America is in a spiritual crisis. A nation founded on Christian principles, that prayed to God at its origins, and that has relied on that same God for nearly a quarter century, has overnight rebuked God and all but abandoned His truth.
For example, according to the latest poll by well-known pollster George Barna, only 59% of Christians said they would vote in the election on November 5. Given that church-going Christians make up 80 million of the U.S. population of 333 million, this means that only 48 million of those Christians will vote.
It's not surprising that America's moral decline has barely featured as an issue in this election: Only 23% of church-going Christians consider moral decline a “defining issue.”
These numbers are worrying.
Voting is our civic duty, a practice enshrined in our Constitution by our Founding Fathers so that all Americans can have a share in the process of building a more perfect union. How often have we heard sincere Christians at church services and backyard barbecues lament the state of the union? Yet, as the Barna poll shows, only about six in ten of these people make an effort to promote change. Worse yet, one in ten of these Christians refuses to vote at all.
These figures are discouraging, but the more one delves into the Barna polls the worse the picture becomes.
Take, for example, the surprisingly large number of Christians (42%) who support abortion on demand, or the right to abortion “under any circumstances,” as well as the surprisingly large number of Christians who profess to accept the killing of innocent babies, whatever the reason.
Even if Christian-supported abortion weren't already disturbing enough, nearly one-third (29%) of American Christians say they prefer socialism to capitalism. Indeed, rather than a system that encourages responsibility, they are embracing a secular ideology that has been responsible for tens, if not hundreds of millions, of deaths over the past century.
It is also alarming that more than half of Christians (56%) reject the absolute moral truths conveyed through the Bible, arguing that it is up to each individual to determine moral truth and that no absolute morality applies to everyone all the time.
As shocking as these figures are, it's not surprising that America's moral decline has barely featured as an issue in this election, as only 23% of church-going Christians consider moral decline a “defining issue.”
Where are the church leaders? Where are the shepherds Christ called to lead his flock? Are they communicating God’s truth to their congregations as it relates to the current sad situation in our nation?
Is weak church leadership the reason 40% of Christians are likely to abstain from voting at this time? No. But we shouldn't be surprised to see that the number of Christians who claim to have heard a sermon or teaching about the Bible's position on a particular issue (61%) and the number who have been encouraged to vote by their church (56%) are roughly the same as the number who plan to vote.
Church leaders have a duty to lead their congregations into a closer relationship with Christ, which includes encouraging participation in voting and civic engagement. In fact, in another Barna survey, 17% of Christians who don't plan to vote said they would vote on Election Day if they were told that voting is “the biblical responsibility of all Christians.”
An additional 10% said they would be justified in voting if a religious figure they highly respect endorsed a candidate.
This doesn't mean pastors need to endorse candidates during sermons or guilt-trip their congregations into voting, but church leaders need to try harder, as there appears to be a correlation between Christians who vote and those who hear sermons about the importance of voting.
As Americans, we not only have an obligation to leave a better legacy for future generations, but we also have an obligation to honor our Founding Fathers, and ultimately, God, by preserving our republic and protecting the inalienable rights He has given us. Voting is a great place to start.
