Bible Gives Clear Guidance to Christians on Casting Their Ballots

Contact: Peggy Birchfield, Faith and Action, 202-236-0953

MEDIA ADVISORY, November 3 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Reverend Rob Schenck (pronounced SHANK), a 15-year missionary to elected and appointed officials on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, and chairman of the Committee on Church and Society for the Evangelical Church Alliance, America's oldest association of Evangelical ministers, missionaries, institutional chaplains and organizations, offered this advice today to Christians as they prepare to vote on Tuesday, November 4:

"The Bible offers clear and simple guidance to Christians on how to choose candidates for public office, including how to choose a president. In Deuteronomy, Chapter 17, verses 14 – 20, we are instructed to select leaders that meet these ten criteria:

1.      He /she is to be the person God wants in this position. (Dt 17:15a) This can only be discerned through prayer.

2.      He/she "may not be a foreigner." (Dt 17:15b) In other words, a candidate must be familiar with our values, convictions and way of life.

3.      He/she must not be power hungry, but rather a true "public servant" who has demonstrated humility and a servant's heart. (Dt 17:16)

4.      He/she must be a moral person, committed to his/her spouse and family and understand and practice fidelity in all things. In other words, he/she must demonstrate he/she keeps a promise. (Dt 17:17)

5.      He/she must be personally familiar with the Bible and keep company with God-appointed pastors and teachers. (Dt 17:18)

6.      He/she must give regular, routine, methodical attention to the teaching of Scripture (Dt 17:19a)

7.      He/she must be open and willing to submit to the entirety of what the Bible teaches, not just select portions of it. (Dt:17b)

8.      He/she must maintain a humble and teachable heart and mind, and be honest about his/her failures. (Dt 17:20a)

9.      He/she must not subordinate his/her principles to an extreme political ideology or constituency. In other words, he/she must be a person of deep conviction who does what is best for the country, not for the party. (Dt 17:20b)

10.  He/she must have a long-term plan to leave a lasting and positive legacy for future generations, and not govern simply for the moment out of political expediency. (Dt 17:20c)

"I urge Christians to take these instructions very seriously and to carry them into the voting booth. Once at the polling station, take whatever time is necessary to pray and compare each candidate to these criteria before making a choice. What is important is for us to do what is right in the eyes of God, whether or not our candidate actually wins. God commands us to choose the right person. We will ultimately make account to God for that choice, not for the outcome."

The Reverend Rob Schenck (pronounced SHANK) is president of Faith and Action in the Nation's Capital, America's only Christian missionary outreach to top government officials located across the street from the US Supreme Court, one block from the U.S. Capitol and ten minutes from the White House.