It's happening again! ... Another highly respected (by most) Christian leader has come out and is telling us that 'we must vote, no matter what!' .. The list is growing by the hour, but the specific one I'm referring to right now is Franklin Graham, which happens to be one of the few I've most always respected. .. This is what he was purported to have said .. "Every Evangelical Christian must vote - even if that means choosing the 'least heathen of the two heathen.' " .. What?! .. Now I know there has been some talk back & forth concerning his exact statement, but the point is that he is saying we must vote, no matter who is left standing at the end of this current political debacle we are now witnessing. .. If things continue to play out like it stands right now, our choices will either be a proven liar who should be prosecuted or a complete narcissist who bullies anyone who disagrees with him, including women .. As to which one is the 'lesser heathen,' it would be difficult to determine at this point. .. Why I say it's happening again is because it is almost the exact same scenario that took place in 2012 when we had a cult member up against a possible Muslim, but at the least, an apostate Christian. .. That time it was Pastor David Jeremiah who said we would be sinning if we didn't vote - that we needed to decide between 'the lesser of two evils.' .. I was so upset back then by this that I e-mailed my reasons of complete disagreement. .. Needless to say, I got no response. .. And why would I? .. How can any Bible-believing Christian justify voting for, or knowingly endorse any kind of evil! .. There is no lesser evil! .. Evil IS evil! .. Simply put, Christian 'nationalism' abounds in today's America - and Donald Trump's candidacy is redefining the Christian voter. .. It is absolutely amazing to see just how many so-called Evangelical Christians are flocking to this guy! .. I mean, just taking a quick glance at 'The Donald,' what you see is totally the opposite of what a Bible-believing Christian should even consider to support. .. He is a complete narcissist who lives an opulent, worldly lifestyle, bullies & threatens anyone who disagrees with him,  supports Planned Parenthood who specializes in abortion, has no issues with the Supreme Court's decision to legalize 'Gay marriage' .. I mean, the list goes on & on .. and yet, the majority of America's Christians are behind him! .. Is this what our highly respected Christian leaders refer to as 'the lesser heathen,' or 'the lesser of two evils?' .. I guess what amazes me is that our Bible is very clear and specific as to what is and isn't sin. .. To 'adjust' it to fit a certain time in our history isn't an option spelled out in scripture. .. Times may change, but God's Word never changes! .. We either follow it all the way, or we don't. .. We either are, or we're not! .. We can't have it both ways! ... It is truly sad to witness just how far America has spiritually & morally fallen in such a short time. .. From its beginning to just a short 50+ years ago, being a Christian was openly accepted, and in fact, was mostly welcomed in all walks of our society, including politics. .. But then, starting in the 60's, it all began to change. .. slowly but surely, with each passing day, our Christian way of life began disappearing .. to the point that now, 'separation of Church & State' is the accepted way of life. .. In fact, to mix the two is openly met with hostility & open hatred. .. So with this 'separation' mentality in place, the only option left for the 'practicing' Christian, if one chooses to be politically involved, is compromise. ... For a moment, let me share some personal experiences to support my statement as it relates to 'compromise' .. Several times in my working years, I was involved in the corporate world .. and at a high enough level to have 'rubbed elbows' with some very powerful people, both in business & politics. .. Without implicating anyone specifically, I will tell you that 'compromise' was .. and is .. THE way of life. .. And again, not mentioning any one person specifically, I will tell you I was shocked .. and very disappointed at some of the things I saw take place in that world .. and by certain people I had previously held in high esteem. .. It seemed that most all would 'sell their souls' for the good of ...... who? So then, where does this leave us Christians .. those of us who try our best to follow the TRUE teachings of the Holy Scriptures? .. Once again, the only source I choose to rely on is scripture. .. In 1 Peter 1:1, it says .. "..To God's elect, strangers in the world ..." .. During the time of Peter's writing, we know that Christians were under terrible persecution .. to the point of being martyred for their faith .. and because of those conditions, political activism in any form just didn't happen. .. In fact, their entire focus was presenting the soul-saving Gospel of Jesus Christ, in its truest sense, to reach as many lost souls as possible .. at any cost. .. Should we do any different today? .. Do we have to 'sell out' the Gospel in order to survive in today's political arena? ... The following is a real-life example of what I'm talking about here ... Like most pastors who lead thriving Evangelical churches, the Reverend Gregory Boyd was asked frequently to give his blessing .. and the church's .. to conservative political candidates and causes. .. The requests came from Church members & visitors alike .. would he please announce a rally against 'gay' marriage during services? .. Would he introduce a politician from the pulpit? .. Could members set up a table in the lobby promoting their anti-abortion work? .. Would the Church distribute 'voter's guides' that all but endorse their own candidates? .. And with our military being so involved around the world, please couldn't the Church hang an American flag in the sanctuary? ... ... After refusing each time, Pastor Boyd finally had had enough, and then preached a series of six sermons called "The Cross and The Sword" in which he said the Church should steer clear of politics, stop claiming the United States a Christian nation, and stop glorifying American military campaigns, .. He said, "When the Church wins the culture wars, it inevitably loses .. when it conquers the world, it becomes the world .. when you put your trust in the sword, you lose the Cross." .. Pastor Boyd went on to say that he first became alarmed while visiting another megachurch's worship service on a Fourth of July years ago. .. The service finished with the Church singing 'God Bless America' and a video of fighter jets flying over a hill silhouetted with the Cross. .. "I thought to myself, what just happened?  Fighter jets mixed with the Cross?" ...... At the time of these sermons, the Church had 5,000 members. .. When the series conclude, it was down to 4,000! ... Guess maybe they are now following the likes of Donald Trump? .. My hat is off to this guy. .. He has come to the same conclusion that I have concerning this 'church & state' thing. .. With this current 'separation' mentality that permeates our society, it is virtually impossible to participate in the political process without compromise, which simply is a 'dirty word' from a biblical perspective. .. Think of it this way for a moment .. being a Christian and holding a public office. .. This is how it would have to go down .. "It won't be so bad. .. I only have to leave the Lord at home each day to wait for me because He's not allowed at work .. but again, that's not so bad .. after all, I can spend time with Him some evenings and most always on Sunday mornings." ... It's part-time Christianity, no matter how you look at it. ... So what do we do? .. We need to get our focus back on what Christ wanted for us, and that is telling the world about Him and winning souls for the Kingdom! .. Jesus said in John 15:19,  "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.  As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.  That is why the world hates you." Jesus never intended for us to compromise IN ANY WAY concerning earthly matters. .. He knew that if we took His words & teachings seriously, we would be despised and rejected by most people. .. So, too, was He! .. Are we greater than our Master? ... No question these are very difficult times for us believers & followers of Jesus Christ .. especially when many of our so-called 'pharisee' leaders are openly selling out. .. But just remember this. .. By rejecting the worldly ways of sinful men doesn't mean we give up the fight! .. We just use a different set of weapons to fight with. .. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 says it all ... "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  4) The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  5) We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." ...... Any questions? Know that I will be praying for each of you in these increasingly difficult times .. and hang in there! .. We WILL be victorious when all this worldly dust settles. .. Hallelujah!! Until next time, Red