My Vote and How Should You Vote?
By Ted Nienstedt

Well, I've done it.  I made up my mind on how I'm going to vote and shared it publicly in email postings.   I had been thinking about it a lot lately and preparing potentially much longer article.  In doing so, I had been trying to find out definitively whether any write-in vote would be counted even for unregistered candidates.  The answer, in North Carolina anyway, came in an email from the Chuck Baldwin campaign (see reference below).  The bottom line is write-in votes will be tallied and recorded.  I hope other States handle write-ins similarly and I would be glad to hear from others about that or anything related to my article.

Below is an abbreviated form of the email I sent to some friends, colleagues, forums, ministries, etc.  I will summarize the many responses I received, which run across the gamut.  I will then offer a final position on how I think everyone should determine their vote, especially if you are a Christian or a Jew and believe in your bible.  Even if you’re not a Christian or a Jew, you may want to adopt the same principle in deciding how to vote.

Here's the email that started some robust dialog...

This is how I'm voting and why.  The two articles linked below sum it up.

I'm done with the lesser of evils and the two major parties. The bible says God determines the Kings and rulers for His purposes. Even American democracy is not more powerful than God.  

The primary reason for America being blessed that can be found in the bible is our support of Israel and their being back in their land.  

God is jealous for His land and a nation called Israel being formed again is a sign of the last generation.  God also promises judgment on all who attempt to divide His land and Jerusalem in particular.  So that is my litmus test for a candidate for US President, despite the fact that the Israeli government itself is willing to divide its land.  God also said it is not their land to divide, but they are tenants in His land.

So, I'm not worried about who becomes President because God will decide and change them out if He wants.  He is also in full control and events and circumstances are lining up exactly as foretold long ago.  Trust in man, gold and silver if you want; my trust is elsewhere.

#1: North Carolina I am Writing Chuck Baldwin in for President as a protest vote!
http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dckfhxmq_40fh24nm2w

#2: 3 seconds, 7 simple words, eternal consequences
http://www.stangoodenough.com/?p=157

To summarize the two linked articles, Chuck Baldwin's campaign (in #1) suggested not accepting the "lesser of two evils" and placing a protest vote by voting for Chuck in North Carolina.  And, to consider doing this despite the fact that they failed to secure registered write-in status by getting enough signatures before the deadline.  It explains that in North Carolina all votes that exceed five for a given write-in name will be tallied and recorded for posterity.

Stan Goodenough (in #2) expresses the disappointment of hearing Sarah Palin support the two state solution for Israel and continuing to divide the land of Israel. As implied in my email, I agree with both emphatically.

Many thanked me for sharing my email and helping them decide how to vote.  Most agreed with me and the linked articles.  Some agreed on all the points, but not on Chuck Baldwin.  Others disagreed completely, some respectfully and some not (that's OK; I didn't take anything personal and expected it would evoke passion).  

The ones that disagreed mostly said either in word or effect that we need to vote against the godless evil that Obama represents and do so by voting for whoever stands the better chance of beating him.  

Some said we need to make the right decision to avoid having Obama get in and do harm or bring upon God's judgment.  Some implied we need to vote with God and not against God by voting for McCain.  Some don't like Chuck Baldwin any better than the two main party candidates.

Those that disagreed also liked John McCain outright, and willingly accepted him as the "lesser of two evils" candidate, or argued that his running mate Sarah Palin makes all the difference.

As for Churck Baldwin, am I endorsing him?  Yes, that's the personal choice I made even though he's not a registered candidate in North Carolina.  However, I'm not necessarily trying to convince anyone to make that same personal choice.  I want to make it clear that my larger point is not my endorsement, but rather how to decide for yourself and what legitimate options you have; more on that next.

As for Barack Obama or John McCain, if your happy with either of them then that's fine with me because it doesn’t affect my faith that God decides anyway.

As for accepting the "lesser of two evils" candidate, is that how God votes?  Does God vote or does He decide?  If God decides then He does so to further His purposes and His ways are not our ways.  So how do we know whether we're voting with God or against God?  Do we decide the outcome with our vote, or is our vote really more like a prayer or a petition to God?  I say that is exactly what it is like.  Our vote doesn't decide anything by itself.  And, in many cases it is essentially wasted if you are voting against the majority in your district.  Does all this mean we should give up and not vote if we're unhappy about those facts or with the choices we have?  God forbid, read on and see why.

So back to you should vote.  Am I saying you should vote exactly like me?  No, rest assured that God decides and so you should pray and follow through by voting for who you would like to see elected or who you can honestly agree with.  I think you should also consider how your vote best honors God (since He knows how you vote).  If your State counts all write-in votes for posterity, as I suspect all States do, then it is like a survey of sorts in that every person is considered to represent many more.  If it doesn't count for the near term election, perhaps it will count in the long term in ways you might under estimate.

I've heard some say "this would all be fine in a perfect world", or "what if Hitler was running so shouldn't we accept any lesser evil to vote against him"?  I have to say that these are both fallacious and cop-out arguments.

It will never be a perfect world (until Jesus makes it so anyway) so why try to use it as a basis for any argument, it winds up meaning nothing.  We better figure out how to live and vote in our imperfect world and not bemoan that it isn't perfect.  

Regarding Hitler, it is ridiculous to think a self proclaimed and recognized Hitler equivalent would get elected, so it also winds up meaning nothing.

The perfect world argument makes me think of another good question.  Is democracy biblical or is it God's chosen form of government.  I don't think so; Jesus Himself came to die, not to establish democracy on earth in all its corrupt problems (although mankind has nothing better).

The only biblical form of government we can look forward to and that will work is when Jesus returns to fulfill scripture and rule as King of Kings with a rod of iron.  Does that sound like democracy to you?  Perhaps (and I also believe) the only thing that will fix this imperfect world is perfection itself, and that in the form of the only true God and perfect man, Christ Jesus.  Maranatha (come quickly Lord Jesus).

So I think it comes down to this.  Do we trust God or not?

Do we compromise our conscience or not in how we either vote or pray?  I choose to trust God and not compromise my conscience.  I also choose to utilize my own free speech by challenging others to vote and to vote in a way they could defend when they stand before God.

God Bless you and God Bless America,

Ted Nienstedt
Prophezine NC Area Captain