ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: PLAYING POLITICAL RUSSIAN ROULETTE

ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: PLAYING POLITICAL RUSSIAN ROULETTE

During the 2003-2004 political campaign/election cycle I ran for the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Texas' 25th Congressional District. After losing the Primary a sizeable number of people approached me who apologized for not having voted for me. These were bankers, lawyers, businessmen, church leaders -- you name it -- all of whom crossed over to vote on the Democratic ticket thinking that they would cast their vote for the weaker of the two Democratic candidates and thereby alter the race dynamics in my favor.

Polling seemed to indicate to them that I had a fair lead against my Republican opponent, and they felt like I had the race in the bag. They felt safe in crossing over so as to alter the outcome of the Democratic ticket. In fact, their crossover vote made virtually no difference in the outcome of the Democratic Primary, whereas had they actually cast their vote for me my outcome would have been very different.

As a result I published a political commentary consisting of a somewhat abbreviated version of today's Coffee Break. Because of what we are currently seeing take place in the ongoing Primaries around this nation I felt the importance of once again expanding on that same commentary.

That said, Good Morning to you! Pour yourself a good 16-ounce cup of that Double-Roast French, pull up a chair and let's discuss the current spiritual state of our political spectrum.

One of the tragedies of modern society is the drive towards political correctness. Striving to be inoffensive to every segment of society and desiring to please everyone has created a tyranny of the minorities. Despite the fact that mainstream America overwhelmingly professes to be Christian, the majority succumbs to the pressure of the minority.

Election after election, people who privately hold mainstream, conservative, Christian values continue to vote for candidates who -- year after year -- peck away at, and incrementally erode the freedoms granted by our founding fathers in our United States Constitution.

Why is this? What is it that possesses people to compromise their values? How is it that we can go behind the curtain in the voting booth, away from the prying eyes of those who want to control the election outcomes, and vote contrary to what we know to be right?

The answer, plain and simple? Fear.

There are three families of fear that infect and contaminate the human race: the Fear of Evil, the Fear of Man, and the Fear of Death. These three families of fear operate respectively in each of the domains of human existence.

The Fear of Evil affects people at the level of their spirit. It manipulates the hearts of men and women to react in fear where anything spiritual is concerned. It causes people to be in terror of God, substituting a healthy respect and reverential awe of God for an unhealthy terror. The Fear of Evil is the driving force behind all religion and man-made efforts to please God. It substitutes a love-relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ for a set of rules, regulations and laws that are performance driven.

The Fear of Man works at the level of our human relationships. It works in the mind and soul of man, causing him to fear how others think of him or see him. In the same way that the Fear of Evil is a liar, the Fear of Man is a liar, invoking imaginary scenarios of how we see ourselves through the eyes of our friends and society in general. The Fear of Man drives modern politics in a way that seems to escape a large segment of the voting public; and people seem to be oblivious to the fact that their voting choices are being manipulated by an evil spirit.

The Fear of Death directly compromises us at the level of our flesh, our natural existence. It causes us to fear the unknown, creating imaginary situations that threaten our physical well being. With the modern push for a socialist society where Government becomes our source of supply, steals our trust and confidence in the Lord as our Source, and forces the nation into a "gimmee, gimmee" welfare mentality, the Fear of Death becomes an increasingly driving force in our electoral choices because we fear having that money or those benefits being taken away from us. The subconscious fear is that we will die or suffer physically if we lose those things a "freebies" from the government.

So, how exactly do these fears affect the way we behave in the voting booth? Let’s look at a series of events that have unfolded over the past 50 – 60 years.

First, let’s define an increasing political polarity.

For the conservative, the Christian, the individual who believes in the essential liberties granted in our Constitution for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness – or, to quote the Apostle Paul, “….that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all Godliness and honesty,” the objective is a candidate who will promote and defend those liberties without taking any more from us than is absolutely necessary to accomplish the goal. Unfortunately, conservatives – by virtue of their very nature – tend to be passive and nonconfrontational.

The secularist, humanist, socialist liberal believes that he or she is entitled to those liberties at the expense of the state; that if the state lacks sufficient money to guarantee his or her “right” to have those liberties regardless of cost, it is perfectly acceptable – nay, mandatory – that the funds be extracted by whatever means necessary from those who have prospered by their labors. That mindset leads to a dependency upon the state. The state becomes the arbiter of all things, and the supplier of all needs. Personal responsibility diminishes as the state picks up more and more authority, and provides more and more services.

