I've always felt a little uneasy about voting for the "lesser of two evils" in our country's elections, but it wasn't until I went through a membership class at the RPCNA (Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America) that I finally became fully comfortable with abstaining from voting. The RPCNA has a strong history of political dissent, and while their stance has changed slightly over the years, the RPCNA Testimony still has some interesting things to say about the Christian's responsibilities regarding voting.
Here is a blog post I came across the other day, by Rev. Eshelman of the RPCNA, that quotes the relevant portions of the Testimony. I haven't done any exhaustive study on the topic of the establishment principle (though I intend to, someday, when I get the time), so I reserve the right to change my views in the future, but for the time being, I would say that I am in agreement with the portions of the RPCNA Testimony quoted in this blog post.
A Reformed Voter's Guide
Edited to add: see the comments section for a link to another article with similar conclusions, this one written by an FP.
Hi Sharon
ReplyDeleteI had a similar post earlier this year
http://the-holdfast.blogspot.com/2010/05/voting-and-bible.html
There are some differences between the way things are in the USA and the UK but the basic principles ought to be the same. Great blog by the way!
Thanks for the compliment! And thank you also for the link; very well written.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a note on this subject just prior to the midterms.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.facebook.com/#!/note.php?note_id=448742374149
Yes, Sean, I read it and found it quite interesting, also the discussion that followed (which I see has continued since I saw it last--I'll have to do some catch-up reading). Thanks for the link!
ReplyDeleteSharon,
ReplyDeleteI just came across your blog last night while trying to find information about the Free Presbyterian congregation in Texas. I am an elder in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and I have been trying to learn more about various Presbyterian denominations. In coming across this blog post about voting, I thought you might be interested in the Reformation Party, a political party dedicated to Reformed Christian civil government. Sean McDonald, who I see commented above, was one of the co-founders of the Party. Here are links to the website and to the Facebook page:
http://www.reformationparty.org/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Reformation-Party/151529404920620?sk=info
I showed your blog to my wife, who also is a blogging homemaker: http://www.diligencewithoutfear.blogspot.com/ It is good to see these kinds of blogs and websites out there.
Have a great day!
Mark Hausam
Hello Mr. Hausam,
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting. I'm familiar with the Reformation Party; I've read through the website, and have a few Facebook friends who are founders/members. I'm not sure that I agree with all of the party's platform, though I would have to do some more reading and thinking before I could form a decided opinion. Hopefully someday I'll have the time to delve further into the subject. :)
I do know for sure that I disagree with other positions taken by some of the party's founders. For instance, I disagree with the idea of ethnic homelands, as promoted here:
http://www.puritans.net/homelands/
I think that even if I were to come to full agreement with the platform of the Reformation Party, I would be hesitant to endorse the group if this idea of ethnic homelands is a commonly-held viewpoint within the party.
I checked out your wife's blog and it looks quite interesting and helpful! Thanks for the link. :)
Sharon
Sharon,
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I would agree with Parnell's idea of ethnic homelands either (we had some discussion about it some time back). The base of the Party is limited to the positions taken on the website. Parnell's articles (and things that I and other officers and founders have written) are his (and our) own personal opinions and are not part of the assumptions of the Party as a whole.
I'm glad you enjoyed my wife's blog. : )
Have a good weekend!
Mark