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The CRAWFORD STAND podcast

The Vote - The Christian Vote

Broadcast on:
16 Sep 2024
Audio Format:
other

Do you intend to vote in this critical November election, do you?
Are you registered to vote so that, unlike many others, you are a legally qualified voter?
America needs your vote, YOUR VOTE! America needs your informed vote, a vote that is educated in the issues, understands the essential workings of politics and the government, and assuming you are Christian, voting for candidates and issues with the direction and guidance of your Christian conscience.
YOU MUST VOTE!
For many Christians, they seem to find reasons not to vote. If those Christians find the candidates personality, or private life, or public image objectionable, that gives them reasons, really excuses, for non-participation, for not voting. And that, my fellow Americans and fellow Christians, is simply dead wrong. As Troy Miller, President and CEO of NRB, the National Religious Broadcasters Association:
“I urge Christians who are so inclined to pivot from personality and
take a closer look at policy.”
That is a strong message to those conservative Americans and Christian Americans that if, for example, you do not like the personality, or the private life, or the public image of Donald Trump, those are not reasons for you not to vote for Donald Trump. If in fact Trump and his party represent and will champion and defend the policies and political decisions which are consistent with your Christian values.
Dr. George Barna has produced a new survey indicating that:
“Theologically defined evangelicals (are you one?) are no more likely than
anyone else to be attentive to news about politics and government.”
That is a sad, sad indeed conclusion and I do hope that you are not one of those evangelicals who doesn’t care, isn’t involved, and doesn’t intend to vote. You and I have, so many believe, a theological duty to be involved to the extent we can in the political process and most importantly, in every meaningful election:
VOTE!
That Barna survey indicates that an estimated 7 million evangelicals, in swing states no less, did not participate or vote in the 2020 President Election. If those 7 million registered and potential voters actually did vote, the outcomes and elections of candidates up and down the ballot would have been entirely different. And that was in so-called swing states alone.
Generally, across America and in all states, the Barna survey estimates that one third, 33%, of all evangelicals did not vote or participate in the political process in 2020! One third. If there are, as many think, as many as 75 million so-called theologically defined evangelicals in America, that means according to the Barna survey that as many as:
25 MILLION EVANGELICAL AMERICANS DID NOT VOTE IN 2020!
That is a startling and frankly sickening survey conclusion and they discredit and disgrace not only the privilege of American citizenship, but to our very Lord himself! As many as 25 million registered American citizen voters in 2020, says Barna, did not even simply bother to vote. To me, and to so many others, that is just simply unbelievable, UNBELIEVABLE! That led Troy Miller to state in his article:
“WE HAVE A DUAL ISSUE OF TURNOUT (NOT VOTING) AND TUNE OUT (NOT PARTICIPATING IN OR BEING INFORMED OF THE POLITICAL PROCESS AND ITS ISSUES).”
I do hope and pray that you, if in fact you are Christian and Evangelical Christian, are not one of those 25 million. You and I have the unbelievable privilege of being citizens of the greatest country in the history of mankind. At least, it once was. We live in a country where true freedom exists, or at least it used to. We the People, all people, including Christians, all people of faith or not of faith, have freedom of religion, complete unabridged freedom of religion, and the very same total and complete freedom of speech, and press, and no government, including and especially the Federal Government, can in any way interfere with or abridge those precious, inalienable, God-given through the constitution, freedoms we enjoy, and now have begun to assume and take for granted.
We also have freedom of petition. We can say what we want, ask what we feel is right to do, complain, criticize, compliment, and express what we believe to anyone who acts as our political leader at any level of government. They are duty-bound to listen, read, understand, and respond, whether or not they do. That is our constitutional right.
Perhaps most importantly as Christians, we have the constitutional and First Amendment right to assemble. That is, to form, support, attend, and be involved in the functions of a church or any type of religious organization. No one, including and especially the Federal Government, can prevent any American from worshipping as he or she pleases in any venue as he or she may wish and the slightest abridgement of that freedom is constitutionally wrong, illegal, and cannot be tolerated.
WE, THE EVANGELICAL PEOPLE, are free, we have been given these freedoms, we can partake of them without fear of retribution and with those freedoms, those benefits, those assets, we consequently have the duty, the God-required, American citizen-required, duty to protect, defend, and to be involved in the processes (voting) which involves the protection and continuation of those freedoms. Therefore, it seems perfectly clear that we as Christians, and perhaps especially as evangelical Christians, do in fact have the:
DUTY TO VOTE.
