2016 National Election

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (BP) -- One of my favorite movies is an old classic starring Gary Cooper called "Sergeant York." The story is about a Tennessee mountain man named Alvin York, a poor farmer who kept running into bad luck. But along the way he became a Christian. When World War I broke out, he designated himself as a conscientious objector because he believed the Bible taught people not to kill. While he was in basic training, he excelled as a marksman. He came to a crisis ...

Noting that Christians in America are both citizens of heaven and the U.S., Daryl Cornett sets forth key differences to help "keep our hearts calmer, our mouths milder and our hope affixed to the right source."

NASHVILLE (BP) -- When Florida pastor Ken Whitten started to address the 2016 presidential election in a sermon, "it got real quiet" because the congregation "knows I do not do that" typically, Whitten said. But he spoke out because he is among Southern Baptist pastors in key swing states who, without endorsing a candidate, have felt compelled to offer spiritual counsel to their congregations in the home stretch of an at-times rancorous presidential campaign. Their concerns include harsh social media posts by Christians, the squandering of evangelistic opportunities with angry political rhetoric, and an apparent failure to rest in God's sovereign plan.

NASHVILLE (BP) -- During the presidential campaign of 1800, Christian opponents of candidate Thomas Jefferson warned he "abhors the Christian system" and if elected, might send troops to seize Christians' Bibles. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln's election was thought by some Southern Baptist leaders to threaten fundamental American liberties. A century later, the presidential campaign elicited the Chicago Sun-Times headline "Southern Baptists Tell Why They Are Attacking Kennedy."

The 2016 presidential election will reflect "the prevailing values of an electorate that, by and large, seems to have acquiesced to the inevitability of amoral and immoral behavior becoming our new normal," seminary president Jeff Iorg writes. "When any society rejects moral authority," he notes, "chaos and anarchy always lead to collapse."

LAS VEGAS (BP) -- The third and final debate of the 2016 presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump focused on various issues of concern to many evangelical Christians: the U.S. Supreme Court, abortion, immigration, personal character, and ongoing turmoil in the Middle East. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, hosted the 90-minute debate between Clinton, the Democratic nominee, and Republican nominee Donald Trump. Chris Wallace, host of "Fox News Sunday," moderated the event.

[QUOTE@right@180="At the end of the day . . . our confession as Christians will still be the same: ‘Jesus Christ is Lord.'"
-- Nathan Finn]WASHINGTON (BP) -- Southern Baptist pastors and leaders are weighing in with advice on the divisive presidential election in the wake of the latest disturbing revelations about the major parties' candidates. Columns and posts received by Baptist Press reflect what has been true for months among evangelical Christians -- a division between those who have grave reservations about voting for either major party candidate and those who have determined they cannot do so.

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Americans with evangelical beliefs share a great deal in common. They trust in Jesus alone, evangelize their neighbors and believe the Bible is the final authority in their lives. But when it comes to voting, race and political affiliation still divide evangelicals, according to a survey from Nashville-based LifeWay Research taken from Sept. 27 to Oct. 1, before the second presidential debate. Overall, fewer than half (45 percent) of those with evangelical beliefs planned to vote for Donald Trump, according to the survey. A third (31 percent) said they would vote for Hillary Clinton. Fifteen percent were undecided. One in 10 (9 percent) supported a third-party candidate.

With terms such as "moral majority" and "values voter" having lost their less relevance in this year's presidential election, college president Mark Ballard underscores a Christian's dual citizenship as a framework for casting a ballot.

ST. LOUIS (BP) -- The U.S. Supreme Court -- the defining issue for many evangelical Christians in the 2016 presidential election -- finally received attention just before the close of the second debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Sunday night (Oct. 9). The debate -- only two days after the release of a 2005 video in which Trump lewdly describes his efforts to have sex with women other than his wife -- lacked discussion of such issues as abortion and marriage until about 10 minutes before its end. Then an audience member asked the candidates about their priorities in ...