The Time Has Come for Christians to Stop Voting Anti-Abortion...

This election cycle has arguably been the strangest in history. In one corner, we have a career politician whose legacy is riddled with scandals and lies. In the other, a hot-headed businessman with no filter or ethics to speak of, business or otherwise.

And while I could, like the rest of the country, wonder how we got here; how our choices have devolved to such a degree, there is another question that has been a pebble in my shoe: Why have many Christians stood by Donald Trump as their standard bearer?

So rather than trying to figure it out behind the scenes, I decided to ask that question early and often. A great many of my friends are conservative, and Christian, and a part of the Evangelical or Charismatic traditions. The result of my poll was consistent; the answers have all maintained a common rationale: Trump is the Republican candidate, and as such is "Pro-life", and will appoint several Supreme Court Justices over the next 4 years who will oppose abortion. All of Trump's other indescretions, both past and present, are justified, rationalized, minimalized or completely ignored for this fact.

I have my doubts about the legitimacy of Trump's "pro-life" stance, but that's beside the point. What has me perplexed is this one question: is abortion the only thing Christians care about? And is the Church by and large actually just anti-abortion, rather than pro-life? While that last statement may seem like a comparison of synonyms, it is anything but. Simply put, which lives are conservatives "Pro", I mean, beside unborn children?

The homeless?
Children born into poverty?
Single parents taking care of those children?
Female victims of sexual assault?
Orphans?
Refugees?

Which lives matter to conservatives? All of the above? Any of the above? Is the liberal accusation true, that conservatives only care about life prior to birth?

So to answer this question, I did what I always do. I did research. Here is what I discovered:

615 thousand - The number of US abortions in 2015
12% - the percentage which abortions in America have declined during the Obama administration.
1982 - the year when the abortion rate peaked post-Roe v Wade
5,647 - The number of US adoptions in 2015
12 million - the number of single parents in America
9.6 million - the number of single mothers in America
13.1 million - the number of malnourished children in America
564,708 - the number of homeless in America
15,000 - the number of women and children being sold into sexual slavery and exploitation in the US
4.5 million - the number of women and children being sold into sexual slavery globally, annually
85 thousand - The number of refugees settled in the United States in 2015
3 million - The number of refugees settled in the United States since 1975
1 million - Number of new immigrants in 2014
81 million - Number of immigrants and immigrants' children living in the United States

And my favorite take-away: If all of the aborted babies from 2015 were born to families that could not support them or did not want them, it would take 109 years to adopt them all.
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Now you may be asking to yourself, "What do those numbers have to do with abortion?". I'll answer, but first, a resolute statement: I am opposed to abortion. I believe what was intended during Roe v Wade to be a last-resort action to protect victims of rape, incest, and life-threatening conditions has become a procedure often used for convenience. I believe abortions are a heartbreaking loss of life, and look forward to the day when they are no longer necessary.

Now back to the question: Why do the above numbers matter? Because they all represent American lives, but these groups seem to get a great deal less press from the conservative right than abortion. Case in Point: Donald Trump.

Here we have a man who is on his third marriage, representing the party of traditional family values. We have someone who has bragged about his own sexual assaults representing the party of propriety and discretion in the bedroom. We have a man who has, as a businessman, has used bankruptcy and loopholes to avoid paying debts ant taxes representing the party of fiscal responsibility. We have someone who is comfortable insulting POWs and Gold Star families representing the party who claims to stand for the military and their families.

And yet, with all of his ineptitude, Christians still support him because he said he is pro-life.

But let's forget about Trump, if only temporarily, to ask the real question which MUST be addressed by the American Church if they have any hope of keeping a voice in our culture: Are you pro-life, or merely anti-abortion? I ask, because it seems clear enough that if you hate and are afraid of refugees, you aren't pro-life. If you believe that adoption is someone else's responsibility, you aren't pro-life. If you believe that single parents and the homeless just need to stop being lazy, you aren't pro-life. If you support the death sentence, you aren't pro-life. If you tithe to a church without any concern about how much of their budget goes to helping widows, orphans, and the hungry, you aren't pro-life. If you don't concern yourself with the sex trade that is driven by our favorite pastimes, you aren't pro-life. And above all these other things, if you don't take time to consider what will happen to all these other groups when 600 thousand new lives are added to our population annually, you aren't pro-life. You may be anti-abortion, but that simply isn't enough anymore. The unborn are not the only ones in our society that are voiceless. It's time to advocate for more than the unborn.