Are you registered to vote?
Do you intend to vote?
Will you encourage others, especially other evangelicals, to vote, will you?
If you claim those freedoms as your rights, and I hope and pray you do, than as a result of those rights, you have the duty to protect those freedoms, to be informed, educated in the political process to the extent you can, and most importantly, to participate:
TO VOTE!
None of the freedoms which we enjoy as Americans exist in Russia, or North Korea, or China, or Iran, or many of the other Far Eastern countries, and socialism abounds in many Western countries which were once more democratic and those people in so many parts of the world yearn for the freedoms we enjoy and take for granted as Americans and are probably stunned to learn that so many of us simply do not care, are not engaged, and do not:
VOTE.
So many men and women the world over and in all of history died to either get or protect those freedoms and if this political-voting lethargy, which exists in so many parts of America continues, that day may soon come when the blood of freedom loving individuals, real American freedom patriots, must be shed if those freedoms are to be protected and preserved. That will sagacious vice of former and early U. S. President Thomas Jefferson. He was right, perhaps dead right. America is changing and may radically change, the loss of freedoms expedited depending upon the results of Elections 2024, especially if evangelicals do not participate, do not vote as it is estimated some 25 million did not in 2020.
Please vote my fellow Christians. Protect our constitutional freedoms for yourself, your spouse, your children, your family, your friends, and all Americans. AMERICA NEEDS YOU INVOLVED AND YOUR VOTE NOW 2024 MORE THAN EVER!

The Crawford Stand with the president of Crawford Media Group, Don Crawford. Do you intend to vote in this critical November election, do you? Are you registered to vote so that unlike so many others, you are a legally qualified voter, a legally qualified voter? I do hope and pray so. America needs your vote. Your vote. America needs your informed vote, a vote that is educated in the issues, understands the essential workings of politics and the government, and assuming you are a Christian, voting for candidates and issues with the direction and guidance of your Christian conscience. You must vote. You must. For many Christians, they seem to find reasons not to vote. If those Christians find the candidate's personality or private life or public image objectionable, that gives them reasons, really excuses for non-participation, for not voting. And that, my fellow Americans and fellow Christians, is simply dead wrong. As Troy Miller, President and CEO of NRB, the National Religious Broadcasters Association, so well said, I urge Christians who are so inclined to pivot from personality and look closer at policy. Don't vote or not vote on the basis of personality, but policy, but issues, but positions that these so-called politicians will take. Oh, that is a strong message to those conservative Americans and Christian Americans that if, for example, you do not like the personality or the private life or the public image of, say, a Donald Trump, those are not the reasons for you not to vote for Donald Trump. If, in fact, Trump and his party represent and will champion and defend the policies and political decisions which are consistent with your Christian values, you should vote for Trump. Dr. George Barna has produced a new survey indicating that. Theologically defined evangelicals, by the way, are you one? Are you an evangelical Christian? Evangelical Christians are no more likely than anyone else to be attentive to news about politics and government. Is that really true? Evangelicals not really care about politics and government. Do you? Ah, that is a sad, sad, indeed conclusion, and I do hope that you are not one of those evangelicals who don't care, who isn't involved, and doesn't intend to vote. Are you? Oh, please, you must vote. You and I have so many believe a theological duty to be involved to the extent we can in the political process, and most importantly, in every meaningful election. So vote vote. That Barna survey indicates that an estimated 7 million evangelicals. Oh, what a horrible number. Seven million evangelicals in swing states no less did not participate or vote in the 2020 presidential election. Seven million evangelicals. If those seven million registered and potential voters actually did vote, the outcomes and elections of candidates up and down the ballot in those seven swing states would have been entirely different. And that was just in the so-called swing states alone. How about all the other states generally across America and in all states, the Barna survey estimates that one third, one third. 