NZ Election, Romans One, & Voting

I can remember it well.

One of the longest serving elders at the church said to me that in the many decades he had been at the church he had never once heard John talk about politics from the pulpit much, if at all, the way he just did. My family and I had just sat in church that morning. It was a Sunday in the midst of the Romney vs Obama campaign trail. The Democratic Party (liberal) had just made it very clear that their policies and platform was aligned with that of Romans 1. Of course, they were not literally saying, "vote for us, vote for Obama, Romans 1 is our motto!". What they were doing, however, was advocating for things found in Romans 1. I can still recall a large Democratic function where leaders and attendees were chanting (very loudly and repeatedly) anti-God slogans. So, for the first time in a very long and faithful ministry John MacArthur  took the time to speak to the congregation about a Christian's view on voting and politics. The day and age had arrived.

Sitting there in church hearing it was quite incredible. I share the similar view that the pulpit is no place for politics and I think no one models that better than John. But now, as a result of where human history had reached in the political world, it was the time to speak. These were gospel issues.

As Christians, sure, we can engage in politics — and praise the Lord we see believers involved in such things — yet our primary focus must be upon the proclamation of the gospel for that is how a society is transformed. A policy that is morally upright and that has had millions of dollars spent on it by Christian zealous for biblical views in politics, can be swept away with a signature in a single moment as the next party enters. Spending that kind of money on planting churches and training missionaries would be far, far better. That is gospel focused. And yet, that is what makes present day political party platforms so intriguing; often the things they hold to and advocate for unashamedly (abortion, etc) are gospel issues and hence why we need not wait 40+ years, as it's reached that point now. Please note, I'm not saying we bring politics into the pulpit nor make it a feature of our faith.

When I sat there and heard John MacArthur unfold for the first time in over 40 years the importance of not endorsing a political party that had made its platform and policy Romans 1, I knew that we had reached the point where evil was now spouted as good — like no other time in human history - by political parties. Homosexuality and abortion are now celebrated and gender confusion is now a chief modus operandi.

Very soon, our nation of New Zealand will go to the voting booths. The political sphere is quite different here to that of The United States of America but I've been an ANZAC long enough to know that a liberal agenda is gathering momentum. So, you can vote, you can choose to abstain from voting, yet I struggle to see how a believer can vote for a liberal, (note I didn't say left wing because even the majority of right wing parties are liberal these days) party that makes Romans 1 it's party platform — no matter how good the promises they make: Like making the first year of university free or fresh drinking water.

Let's make the gospel and reaching the world our focus. Let's be wise in voting.
40 years ago Romans 1 wasn't the platform for political parties.