Folks who know me might be surprised by this title. “I thought you were a Republican,” they might say. Yes, though I am not at all happy with some of the decisions coming out of the party or the things some of our leadership have done, I still call myself a Republican. I believe throwing support behind a third party is ignoring the reality in which we live. I think the best shot we have at affecting the political landscape is to join the party that is closest to our beliefs and work within it to bring about the changes we want.

So why would I ask if it’s a good thing that we may pick up more voters this November? Because first of all I am a Christian. I’m concerned with hearts. I know that when we make the right decisions for the wrong reasons, it’s only a matter of time before we go back to making bad ones. Being certain that Republicans have the better prescription for getting our country back to what it should be, I am glad to hear that more people may vote Republican. However, sooner or later the wind will shift. It may be brought on by another economic downturn, a terrorist attack, or something no one yet foresees, but it will happen.

So yes, it’s a good thing for now, but it will be a hollow victory if we don’t see a fundamental change in the character of our people. There was a time when the differences between us were those of policy and method with a generally held set of moral principles held by all parties. Now, when one party boldly stands behind sexual perversion and the murder of the unborn, the choice seems clear at least who anyone calling themselves followers of Jesus.

After my essay on not giving needless offense I should probably moderate my words, but it is difficult for me to understand how any Christian, having been educated in what the Democrats stand for, can retain that affiliation. Remain independent if you must, but don’t stand with evil.

Well-meaning people can have disagreements on social and economic policy, but I would ask you to consider this. If you know a person to be immoral, is it reasonable to think that this character flaw will not affect other areas of his life? If an ideology is morally bankrupt, might we reasonably second guess those parts that seem on the service to be good? We can’t separate morality from policy. Policy is based on moral principles.

But I’ve gone now well beyond the point at which I fear we find ourselves. Most voters aren’t concerning themselves with issues of morality or good policy. They’re voting in the emotion of the moment. If they feel good and their wallets are full then the incumbents win the day. If things aren’t going so well the challengers prevail. This selfish mindset comes naturally to us. It is only overruled by the transforming work of the Holy spirit. I consider leaning Republican to be good in the short run, but if we don’t start leaning on Jesus, we’re going to fall hard.