DISCLAIMER:  I’ve been preaching, teaching, and writing the same things since the late 1980’s.  Over the years, I’ve offended both Democrats and Republicans, but I’m not purposely picking on one candidate or party.  Instead, I am calling on the church to demand candidates and leaders of integrity and to quit playing political games and offering excuses.

The 2024 elections are over.  A new President, Senators, Representatives and other leaders have been installed or are now in the process of being appointed.  This gives me the opportunity to speak Biblical truth freely without endorsing or condemning any one party or candidate.

My point is simple, “People of God should insist on candidates and leaders of Godly character and integrity.” 

If we want our country, our state, and our community to stand for good, we need good and Godly leaders.  If we are content to be just another country, focused only on our own political and military interests, our own economy and our own generation, then maybe it doesn’t matter.  But if we are committed to being and doing what is right, if we are willing to plan for future generations and not just our own immediate wellbeing, if we deeply desire to be a force for peace and good in the world, and if we are dedicated to being fair and honorable to our own citizens and others, then we need good and Godly leaders.

We need men and women who do not cheat on their spouses.  We need elected and appointed leaders who don’t have to sign or force a “Do not disclose” agreement to hide something immoral.  We need leaders who do not have to pay off people to hide their past sins.  We need men and women who are not addicted to alcohol or other drugs.  We need men and women who are willing to tell the truth even if it makes them look bad.  We need people who don’t have a history of sexual abuse.  We need people who treat all people fairly, without showing favoritism to their party or family members.  We need people who have not been accused or convicted of financial crimes.  We need people who show love and not petty anger, hatred, and putdowns.

We need men and women of character and integrity.

Is that too much to ask?

Honestly, it’s the least we should ask.  It should be our starting point. 

People of Jesus need to demand better.  We need to communicate strongly to our political parties that we refuse to vote for leaders who don’t have the necessary character.  We need to refuse to give to them, support them, endorse them, or vote for them.  And, as people of God, we need to call out even those in our own party when they refuse to live up to high moral standards.  We need to live our beliefs in the political arena. 

When I have this discussion with other believers, I’m often given the same tired excuses I’ve heard for years.  I’m told that all politicians are cheaters.  If this is true, it just adds to my point that we need to do better.  One person’s wrongdoing is never an acceptable excuse for others to follow in their footsteps.

I’m told that we should give leaders a second chance. I will gladly do so if a leader makes a Biblically acceptable change.  That means they admit mistakes rather than hiding them.  It means they seek forgiveness from God and others instead of minimizing their sins.  It means they make full and necessary reparations to those they’ve wronged rather than ignoring them.

I’m often told that I’m expecting too much.  I often hear that we’re seeking a president (or a Senator or a General or whatever) and not a pastor.  The inference is that political leaders don’t have to live by the same standards as others.    I don’t accept that, for I believe that Biblical standards of leadership apply to all leaders—and especially to those in national and international leadership.

I’m often told that the kinds of leaders I seek can’t make it in today’s world.  I don’t accept this either.  I believe that the character the Bible teaches is still highly relevant and needed today.  Therefore honesty, integrity, love, and Godly character in a leader will be blessed by God.

I’m often told that God can use ungodly leaders.  That’s true, but even a cursory reading of the Old Testament—which includes much of the history of the nation of Israel—shows that God blessed their nation when they had godly leaders and punished them when they did not.  A strong lesson from the Old Testament is that “Godly leaders lead to a blessed nation; ungodly leadership leads to destruction.”

I often hear whining that we are forced to choose between two  candidates who lack integrity.  When that is true, it’s our fault.  We keep voting for ungodly incumbents.  We don’t get involved in primaries, when there are people of character still available.  We choose popular but obviously ungodly candidates because they can win and they share some of our political opinions. 

It’s time for the church to stop offering excuses.  We must demand that national, state, and local leaders have high character and offer a deep level of integrity and honesty.   We cannot in good conscience—if we really are followers of Jesus—support, give to, endorse, and vote for men and women who don’t meet Biblical standards of morality.  We cannot separate our faith from our politics.  Our faith—and the Bible—should inform our opinions and our votes.

We can’t afford to continue endorsing ungodly leadership. 

Not if we love God and we love our country.