We Must Take Note of the Issues In This Election, What Is Being Said and Not Said
By Norman Franklin
Norman Franklin
We are at a pivotal moment in the span of time. We call it history. History is a living organism that’s ever evolving. There is a lot of noise, loud noises in every arena. Not as loud as the approving crowds at the Paris Olympics. But loud nonetheless, and more profound, more transformative. The social, economic, political and religious arenas are flexing for change, proponents vie for dominance.
There is a fusion of the religious and the political. The loud voice in this arena begs our attention. The changes sought reach deep into our communities, our homes, our schools, our places of worship. It is a far-reaching impact for the individual, corporate communities, and institutionally for generations.
Whether the evolution of change, or the revolution that brings change, it happens amid loud noises of discontent. The simmering angst of the marginalized erupts; they must be heard. Unscrupulous leaders seize the moment, with accommodational words and promises, they present themselves as the long awaited, the answer, the one to make things right.
It is in the frenzy of all the loud voices, touting their solutions, that we must be alert, attentive, and careful to hear what is not being said in the things that are said. In the fusion of religion and politics, and particularly White Christian Nationalism, belies a grievous danger for the church, for the identity of the Savior, and for democracy as our form of governance.
The 2024 presidential election is billed as the battle for the soul of America. The issues are many: abortion - should government determine what a woman decides about her body; voting issues – should states determine the results of a federal election; democracy and the J6 insurrection, was it real or misinterpreted; the southern border – immigration policies; international relations – Israel, Ukraine, China; climate change, is it real; the economy – unemployment is low, job creation high, but so is inflation, low income and middle class families feel the pinch at the grocery and gas pump; schools – not necessarily concerns about quality education, but rather the restricted content – book bans, erasure of history.
It’s a lot to process; a lot for the average citizen to make an informed decision about. There is a lot said that an uninformed listener misses. Gullible Christians in particular.
There is a call for all Christians to get out to vote in this election. Christians must vote the candidate urges. Do it this once and you won’t have to do it again. In four years, it will be fixed, you won’t have to vote again.
And those at the rally cheered, not all were Christians. I’m not certain any understood the full implications of what they sanctioned with their emotional enthusiasm. It is an iteration of the 900-page Project 2025. The Heritage Foundation, authors of the doctrine, have plans to restructure America’s form of government. You may not need to vote; you may not have that right.
Subversion stealthy slips in on the cords of uninformed enthusiasm. Promises to make things right, promises to make it all better.