Robert Jeffress caused a stir when he introduced Gov. Rick Perry by saying, “Every true, born again follower of Christ ought to embrace a Christian over a non-Christian.” Two candidates for the Republican nomination, Jon Huntsman and Mitt Romney, are Mormon.
Article VI of the Constitution says, “No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” According to Politico, “Jeffress said he does not believe that Mormonism is a disqualifier for the presidency but added, “Private citizens can impose all kinds of religious tests.”
Does the Christian faith compel you or me to vote only for Christians? The Bible suggests the answer is no. When Paul encourages us to pray for government officials (1 Timothy 2:4), when Paul was on trial (Acts 24-26), when both Peter and Paul write about the positive effects government can have on the life of the church (1 Peter 2:13-17; Romans 13), they were referring to non-Christian government officials. Narrow down. Do you think you need Christians in office in order to advance Christian causes? Shouldn’t the church be doing that on its own? If you want to make the government an instrument of the church, the day will come when the church becomes an instrument of the government.
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