33% of all evangelicals did not vote or participate in the political process in 2020. One third. I don't know where George Barna got that figure or how he came to that conclusion, but that is absolutely startling. And if there are, as many think, as many as 75 million so-called theologically defined evangelicals in America, that means, according to the Barna survey, that as many as 25 million evangelical Americans did not vote in 2020. That is just startling. It's just hard to believe. And frankly, it's a sickening survey conclusion. And they discredit and disgrace not only the privilege of American citizenship, but to our very Lord himself. As many as 25 million registered American citizen voters in 2020 says Barna did not even simply bother to vote. To me and to so many others, that is just simply unbelievable. And that led Troy Miller again of NRB to state in his article. We have a dual issue of turnout, not voting, and tune out, not participating in or being informed of the political process and its issues. Boy, do we ever. Again, I do hope and pray that you, if in fact you are Christian and evangelical Christian, are not one of those 25 million. You and I have the unbelievable privilege of being citizens of the greatest country in the history of mankind, at least at once was. We live in a country where true freedom exists, or at least it used to. We the people, all people, including Christians, all people of faith, or even not of faith, have freedom of religion, complete on a bridged freedom of religion to believe and practice exactly what we believe. And the very same total and complete freedom of speech and press and no government, including and especially the federal government, can in any way interfere with or abridge those precious inalienable God given through the Constitution freedoms we enjoy, but now have begun to assume and take for granted. We also have freedom of petition. We can say what we want. We can ask what we feel is right to do and complain and criticize and also compliment and express what we believe to anyone who acts as our political leader at any level of government. They are duty bound to listen, to read, to understand, and respond to our petitions of whether or not they do, and most times they don't bother. And those freedoms are our God given inalienable constitutional rights. And perhaps most importantly as Christians, we have the constitutional and First Amendment right to assemble. That is to form, support, attend, and be involved in the functions of a church. Or for that matter, any type of religious organization? No one. No one, including and especially the federal government, can prevent any American from worshiping as he or she pleases. In any venue as she or he pleases, and the slightest abridgment of that freedom is constitutionally illegal and wrong. And it cannot be tolerated. We, the evangelical people, are free. We have been given those freedoms. We can partake of them without fear of retribution. And with those freedoms, those benefits, those assets, we consequently have the duty that God required, American citizenship required, duty to protect, defend, and to be involved in the processes, including voting, which involves the protection and continuation of those freedoms. Therefore, it seems perfectly clear that we as Christians, and perhaps especially as evangelical Christians, do in fact have the duty to vote. Are you registered to vote? Do you intend to vote? Will you encourage others, especially other evangelicals, to vote? Will you? If you claim those freedoms as your rights, and I hope and pray you do, then as a result of those rights, you have the duty to protect those freedoms, to be informed, to be educated in the political process, to the extent you can, and most importantly to participate, to vote. None of the freedoms we enjoy as Americans exist in Russia, or North Korea, or China, or Iran, or many of the other far Eastern countries, any vote in those countries is just for show. In those far Eastern countries, socialism abounds, or perhaps Marxism, or even dictatorship, and in many Western countries, which were once more democratic, those people in so many parts of the world yearn for the freedoms we enjoy, and take for granted as Americans, and are probably stunned to learn that so many of us simply do not care, and are not engaged, and don't even bother to vote. So many men and women in the world over, and in all of history, died to either get or protect those freedoms, and if this political voting lethargy which exists in so many parts of America continues, that day may come soon when the blood of freedom-loving individuals and American freedom patriots must be shed if those freedoms are to be protected and preserved. That was the sagacious voice of former and early U.S. President Thomas Jefferson. He was right, perhaps dead right. America is changing, oh is it ever, and may radically change, and the loss of freedoms will be expedited depending upon the results of elections 2024, especially if Christians and evangelical Christians do not participate and do not vote as it is estimated some 25 million did not in 2020. Oh please vote, my fellow Christians, please protect your constitutional freedoms for yourself, your spouse, your children, your family, your friends, and all Americans. America needs your involved and informed vote now in 2024, now more than ever. Would you please simply tell Mr. Crawford that you're going to vote this cycle? You don't have to write them a long letter or message. Just send your email to stand@croffordmediagroup.net and tell Mr. Crawford, yes, I'll be voting. That would be a great encouragement to him. His email address again is stand@croffordmediagroup.net. When you want to review what you hear, go to our website, crawfordmediagroup.net. The Crawford Stand is a public affairs presentation of Crawford Media Group and this station. Serving God and Country, I'm Bill McCormick.