by F.R. Duplantier
Has lack of political activism deprived Christians of the political clout that their numbers command? One Christian activist says yes, and challenges his brethren to get involved.
You have to give homosexual activists a certain amount of credit, says Bob Gingrich, editor of the Christian Coalition Voter Guide. There's no denying "that they are dedicated to their cause and that their political activism has given them political clout much greater than their numbers justify," he concedes. The same cannot be said for Christians, however. Having concluded that lack of activism has lessened the clout of Christians, Bob Gingrich attempts to explain their unseemly apathy. "To many people, 'politics' is a nasty word," he says, "but political action is the way public policy is shaped. If we don't get involved in shaping public policy, we must share the blame for public policy shaped by non-Christians. Secular humanism, an anti-Christian religion, has prevailed for the last 30-something years and we're living with the consequences today, a morally bankrupt society."
Bob Gingrich argues that, with a little more dedication by Christians, "we could change this country for the better in a hurry. We have within our power the ability to rid our nation of the scourge of abortion, the lunacy of special rights for homosexuals, the horrible sin of child sex abuse, the destructive existence of pornography, and the general loosening of moral standards."
Bob Gingrich contends that all good citizens should be concerned about "maintaining high moral standards in our society, and that involves working for moral causes and morally responsible candidates for public office. Casting an informed vote is an important responsibility that goes with citizenship. If Christians shirk that responsibility, we have to understand that we are handing over political power to people who, in far too many instances, have no understanding of the tenets of Christianity."
Bob Gingrich encourages Christians to consider how different 1997 would be from 1996 "if we were to elect a president who could be counted on to appoint God-fearing judges at every level within the federal judicial system; who would lead in the direction of eliminating rather than promoting abortion; who would take a stand against sodomy rather than promoting it in pursuit of the votes of an organized, misguided, militant minority; who understands that government is to serve the people rather than to be their master; and who understands that oppressive taxation is threatening the living standards of too many families. The power to make these changes," he emphasizes, "will be in your hands on election day 1996."
Being part of the solution means registering to vote, and voting. That, of course, presumes familiarity with the issues and the candidates' positions on them. To be even more effective, says Bob Gingrich, you should join organizations of like-minded individuals, volunteer as a campaign worker for worthy candidates, and communicate regularly with all elected representatives.
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