidad de ser sal y luz.<\/strong> Jes\u00fas habl\u00f3 de esto en Mateo 5:13 y 16. Nuestra responsabilidad como sal y luz se manifiesta de varias maneras:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Debemos educarnos sobre lo que la Biblia nos ense\u00f1a acerca de las preocupaciones pol\u00edticas. Para la IPHC, esto significa comprender un conjunto de cuestiones que creemos que aborda la Biblia. Estos incluyen la prioridad de la vida desde la concepci\u00f3n hasta la tumba; el dise\u00f1o divino para el matrimonio y la sexualidad humana; rechazo de ideas y acciones que degradan y oprimen a otros (como el racismo); cuidar a los pobres; trato al extra\u00f1o; libertades religiosas; violencia y abuso; honestidad y equidad en materia econ\u00f3mica. Las posiciones de la IPHC para muchos de estos est\u00e1n disponibles en <a href=\"https:\/\/iphc.org\/position-papers\/\">https:\/\/iphc.org\/position-papers\/<\/a> .<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Debemos discernir las batallas espirituales entre el bien y el mal, la espiritualidad contra la carnalidad y la justicia de Dios contra el poder humano injusto. Estas batallas se libran a diario en nuestro mundo ca\u00eddo. Este discernimiento debe hacerse \u201ccon armas de justicia a diestra y siniestra\u201d (2 Corintios 6: 7). Sabemos que \u201clas armas de nuestra guerra no son carnales, sino poderosas en Dios para derribar fortalezas\u201d (ver 2 Corintios 10: 4).<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Debemos reconocer que la IPHC es diversa dentro de los Estados Unidos, y a\u00fan m\u00e1s a nivel mundial. Individualmente, decidiremos por qui\u00e9n votar en funci\u00f3n de numerosas razones. Si bien la cabina de votaci\u00f3n es privada, debemos respetar a quienes manifiestan p\u00fablicamente opciones diferentes a las nuestras.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Debemos discernir la diferencia entre un acuerdo fundamental sobre temas centrales y diferentes puntos de vista relacionados con pol\u00edticas espec\u00edficas. Esto requiere escucharnos unos a otros antes de hablar o escribir. Podemos descubrir que tenemos m\u00e1s en com\u00fan que cuando pensamos por primera vez.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Debemos registrarnos para votar y, de hecho, votar. Puede visitar este sitio web para determinar qu\u00e9 debe hacer en su estado con respecto a los requisitos de registro, las boletas de votaci\u00f3n por correo, las boletas de voto en ausencia y la votaci\u00f3n en persona: <a href=\"https:\/\/howto.vote\/\">https:\/\/howto.vote\/<\/a><\/li>\r\n \t<li>Debemos estudiar y discernir las plataformas de los partidos pol\u00edticos. La plataforma del Partido Dem\u00f3crata est\u00e1 en <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2020DemPlatform\">http:\/\/bit.ly\/2020DemPlatform<\/a> . La plataforma del Partido Republicano est\u00e1 en <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2020RepubPlatform\">http:\/\/bit.ly\/2020RepubPlatform<\/a> .<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Debemos discernir cuidadosamente las posiciones de los candidatos pol\u00edticos a nivel nacional, congresional, estatal y local. En una era de sobrecarga de informaci\u00f3n y desinformaci\u00f3n, es imperativo que confirmemos la precisi\u00f3n de los informes de las redes sociales.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Le estoy pidiendo a cada congregaci\u00f3n de la IPHC en los Estados Unidos que promueva el registro de votantes y los esfuerzos para obtener el voto.<\/strong> Como ciudadanos del Reino de Dios, tenemos la obligaci\u00f3n con nuestra naci\u00f3n y nuestras comunidades de participar con gracia y sabidur\u00eda.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>M\u00e1s importante a\u00fan, debemos orar.<\/strong> La oraci\u00f3n nos lleva ante el Se\u00f1or de toda la creaci\u00f3n. En Su presencia, y entre Sus hijos, en Su Palabra, discernimos Su se\u00f1or\u00edo y amor por Su creaci\u00f3n. En nuestras oraciones rezamos por la paz, la honestidad y la claridad en el per\u00edodo electoral y posterior a las elecciones.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nEn las elecciones presidenciales de Estados Unidos de 1992 aprend\u00ed algo importante sobre la oraci\u00f3n. Pastore\u00e9 la Iglesia de Santidad Pentecostal de Franklin Springs, y hab\u00eda fuertes opiniones en la congregaci\u00f3n sobre los candidatos y la elecci\u00f3n. A medida que nos acerc\u00e1bamos a las elecciones de noviembre, surgieron tres candidatos presidenciales viables: George HW Bush, William J. Clinton y H. Ross Perot. Le ped\u00ed a tres miembros maduros de la congregaci\u00f3n que dirigieran una oraci\u00f3n por uno de estos candidatos. Una de las personas a las que ped\u00ed orar me dijo: \u201cNo apoyo al candidato por el que me pediste que orara, y al principio me cost\u00f3 orar por \u00e9l. Sin embargo, cuanto m\u00e1s oraba, m\u00e1s el Se\u00f1or me abr\u00eda el coraz\u00f3n para orar por \u00e9l, para que Dios lo guiara y lo bendijera, independientemente de mis opiniones y elecciones personales \u201d. Ten\u00eda l\u00e1grimas en los ojos cuando me dijo que estar en la presencia de Dios cambi\u00f3 su perspectiva para ver las cosas desde una perspectiva celestial y no simplemente desde puntos de vista personales. Finalmente, debemos comprometernos a orar por quien sea elegido para ocupar cargos en varios niveles de gobierno civil. Espero que lo hagamos ahora en las oraciones pastorales de nuestra iglesia y en nuestra vida devocional. Debemos llamar en voz alta el nombre del presidente, el gobernador, el alcalde y otros en nuestras comunidades, y debemos hacerlo todos los domingos. Hacemos esto en obediencia a la Palabra de Dios (ver 1 Timoteo 2: 1-3 y Romanos 13: 1-7). Y recordemos \u201cque ante el nombre de Jes\u00fas se doble toda rodilla de los que est\u00e1n en el cielo y de la tierra y de los que est\u00e1n debajo de la tierra, y que toda lengua confiese que Jesucristo es el Se\u00f1or, para gloria de Dios. Dios el Padre \u201d(Filipenses 2:10, 11, NKJV).","author_name":"Dr. Doug Beacham","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/09\/PHOTO-Beacham.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb62Bx-1e6","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4718"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4718\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}