In the voting booth, the conservative – being more or less nonconfrontational – adopts a compromising attitude if the individual running for office mostly supports the concept of smaller, less intrusive government, and stands for some of the basic moral and spiritual values that epitomize conservatism. The fact that the candidate might be 55% conservative and 45% socialist humanist is set aside in fear.

That fear is not overpowering. It is not apparently or obviously driving the individual. It is subversive, and subconscious. It is persuasive. It is seductive. And it manipulates through either or both the Fear of Man, and the Fear of Death. Compromise or not, the voter casts the ballot for an individual who will ultimately chip away – ever so little, but ever so surely – some of the freedoms the voter currently enjoys.

On the other hand, the secularist, humanist, socialist fears a society that demands responsibility. Responsibility portends the possibility of failure. Failure threatens one’s existence. Failure threatens one’s “comfort zone.” The Fear of Death becomes a driving force.

The secular socialist has none of the peace that comes with a walk with Jesus Christ, nor the assurance that there will be a brighter day ahead by the help and provision of the Lord. A mandate develops, therefore, within the humanist to elect a candidate who will continue to ensure his or her livelihood no matter how much it costs the state.

Let’s take this to the next level.

Years of compromise – make that decades of compromise – have watered down the conservative stance of the Republican Party. Instead of standing for the principles that originally made up the GOP – principles that were rooted in smaller, more efficient, less-intrusive government and Christian moral leadership – we have seen a willingness on the part of Republican leaders to incorporate those as candidates who accept “a little socialism,” or “a little” larger, more intrusive government in order to have candidates that appeal to the voting public.

At the same time, because of the similar compromises made within the Democratic Party -- compromises with communism and the socialist principles of Marx and Lenin – the Democratic leadership has shifted to the far left of mainstream America. The Democratic Party supposedly used to represent the interests of the working man, the common man, the ordinary, every-day individual. You’d never know it today! The party leadership has moved towards a Robin Hood philosophy in order to provide “gimme” programs that encourage poverty and stifle productivity.

In a reaction almost wholly based in the fear of death, conservatives have compromised their values even more, thinking that the compromises would stop the march toward a completely socialist America. It is a fraud! It is a lie being perpetrated on conservatives and Christians.

Where once candidates stepped forward on their own volition, inspired by genuine concern and/or spiritual motivation to stand up against the march towards socialism, trepidation has taken over. Now, those who might normally present themselves as available for public office avoid doing so because avarice, greed, the love of money – and the need for enormous sums of money in order to even enter the race – have taken over.

Republican Party leaders have frantically sought for candidates they’ve calculated would be “viable” against their Democratic counterparts. Formulas have been devised. “Bean counting” has taken place in an effort to figure out how to strategically position candidates for a winning strategy.

Mathematical formulas and voter profiles have replaced integrity. Winning has become so important that leaders are willing to sacrifice conservative principles in order to elect candidates selected through compromise.

Between profiling possible candidates and studying statistical patterns in districts, choices are being made that eliminate candidates with true conviction and moral clarity. These are often candidates who can articulate clearly the conservative message in such a way as to convince undecided voters.

Business leaders who could and would financially support candidates that actually reflect their conservative values are discouraged from giving in order to direct the “available dollars” to the candidates “most likely” to win. It becomes a “numbers game.” We play the roulette wheel, hoping to cash in with the odds in our favor. Worse, it becomes a game of Russian Roulette in which we hope the hammer falls on an empty chamber.

And it is all motivated and driven by The Fear of Evil, The Fear of Man, and The Fear of Death.

Unless we as a people return to our core values and stop playing these games of compromise, THE HAMMER IS GOING TO FALL on a loaded chamber, and we will find ourselves living in a socialist, secular humanist state, deprived of the essential liberties our Founding Fathers sought to guarantee this nation.

In 1781, Founding Father Samuel Adams made the following statement, "Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual -- or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country."

It was in 1881 that President James A. Garfield made the following observation: "Now more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature.”

See the picture? Then come on, Folks! Let’s wake up and get our act together!

"The Spirit of God is preparing leadership by releasing upon them the anointing that rested upon the sons of Issachar. They had understanding of the time and were aware of what the people of God should be accomplishing (see 1 Chronicles 12:32). The Spirit of Truth is releasing revelatory insights for all who are actively seeking to fully follow God (see Jeremiah 29:12-13). Let me stress again that the Kingdom of God will not be established by mere words or abilities of men, but by the Spirit of God (see 1 Corinthians 4:20). This type of realistic confidence can only come from genuine union with Christ. It is abiding in His manifested presence that results in our boldness (see Proverbs 28:1)." (Bobby Connor)

Blessings on you!

Regner

Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
709 South 7th Street
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
(509) 515-0133

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