By Michelle Ruschman
As we approach election day on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, 22-year veteran and mother Lisa Robertson, an advocate for Get Out the Christian Vote, has a question for all those who are considering not getting out to vote: What kind of future do you want for your children and the generations to follow?
Charlie Kirk recently posted, ‘If we’re silent, nothing may happen to us. But, it will most certainly happen to our children in the future and that has stuck with me. We had a meeting on September 13th that showed the movie, A Letter to the American Church (a film adaptation to Eric Metaxas’ book by the same name), and Mao, Stalin, and Hitler were able to come into that kind of power through three critical and strategic areas: For one, if they could control the pastors, they could control the people. Second, if they could take away land and possessions, they could control us. Finally, if they could get to the children, then they could change the trajectory of the future. That’s what they did and we are seeing evidence that this is happening now.”
Already, there is evidence that the Church is not participating in what is sure to be a pivotal election. 50% of Christians are not even registered to vote and many who are already thinking about not voting on election day. In the 2020 election, more than 25 million Christians chose not to vote. Lisa is concerned too that while there’s still time, many pastors aren’t actively advocating for Christian participation in the election process, because of the misconception that this would be seen as a political leaning in a house of worship. What she is hoping for, however, is that churches would set aside the discussion about politics from the pulpit, and recognize that the Biblical responsibility still exists for each Christian to participate in the governing bodies of our country.
“Even as early as Genesis, we are given authority. Isaiah 29:2 says that when the righteous are in authority and become great, the people rejoice, but when the wicked man rules, the people groan and sigh. Speaking about voting is not political, but acknowledging that everyone who believes in the Gospel needs to preach the Gospel, not just in words but in actions. It’s how we decide what we want as the moral center of our government and the kind of country we ultimately want for our children. If we want them to have the freedom to gather in a house of worship, to have freedom of speech, to be taught to work hard, that they are fearfully and wonderfully made, and that they have a right to work toward owning land, it is going to be through the election process. We do that by showing up to vote.”
Lisa acknowledges that not everyone has the time to volunteer for their political affiliations and that there are so many important needs that take the forefront of the average American family. What families can do, however, is available to all.
“After 22 years of being in the military, I still feel a call to duty and serving my community. But, I understand everybody’s busy, and it’s hard for people to get involved, especially now. Times are tough, things are so expensive, and people are just trying to do the best they can to get food on the table for their children. What we can still do though, is to be salt and light as the Bible calls us to be. We can still pray, gather together, and encourage one another to show up for this election’s outcome in leadership and initiatives like Amendment 4.”
What we seem to be learning from traditional and social media alike is not to vote for who would best run our country, but for what image we like best. In the minutiae of agendas that lean toward blue or red, it has kept the voting public from taking any action and it is so critical to show up and participate in our right to vote. Our vote is a declaration of the future we want to see.
“We need to show God’s love and have leaders who love this country’s freedoms, support our rights as individuals to worship and speak freely, and who will give our younger generation hope again. They need to know that they have a purpose, a place in society and that working for your family and community is a good thing. Everything free comes with some kind of attachment, whether it be physical or psychological, and not all attachments are good for us.
It’s easier to fight for our rights now because when they’re lost, it’s way harder to get them back.”
If you would like to join Get Out the Christian Vote for their next meeting, it will be on Monday, October 7th from 6-8 pm at 6757 U.S. Hwy. 98, 2nd floor in Santa Rosa Beach. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with light refreshments. If you have any questions, contact Lisa Sanders Robertson on Facebook or you can call 850-737-0226 or email lisarobertson610@icloud.com.
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