We need to be the voting bloc that stands for all life, unborn included. We need to love more. We need to do more. And we need to insist that those who would desire to lead us be committed to the same. Think about it. Pray about it. Then vote for the candidate whose policies and past track record advocate for the lives of every American, and beyond that, every human soul. Given his words, deeds and reputation, though, I can assure you ... It isn't Donald Trump.

Now That the Polls Are Closed...

Well congratulations! You've done your civic duty ... you've voted in this year's NC Primary. Either you REALLY LOVE the democratic process, or you came out because you have strong feelings about Amendment 1. If you voted FOR Amendment 1, to you it signifies that you are willing to take a stand for the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman. Well since you stood in line, put your name on the line, and filled in the circle, you made it official that you're willing to do what it takes to ensure that the institution of marriage be protected, come liberals, hell, or high water.

 I'm so glad you took a stand! Are you ready to stay standing? You see, marriage isn't something that is protected by a single law, or even a series of laws. It isn't kept sacred by just it's definition being included on the state constitution. It is kept sacred by those to whom it has been given, as a sacred trust from the One who gave it in the first place, and Who therefore asks that it be stewarded in a manner that is worthy of His Name. So here are 5 tangible things you can do to do EVEN MORE for marriage than simply voting.

1) Drop the "D" Word
The divorce rate is as high in the church as it is anywhere else. The absolute first step toward safeguarding the institution of marriage is to stay married. It seems there is a plethora of acceptable reasons to get a divorce these days, and very few are grounds to actually proceed. This isn't a slam against those who have been divorced. It is a call to remember that the same Bible which identifies marriage as being between one man and one woman also vehemently states that marriage is a permanent covenant, and should only be abandoned as the exception and not the rule.

2) Keep it Clean 
I'm mostly talking to the menfolk reading this. Dude, seriously, drop the porn. It's a distortion of what sex is, it messes up your brain function, and ruins your ability to take joy in the things that make marriage awesome. You shouldn't want your wife to act like a pornstar, you should pray for pornstars to be loved as much as you love your wife. Addiction is a bear. Help is available.

3) Keep it Close
If you haven't yet realized that extra-marital affairs are a bigger threat to the institution and sanctity of marriage than homosexuality, you aren't paying attention. To seek sex outside of marriage is to vote "AGAINST" Marriage in the arena of everyday life, and people take notice. Don't just try to make your mark in an election year. Make your mark in all of your circles, showing that husbands and wives can, with grace and discipline, keep from straying.

4) Scrap the Tabloids
HOLLYWOOD (for the most part) HAS ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE WHAT MARRIAGE IS SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE. I'm really sorry, but it's a valid claim ... why can Kim K get married, make a mockery of what marriage should be, and then get divorced only to do it all over again? Imagine you are a member of the gay community, wanting to be married, and watching that. Seem a bit inconsistent with our standard of marriage? I think so. $50 to the Congressman that first introduces a Kardashian Marriage Ban. Who cares which actress married which producer? Stop paying attention to the attention mongers.

5) Stand for Others
You are surrounded by friends and family that need help in their marriage. They need encouragement. They need a cheering section. They need someone to tell them they're wrong when they're wrong. Marriage does not exist in a vacuum, and isn't something that everyone should be expected to learn 100% by experience. If your marriage is successful, AWESOME. Share the wealth. Help other people be successful in their marriages. It doesn't take Dr. Phil to fix some issues. Some people simply need advice, and someone to point them in the right direction. If you really believe the Bible is the instruction manual on Marriage, whip out out more often than elections.

 I'm committed to each and every one of these things. My wife is also. If you voted FOR NC Amendment 1, shouldn't you?