Vote Biblical values.

 I believe that all Christians should vote on Nov. 2 for candidates who uphold Biblical values.  Most of the candidates claim to be Christians, but many promote values that are contrary to God’s Holy Word.

            There are at least 6 Biblical values that I believe voters should be looking for in the policy statements of candidates for office:

  1. Supporting Israel.  In Genesis 12:3 God says He will bless those who bless the descendents of Abraham, i.e., the Jews, and God will curse those who curse the Jews.
  2. Being pro-life, which means being against abortion, destruction of embryonic stem cells, and euthanasia.   The 6th of the 10 Commandments is “do not murder”.  In Prov. 6:16-17 God says he “hates…hands that shed innocent blood.”
  3. Being pro-family, which means believing that marriage should only be between a man and a woman.  That is how God created the world and people to be.  See Genesis 1:27-28, 2:24.  Jesus repeats these sacred principles in Matthew 19 and Mark 10.  St. Paul talks about this in Romans 1:26-27.  See also Lev. 18:22, 20:13.
  4. Upholding freedom.  God and Jesus deliver people and give them freedom.  See Lev. 25:10 and Galatians 5:1.  I believe this means freedom from government control over every aspect of your life.  Government should be as small and limited as possible.  People should be free to practice their religion in all parts of society—free from government restrictions and controls.  I believe government should give local schools more freedom to educate students the way the local professionals think best.  Citizens should be free to think, speak, and express their ideas.  Citizens should be allowed to own guns.  Politicians and all citizens should be willing to defend America and our freedoms no matter what the cost and no matter what weapons it may be necessary to use.
  5. Helping the poor in ways that will help them to become self-sufficient and independent of government help, if at all possible.  This is the way to truly love God and love your neighbor as yourself.  See Mark 12:30-31.
  6. Being concerned to protect the environment and the earth as much as possible.  See Genesis 1 and 2, Psalm 24:1.

“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.  But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.” (Prov. 29:2 NKJV).  Therefore vote values Nov. 2.

                                                                                          Rev. Jim Peterson

                                                                                                            Granville & Whitehall

Please take a look at http://manhattandeclaration.org/

Manhattan Declaration

The website includes a 7 page formal declaration of values. I signed the

petition that says, in summary:

We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at

this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common

good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers

alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are:

1. the sanctity of human life

2. the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife

3. the rights of conscience and religious liberty.

Please consider doing the same and signing the http://manhattandeclaration.org/

4/30/2009

So-called “Same Sex Marriage”

Condensation of sermon preached by Pastor Peterson on April 26, 2009

There is no such thing as “same sex marriage” as far as God is concerned.  God created the institution of marriage (Genesis 2:18, 21-24).  The basis of marriage is 2 becoming 1—in body, mind, emotions, and spirit.  Jesus reaffirms this principle in Matthew 19:4-6.  St. Paul reaffirms it in Ephesians 5:31.  God created the institution of marriage to be a blessing to males and females so that in union they will complement each other with their differences, making a whole, complete unit.  God also created marriage between a man and a woman so that they could produce children (Genesis 1:27-28) and raise them together to become godly adults, following the teachings and role-models of their parents.  Marriage has always been a religious institution, up until the last century or two when the civil government decided to regulate it.

The government should not legitimize behavior and actions which God says are “detestable” and an “abomination” (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13 and note the context of these verses), behavior that God punished by destroying Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:4-29), an event that is referred to many times throughout the Bible. When homosexual actions are encouraged in a society, history and the Bible show us a downward spiral of degeneration (Romans 1:24-28, 32).

God also makes it clear in the Bible that individuals and government officials must obey God and fear His wrath for disobedience (1 Samuel 12:14-15, 24-25).  God will only bless people and nations who honor God and His Word.  Jesus reaffirms all the teachings of the Old Testament (Matthew 5:17-20).

The basic question for our society is whether we want to fear and obey God and receive His blessings, or disobey God and suffer His wrath.

Rev. Jim Peterson